Public relations professionals are navigating a media landscape that continues to be transformed by the use of AI, shrinking newsrooms and shifting audience trust. Now, algorithms curate headlines while synthetic avatars and independent creators reshape storytelling. At the same time, brands are being challenged to earn attention in a saturated, fragmented space.
Below, members of Forbes Agency Council unpack 16 emerging trends that are redefining how PR leaders think, pitch and connect with their media counterparts. Check out their insights to learn how the PR space is changing and how practitioners are adjusting.
1. AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis
The growing integration of artificial intelligence into public relations is one developing trend in the 2025 media environment. By automating media monitoring, sentiment analysis and content creation—tasks that AI is transforming within the PR space—more effective and focused campaigns result. AI-powered technologies can analyse enormous volumes of data to offer real-time public sentiment analysis. – Christena Garduno, Media Culture
2. Shrinking Media Teams
Very sadly, media teams shrinking considerably is a big trend. Balanced against the impact of influencers, this means fewer journalists are covering more topics, opportunities that were editorial are now paid for and magazine houses are shutting down. The choices for PR pros in terms of places to pitch stories are limited. So we are having to think differently in terms of coming up with other, non-traditional ways to add value. – Jules Herd, Five in a Boat
3. Politics Shaping Pitch Angles
Editors are increasingly distracted by events in Washington. They know stories related to tariffs, inflation, immigration and other initiatives the administration is focusing on will attract eyeballs and are adjusting their story angles accordingly. As a result, our teams attempt to tie our clients’ activities to one or more of these trends. – Tim Johnson, UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations, Inc.
4. UGC Avatars Proliferating
The rise of user-generated content avatars—synthetic personalities representing brands—is reshaping PR. As they proliferate, the challenge will be standing out. Success won’t come from realism alone, but from how well we inject each avatar with a brand’s unique voice, values and personality to build authentic and lasting connections with audiences. – Fernando Beltran, Identika LLC
5. Storytelling Elevating Metrics
Great storytelling will always be in style and is the quickest way to bring an idea to life and capture a journalist’s attention. Metrics and outcomes are important, but if you can bring them to life to explain how a product or service changed someone’s life, that’s even better. In health tech, for example, this could involve anyone from a doctor who is no longer burned out to a patient who better understands their care. – Jodi Amendola, Amendola Communications
6. SEO For AI-Driven Curation
Some of the biggest trends this year will no doubt be AI-generated content and AI-driven news curation. With the new feature on Google that summarizes the answer for your search, marketing professionals are now required to optimize their SEO for both Google Search and its AI algorithm to increase visibility. – Saul Marquez, Outcomes Rocket
7. Quality Over Quantity In The Ad Space
Something we’ve been hyper focused on, and a major trend in media, is eliminating fake users and low-quality inventory in online ads. This enhances media quality, protects brand integrity and maximizes ad impact. From a PR standpoint, it’s crucial, as online placement is as important as the message. Prioritizing high-quality, brand-safe spaces strengthens trust, credibility and meaningful engagement. – Kimberly Jones, Butler/Till
8. Independent News-Focused Creators
Independent news-focused creators are becoming serious competition for legacy media, often outpacing them in terms of speed, specificity and authenticity—and gaining large, highly engaged audiences because of it. As audiences gravitate to independent voices over institutions—and social feeds over search engines—brands will need to rethink media strategies to include this new type of influencer. – Starr Million Baker, INK Communications Co.
9. The Rise Of Misinformation And Disinformation
AI is a factor, yes. However, more notable—and for me, more critical to address, as it significantly affects public relations—is the rise of misinformation and disinformation, particularly that which is fuelled by AI-generated content and social media amplification. To manage how notably it erodes trust, our PR work needs to prioritize greater social ethics at the core, proactive transparency and real-time monitoring. – Taazima Kala, Hotwire
10. Branded Content Driving Loyalty
In 2025, branded content has emerged as a powerful marketing trend, seamlessly blending storytelling with brand messaging. By creating engaging, informative and entertaining content, PR professionals enhance consumer connections while fostering authenticity. This approach not only captivates audiences, but also drives brand loyalty, making it an essential strategy in today’s competitive landscape. – Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications
11. Journalists Going Independent
Economic strain and continuous media layoffs are pushing journalists to start their own independent ventures. Podcasts and newsletters have become quite easy to get up and running these days and can be very successful, leading to a more fragmented media landscape. For us in PR, that means we need to forge more relationships with niche creators, not just traditional media outlets. – Ayelet Noff, SlicedBrand
12. Scepticism About Expertise
AI has disrupted nearly every industry, including media and PR. But the real shift in our space has been the simultaneous demand for and distrust of experts. Many news consumers are sceptical of experts whose knowledge doesn’t align with their beliefs, yet people have never been more desperate for the truth. In our niche, healthcare, this means developing subject matter experts who can share their knowledge in a disarming manner. – Chintan Shah, KNB Communications
13. PR Becoming More ‘Pay To Play’
PR is no longer just about relationships; it’s about ROI. “Pay to play” isn’t a shortcut; it’s a strategy. As organic reach dwindles and media continues to fragment, brands must shift from hoping to be discovered to engineering visibility. The future belongs to those who master the blend of earning trust where it matters, paying where it counts and amplifying with intent. – Amy Packard Berry, Sparkpr
14. AI-Enabled Newsrooms
AI newsrooms are transforming media in 2025. Editors use AI to filter pitches and automate tasks, changing our PR approach. We’re crafting data-rich pitches to pass through these filters. The upside: Editors have more time for in-depth stories, so we focus on delivering insights rather than basic announcements. This opens doors for meaningful coverage. – Meeky Hwang, Ndevr, Inc
15. Strengthening A Founder’s Personal Brand
PR is now moving toward strengthening the personal brand of a company’s CEO or founder. Gone are the days of writing a press release about a company and emailing it to a thousand news sites or placing it on the newswire. The media now want a deeper understanding of the person behind the brand. Everyone can strengthen their own personal PR, and this is what we help clients achieve through thought leadership. – Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR
16. An Imbalance Between Earned And Paid Media
This trend is here and shaping the PR landscape: the imbalance between earned and paid editorial and its relationship with white and black parasite SEO. As some have written about, for years we have embraced a version of paid “editorial”—advertorials, for example, or sponsored content—the masking of which is getting better and better. Companies should challenge their PR firms that forgo striking the balance in favor of a 100% paid model. – Dean Trevelino, Trevelino/Keller
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