Written by Michael Layne
 

This year promises to be a challenging and exciting for public relations and marketing professionals and their clients. Important trends include:

Continued growth of podcasts

Industry estimates more than 3 million active podcasts and, in 2024, two-thirds of all Americans listened to a podcast—outnumbering audiobooks by about 6:1.  In all, about one-half billion people worldwide will listen to a podcast in 2025.  Subscription monetization will continue to be a popular revenue model, with podcasts that combine audio with visuals growing in popularity, likely spurred on by the prevalence of Zoom and Microsoft Team meetings during the pandemic and since.

Digital first strategy

Public relations assignments are increasingly focused on providing content for and making connection with specialized audiences on online channels such as news sites and social media platforms. 

Content creation and distribution

In 2025, content remains king. Public relations professionals will be tasked with generating engaging, up-to-date multimedia content across disciplines that include media relations, web content and social media content to reach audiences more effectively.  In particular, there will continue to be a premium on effective short content, to satisfy both the content thirst of social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram, as well as our shorter attention spans.

Increased emphasis on authenticity

Consumers will increasingly seek authentic connections with brands, achieved in part by public relations strategies that focus on narrative-driven communications.  These campaigns will rely on deep understanding of the demographics, social and spending habits, and motivations of identified groups.

AI

The implementation of different forms of artificial intelligence, whose use is sometimes clouded in mists, will increasingly be used to create content like media pitches and copy for other uses.  But AI comes with its own ethical concerns and potential for misinformation and biases.

Writing for SEO

Search engine optimization will continue to be an important objective of all forms of public relations writing, from press releases and web copy to longer form thought leadership articles or white papers.  The challenge for public relations professionals will be to create high quality content that is meticulously optimized for search engines, so that targeted audiences find a client’s content when they do online searches.  Public relations professionals must be alert to the quickly evolving search engine tactics (i.e., the algorithms) employed by the major search engine providers like Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Secured Networks

Today, cybersecurity is paramount.  Sophisticated clients will demand that their public relations agencies have state-of-the-art computer networks in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all electronic content and communications—to prevent unauthorized access, data breaches and malicious activities.

Crisis Management Preparedness

Knowledgeable clients will no longer wait for that out-of-the-blue crisis to land at their doorstep.  They will work with their public relations agency to develop highly comprehensive crisis communications plans. These plans must anticipate potential internal and external crisis situations; and, further, provide rigorous protocols for a wide range of audiences.  These can include mass and targeted media, social media and online presence, elected officials, units of government, business leaders, business partners and vendors, other stakeholders, communities and staff.

Personal service, agility and knowledge

Regardless, the ability to provide tailored, attentive communication, rooted in a deep appreciation of a client’s needs, its industry and its targeted audiences will remain the backbone of high-quality public relations.

From artificial intelligence and our Internet, digital-driven world to a firm handshake, public relations in the year ahead will be focused on cultivating relationships, while reaching carefully defined audiences in faster, more precise and more secure ways.