Category Archives: media relations

Managing a Crowded Hour with the Media

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Theodore Roosevelt described his experience leading his Rough Riders, a volunteer cavalry force, on a charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American war as his crowded hour. He used the phrase to describe an intense, critical and life-altering activity where he risked all to achieve a monumental goal; in this case, taking the hill and securing a strategic advantage for the U.S. military.

While few public relations professionals take on anything beyond proverbial fire (they do call us flacks), if you have been in the communications trenches long enough, you have experienced a comms-version of your own crowded hour. Often, these crowded hours involve the need to convey a crucial organizational message or announcement in the wake of bigger news events.

The question, in these high-stakes media moments, is what to do?

Which Hill to Climb?

There are a range of approaches, and each offers its own risk-reward scenario to consider.

  • Ride the Wave. If the situation is pliable, you may be able to tie the organization news or announcement to the bigger issue or news wave dominating the media. This could come in the form of expert commentary as well as market or trend analysis. For instance, if the dominant story is about a major cybersecurity incident and you’re announcing a new SaaS or tech tool, lean on the product or service’s security features to reassure your target audience this new product or service is meeting the moment by providing improved security.
  • Try New Channels. If there is a market-moving event, the likelihood business or trade media will focus on your announcement is slim. The good news is the media market has fractured enough that there are ample opportunities to still get your message out. Social media (especially LinkedIn) can be a godsend and is a major tool feeding AI searches today. Specialty outlets like Substack and Medium can provide access to laser-focused audiences regardless of the news cycle. There are also countless podcasts that have gained credibility and wider audiences. And never count out trade newsletters, which sometimes speak more directly to audiences. 
  • Lengthen Your Runway. Try splitting your announcement into a range of different angles or news hooks. This can include client-testimonials, regional statistics or vignettes, contributed articles to trade media, pithy video content for the organization’s owned social channels (i.e., YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, etc.) as well as both your email and LinkedIn newsletters. (*If you aren’t self-publishing a LinkedIn newsletter you’re missing a tremendous audience as a B2B brand regardless of the news cycle.)
  • Hold the Announcement. Reading the room is a critical communications tactic. There are moments such as the 9/11 attacks, the March 2008 run on Bear Stearns and the February 2026 initiation of major combat operations in Iran that can distract from all other news events. There are also regional or more focused events, such as school shootings or VIP arrests or deaths that can dominate broader news cycles. In these instances, it’s not worth the risk of your news being missed entirely or only reaching a fraction of your target audiences while the focus is on other events or news. Delay the press release, LinkedIn or other social media posts.

Good public relations professionals, and certainly those who have been through a crowded hour or two, will formulate an informed opinion and advise senior leadership accordingly. 

Experienced leaders should heed the experienced advice provided from their comms teams.  Those who ignore that advice risk wasting their efforts during the media’s crowded hour and damaging their reputations with the media in the process. 

Why Smart Companies Want Journalists on Their PR Teams

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When I was a working journalist, I sometimes hung up on public relations people who called my office. I regret doing so because now I’m on the other end of the line.

While my response back then showed a lack of maturity as well as patience, my reasoning was on somewhat solid ground. Well intentioned, no doubt, those I hung up on would lead the call with some version of the following: “I’m calling on behalf of XYZ company, and I’m just following up to see if you received the press release I sent you by fax.”

In addition to dating myself, the above illustrates how the PR person never considered the perspective of his audience: me, a working journalist.

On any given day, we would receive about one dozen press releases along with two or three menus from local lunch spots promoting that day’s specials. The 1990s were wild; loaded with possibilities and dining options. Still, we had a small team and responding on receipt to each release was never going to happen. Also, there’s nothing remotely engaging about the above phone pitch. Would you search breathlessly to find their press release? I didn’t.

Eventually someone would skim the resulting stack of streaky press releases. If the headline or lede didn’t grab and hold us immediately, it was tossed into the recycle bin. Most were drenched in florid verbiage celebrating the wonder of monumental pronouncements that were of zero interest to our readers.

