Public relations in 2025 is not the same industry it was just a few years ago. The rules have shifted, the players have changed, and the definition of “success” looks different. From the shrinking of newsrooms to the rise of AI search, PR professionals are navigating a media world that moves faster, fragments more, and demands measurable results.

The Changing Media Map

Traditional media has been in retreat for years, and PR pros have had to adapt. “Thanks to editorial layoffs and publication closures, it's harder than ever to get your client featured in mainstream business media,” says Anna Rice, PR & Communications Consultant. “At the same time, there might be 15 new newsletters or podcasts hyper-focused on your industry. It requires you to be more strategic in terms of targeting pitches.”

Evan Harris, Account Director at BPD, has seen this too: “Access to reporters and outlets continues to get tougher as journalism shrinks, changes, and evolves with AI and more news diversification. Those of us in PR need to do our research to ensure we are providing solid pitches, insights and SMEs to fewer reporters.”

The bar for securing coverage is higher than ever. “Reporters are pressured to focus on stories that drive high reader engagement,” notes Jaycie Cooper, Founder of Cooper Communications. “PR professionals need to deliver genuinely newsworthy angles with clear audience value rather than hoping for coverage through relationships and brand ‘news’ alone.”

Cathy Lewandowski, founder of CLEWED IN PUBLICITY, stresses that timely, targeted outreach is now essential: “There is a shortage of reporters out there, with many media outlets downsizing, so following up in a timely manner is crucial to cultivate ANY relationship.”

And even when coverage happens, the process takes longer. Mady Lanni, PR Manager at Manychat, says: “What I could once place and get coverage for in less than a week can now take two to three weeks… Timeliness and relevance have never been more important.”

AI Search Has Entered the Chat

If social media once revolutionized PR, AI is poised to do it again, and faster. “I believe AI is set to transform the PR industry as profoundly as the rise of social media once did,” says Megan Shroy, Founder & President of Approach Marketing. “Generative AI condenses the customer journey into a single, definitive answer — often from just one source. Earned media is prioritized above all.”

AI’s influence is especially visible in the marriage of PR and SEO. “PR & SEO are more intertwined than ever,” says Nikole Flores, a PR & Communications professional. “Your media relations wins are now building the brand’s digital authority, signaling to AI to use it as a recommended source.”

Mady Lanni adds that brands increasingly understand PR’s role in search visibility: “Every high-quality link, every piece of authoritative coverage, directly impacts search rankings and online visibility both in Google and in AI LLMs.”

For Jaycie Cooper, AI will help PR teams “identify which stories have real engagement potential and personalize pitches at scale,” but it will also “raise the stakes… there’s no room for mediocre content.”

AI is also streamlining tasks. Jen Ripple, PR Group Director at Gunpowder, Inc., says her team uses AI for “mundane tasks… like organizing your inbox and giving us catchy titles for pitches,” but never for creative processes or proprietary client data. Evan Harris hopes it will “reduce some of the routine PR work… so we can truly focus more on creativity, strategy and issue/reputation work.”

The Human Factor Still Matters

For all the talk about algorithms, PR remains a relationship business. Cathy Lewandowski notes that AI can help identify news trends — “Just ask Alexa” — but it’s still on PR pros to connect with the right human gatekeepers, sometimes going straight “to a host or producer (not an assignment editor) to get your PR placement.”

Anna Rice warns that AI brings complexity in determining “which information is important, accurate, unbiased and up to date,” creating a greater demand for human expertise in reputation management.

Challenges of 2025

The constant churn of the news cycle is a universal headache. “A perfectly timed, well-crafted pitch can be irrelevant, or buried, within a single afternoon,” says Nikole Flores, citing everything from political drama to celebrity weddings dominating headlines.

Budget pressures are also shaping PR work. Jen Ripple notes that in the current financial climate, “we have had to think outside the box for clients… rearrange some of our team structure, sometimes on a daily basis.”

For Jaycie Cooper, another challenge is making “the connection between PR efforts and measurable business outcomes crystal clear… Too many executives still see PR as ‘nice to have’ rather than an essential revenue driver.”

Meanwhile, PR measurement has matured. “Gone are the days of ambiguous reporting,” says Jen Ripple. “We’ve seen a big change from traditional PR into performance PR… Being able to give the brand concrete results… has proven extremely valuable.”

And with fewer reporters and more AI-driven discovery, Evan Harris underscores the stakes: “Earned media is crucial to establish authority on topics and showing up in AI search tools.”

Where PR Goes Next

The consensus among these pros? AI will continue to shape the industry, but credibility, timeliness, and relationships remain the foundation. As Megan Shroy puts it, “In this new landscape, PR isn’t just about awareness — it’s about influence, credibility, and discoverability in a world where visibility is determined by algorithms.”

How OnePitch Helps You Get it Right

At OnePitch, we built a tool that creates a completely custom media list with real journalist contacts based on your pitch or press release. From there, you can search for more journalists, find similar contacts, and send personalized emails directly through the platform. You can also track opens, clicks, and responses, and even schedule automated follow-ups if you don’t hear back. Our goal is to save you time and money while helping your pitch get noticed.

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