Written by Rylie Miller

In the ever-evolving world of public relations, the landscape is poised for transformative change in 2025…

…I’m going to stop right there. 

This isn’t going to be one of those pieces. One that tells us what we already know – or can at least assume. (And any AI tool can spit out that first line in seconds).

That’s why I asked the PR pros themselves what they saw and experimented with in 2024, and trends they are getting ahead of for the future of public relations. 

Let’s take a look at the crystal ball and see the PR trends shaping 2025. 

5 PR Trends and Predictions for 2025 

Next-Gen is Shifting the Media Landscape

Social media, podcasts, Substacks, BlueSky –  next-gen media is not necessarily new. 

However, these channels are reinventing the traditional media landscape and how brands tell their stories. The way we consume media nowadays impacts how those outlets report, which changes how we pitch media. Podcasts played a big role in the election – with both candidates appearing on major podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy, earning more than 135 million listeners nationwide, including audiences many traditional outlets don’t reach. This is just one example of how media has changed.

Matt Burkey, AVP at Carve Communications

“Taking the time to hear reporters out on a personal level, learning directly from their social posts and profiles along with other mediums, like Substack-style newsletters, will help PR pros make more meaningful connections. Many are sharing pitching preferences, tips for getting pitches opened, and their overall processes more.

I don’t think this will influence media relations much. You'll still need two basic elements: A compelling story to tell and great relationship-building skills. Whether you pitch an editor, a broadcast producer, a blogger, a Substack publisher (Substacker?), or a podcaster, those two elements will always be vital. We just have more information at our fingertips to be able to do this well.”

Jess Pechie, Senior Account Executive at Carve Communications 

“The size of the outlet will not determine what is ‘top-tier’ media, but rather the authenticity of the content produced. Brands and consumers alike will be reaching for the media that is relatable, insightful, and sincere.

People are tired of trying to determine whether they are being promoted to or if they’re engaging with a genuine piece of content. Whether it’s social media, broadcast, print or digital media, there will be a much richer desire for humanistic values from those interacting with it.”

Clare Jones, Global Outreach Manager at Custom Neon

“Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are not just for social interaction these days; they play a pivotal role in shaping public opinion and brand perception. The rise of podcasting and influencer collaborations also highlights a broader range of channels. These changes mean that PR strategies must be more considered and versatile. The emphasis will shift towards creating content that's not only engaging and useful, but also sharable and suited to multiple formats. 

The rise of digital platforms has led to rapid news cycles, making real-time communication and responsiveness essential. PR professionals must develop closer, more responsive relationships with journalists who are increasingly turning to social media for story sourcing and audience engagement.”

PRO TIP: To move quickly, catalog useful sound bites from your spokesperson’s previous media and executive interviews, podcasts, and so on. Having this on hand allows you to proactively pitch them for opportunities without lengthy approval times. Also, consider how you can repurpose these soundbites across channels. For example, make an audiogram for a social post from a recorded conversation.

Hailey Pinto, Account Executive at Carve Communications

“As a Gen Z gal, I've consumed media my whole life primarily through social media. It was only when I got into PR that I started to read online publications more, but still mostly from a work need rather than a personal one. 

I think PR and comms professionals will need to keep thinking about who their target audience is at the end of the day. Older demographics tend to lean more toward traditional media like trade outlets and broadcast, whereas there is a much larger focus on social media for the younger gens that are leading our future.”

Peace Out Vanity Metrics 

Measuring PR effectiveness is more than just counting media mentions or tracking impressions – and this shouldn’t be new to most. 

It’s about clearly connecting the dots to show the business impact made, receiving positive feedback, getting recognition from the right audiences, and correlating engagement with meaningful interactions. According to Muck Rack’s State of PR Measurement Report, 64% of respondents said the best way to improve the value of PR to senior leadership teams is to tie PR activities directly to top business goals. 

Scott Goldberg, Managing Director and EVP of Client Services at Carve Communications

“Over the last 5+ years, the smarter marketers understand stats like UVPM, circulation, and others are simply inaccurate, inflated, and meaningless. More and more marketers are looking for other ways to validate their PR budget and that’s why Carve’s Scoring System (CSS) has been successful. 

CSS is a manual exercise and, while it does take time for our team, the investment is that our team must understand and interpret the story’s value beyond just reading it. The score in itself is another way to understand how we're delivering results. As our team analyzes every story, we are forced to see what resonates with the specific reporters. We can then take some buzzwords and phrases from the story and integrate them into our pitches to generate even more coverage.”

Mariela Azcuy, VP of Executive Communications and B2B Strategy at Carve Communications

“More and more, clients want to know how PR efforts drive business. PR pros need to be able to answer those questions or know what they need to ask or collaborate on to answer them. Tying PR to business outcomes is impossible to handle in a vacuum – you need the right UTM tags, feedback loops, sales information and website data, and more to make it happen. And that involves digging into different areas of the business. 

However, don’t forget that sometimes the benefits are a bit intangible. You don’t want to measure the creativity out of your teams.”

