Public relations trends to note for 2025

One thing ties together the new trends we’re watching this year: authenticity in storytelling. People don’t resonate with overly polished corporate speak. In a world where the podcast hosts and influencers we listen to and follow start to feel like friends, people crave messages that feel real and relevant. 

Employees as advocates

People trust employees more than corporate spokespeople, making employee advocacy a great way to build trust. Encouraging employees to share stories about the company on social media and with their personal networks helps create an authentic and relatable image. In 2025, this approach will strengthen workplace culture and show the brand’s true personality, giving people a genuine glimpse into what the company stands for.

Niche and specific audiences

Focusing on niche communities allows brands to create authentic, impactful connections by engaging specialized groups that align with their identity. Tailored content, like partnering with eco-conscious influencers for sustainable tourism campaigns, resonates more deeply than generic messaging. This applies to traditional PR too, find the niche outlets and publications your target audiences are consuming and focus your pitches there. A warning, if you aren’t doing this in an authentic way, audiences will know. Avoid trend-jacking that feels inauthentic, and instead, use emotional, unexpected content to foster stronger bonds. As platforms fragment, adapting your message to meet diverse audience needs ensures relevance and connection across channels.

Integrate AI as a tool

As artificial intelligence platforms continue to evolve and add capabilities, it is becoming increasingly critical to leverage AI as a tool in public relations. There are many ways AI can be incorporated into your PR tactics including as a tool for research, analysis and inspiration. Whether you’re training an AI model to generate content in your brand voice or to quickly analyze sentiment of media coverage, practitioners will continue to find new ways for AI to streamline processes. The key? Make sure to never lose the authenticity that comes with a human touch. Everything produced by AI should be edited and fact checked, it’s a first draft, not a final draft. If your business doesn’t already have an AI policy in place, make sure that’s part of your plans for the new year! 

That brings us to the tried and true: PR tactics that never go out of style. 

Media/spokesperson training

Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or new to the role of spokesperson, a media training to kick off the year can help improve your ability to answer the hard questions and make sure your key messages are media-ready. Being a spokesperson goes far beyond doing media interviews, especially in today’s world. The fact is, you are always representing your company — if you’re on a microphone or simply attending an event. Our trainings can help you be ready for anything and be an authentic advocate for your brand. 

Content gathering

Having updated stock photo banks, b-roll footage and social media graphics ensure you’re ready to produce authentic, professional and creative content at a moment’s notice. Sure, you can purchase a stock photo, but audiences will resonate with something more if it feels genuine. Our digital team is ready to produce stunning visuals for your brand in 2025. 

Community and stakeholder engagement

It’s important to cultivate relationships that will help your company succeed whether you want to introduce a program that will have an impact across the state or launch a business in a new location. Our agency has strong ties to business community leaders, elected officials, regional representatives, rural leaders and local personalities and we can help you navigate this complex network to build enduring relationships to help ensure project success.