Personalization + Authenticity + Credibility = Real Media Relationships 

Media relationships shouldn’t be viewed as transactional. You want to form mutually-beneficial relationships with reporters. Go beyond just pitching them and aim to become their go-to resource. According to Muck Rack’s 2024 State of PR Report, getting responses from journalists was the top concern among 54% of agency PR pros. 

With that, a little personalization goes a long way. 

Marely Arias, Supervisor of Media Relations at Carve Communications

“Intentionality will be everything in the year ahead. Take the time to connect with your media contacts in meaningful ways—talk about your shared passions (my love of video games has come in handy!), engage with them on socials, and schedule that coffee chat you've been putting off. These aren’t just great relationship moves—they’re how you lay the groundwork for your stories."

Mike Chappell, Co-founder and COO, FormsPal

“ Journalists today expect not just a story idea, but multimedia assets and data-driven insights to make their work more appealing to their audiences, especially with visual-first media platforms. Credibility and authenticity also have greater impact with time, as journalists prefer working with sources they trust.”

Roland Jakob, Managing Partner at Blazekin Media Agency

“One of the most fascinating trends I’m seeing is the rise of “unpolished authenticity.” Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that show their flaws, admit mistakes, and engage in real conversations online. PR pros who embrace this trend — stepping away from overly polished narratives in favor of human connection — will thrive.

Influencers Will Influence PR Budgets (Amongst Other Things)

Influencers and advocates have cemented their place as a strong link between consumers and brands. Consumers are drawn to influencers’ credibility – as 69% of consumers trust their recommendations over information straight from a brand. But now, it’s about finding new ways to build from there to stand out and reach new markets. 

Mariela Azcuy, VP of Executive Communications and B2B Strategy at Carve Communications

“When most people think of marketing through influencers, they think of selling a toy or a vacation location. But you’re going to see more and more money spent on influencers in the B2B space. There’s a ton of opportunity in raising the public profiles of customers on a brand’s behalf, but don’t neglect the industry influencers who aren’t customers yet. Give them a chance to get to know your brand and test your product. Invite them to your events. Build the relationship over time and you’ll preserve the authenticity.”

Monika Kalinova, Digital PR Manager for DesignRush

“Hyper-localization in PR is a major trend. Brands realize the value of targeting local audiences, not only worldwide or nationally. PR professionals are learning more about community needs as consumers want more tailored experiences. Focusing on local influencers, developing region-specific content, or collaborating with hyper-local media outlets can make a brand more approachable and real to a certain audience.”

Matt Burkey, AVP at Carve Communications

“Businesses are running on tight budgets and PR agencies need to be able to showcase their creativity and assertiveness beyond standard media outreach, including developing and executing experiential activations, initiating purposeful brand partnerships/collaborations, among others.”

AI is Never Leaving the Party 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a PR trends piece without AI. As the hype settles, it’s become part of many daily routines – helping pros kick off brainstorms, generate media lists, report faster, and dive deeper into things that matter. Muck Rack reported this year that 74% of PR pros say that AI has increased the quality of their work, while 89% say AI has increased their productivity and speed.

Sacha Fournier, Founder at JournoFinder.com

“As sentiment analysis improves, AI tools will allow us to build lists based on journalists' attitudes towards specific topics. This means that we can create lists and angles that adhere to what a journalist already thinks without having to manually sift through journalists' previous stories. I still think that AI cannot create compelling stories or sound bytes.”

Ashton Mathai, Associate Director of Content at Carve Communications

“AI is great for creating content fast and making it smarter in subtle ways readers don’t notice. However, in the next year, we’ll see audiences clearly spot – and call out – who uses AI as a sole creator versus a collaborator. As PR and content professionals, our job is to take what works from AI and leave behind what doesn’t. Professionals who get a handle on how to do that will be the ones that media partners and potential customers want to work with more.”

Susan O’Sullivan, Account Coordinator at Carve Communications

“People will start using AI more consistently as time goes on – probably more than they already do now when it comes to tedious tasks like list-building, needing fast research, and other workflow optimization. Even with that, AI might respond quickly and make things easier sometimes, but it will never replace the relationships between PR professionals and journalists.

A big part of what we do as PR professionals is built on relationships and human connection. That’s what we rely on every day to create and secure opportunities for ourselves and our clients, and I don’t believe AI can replace that.”

PRO TIP: The pros tried all the tools so you don’t have to! A majority of the respondents to this piece say: ChatGPT for media list building and content creation, Perplexity.AI for brainstorming and research, Meltwater and Brandwatch for media monitoring, Sprinklr for audience analysis, Opus Pro for video editing, and Napkin for infographics. 

PR Trends Keep Us Learning

The PR trends we saw in the past year will influence 2025 and beyond. 

There’s never been a more important time to be proactive and intentional in our line of work. Keeping an open mind to what’s to come, taking the time to experiment with the tools available, and acting on the new ways of reporting are the best ways to make the most out of the change coming our way. 

Have a 2025 PR prediction you’d like to share? Send us an email!