The Perspective Problem

As a former journalist who never studied PR, I had to reverse engineer my approach to the practice when I entered public relations. That meant identifying the interests of the audience, finding a compelling story or idea that matched that interest, and then dialing in the client’s value proposition. Over the course of two decades I have refined the approach, gut checking myself with current working journalists to make sure what my colleagues and I do remains effective. And when change is needed, we adjust.

That journalism-first perspective has served me, and my clients, well. 

It’s not that native public relations professionals, those who train for the job from the start, aren’t effective. On the contrary, the really good ones, and there are many—including among our team—bring skill and intellect that, well applied, are powerful force multipliers. And when you can teach these PR pros to think like journalists, well, the effect can be positively stunning. 

What former journalists bring to PR sets them apart from the traditional training provided in college for PR pros. Former journalists will:

  • Stress test a story or pitch concept before it ever lands in a journalist’s inbox
  • Constructively, but insistently, push back on leadership who want to promote a story with no news value
  • Not confuse a feel-good company newsletter concept for an actual newsworthy story
  • Always remember trade journalists receive 100-or-more press releases per day while mainstream news outlet reporters get as many as 300 per day, and act accordingly
  • Never forget to consider working journalists are time starved and have zero interest in doing anyone a favor
  • Filter announcements and messaging for credibility, legal exposure, source strength and headline worthiness because that was the job as they pursued enterprise stories from their newsroom days

A Nose for News

Experienced journalists-turned-PR-pros know what today’s journalists need. They know most journalists are skeptics, so they will redouble their efforts to make any press release or announcement bullet-proof and factually accurate. Quotes in a release have to say something meaningful and memorable. They push their clients to stay engaged with media rather than just reaching out with promotional announcements because credibility, availability and consistency matter to journalists looking for reliable sources. And they should have the courage to respect their clients enough to push back when an idea or story concept will fail to serve the reputation of the executive or organization well because their experience and training validate that perspective. 

In short, former journalists working at PR agencies are ideal sounding boards because they’ve had to assess countless pitches to determine real news value, and that’s a skill that never leaves the soul of a journalist. 

This skill, applied to the advocacy they undertake for clients in their PR roles, can be the difference between securing one-off or infrequent coverage and becoming a trusted, reliable and quotable source media will return to regularly.

Public Relations, What Were You Like in the 90s?

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By now, you’ve likely seen the “What were you like in the 90s” question posted on Instagram, with the song, Iris, by the Goo Goo Dolls playing in the background. Maybe it’s a former boyband member flashing back to a slideshow of himself in a synchronized dance routine or posing on the cover of Teen Beat magazine. Or maybe a movie star, when they were lesser known and less wrinkled. In the same vein, we thought it might be fun to reflect on public relations. After all, things have changed quite a bit since Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky dominated a budding 24-hour news cycle.

Here is a brief list of some common PR tools and tactics that have since gone the way of the be-kind-rewind video store.

  • The fax machine: If you look carefully, you can still find these relics in some doctor and dentist offices, but in the 1990s, the fax machine was an office staple. It was often delegated to a room of its own due to the screeching, buzzing and beeping noises emitted when transmitting or receiving the thermal rolled paper via fax. At the time, PR pros would distribute press releases via fax machine as it was one of the fastest ways to   a newsroom. Also, often found on the fax machine, was the menu for the pizza place down the street. These days, good PR pros have learned to rely less heavily on the press release to gain media coverage, but when distributing a press release, we lean into email and wire distributions. Of course, the best agencies will steer clear of the so-called spray and pray approach.
  • The Bacon’s Book: The thick green Bacon’s Media Directory was the PR pro’s bible back in the day. This heavy tome listed contact information for daily and weekly newspapers and news services providing PR pros with valuable phone numbers and eventually emails to reach reporters. These days, those searches are conducted on software systems that help PR pros identify a reporter covering a certain beat, circulation and readership information for their publication, reporter’s preferences and more. While these platforms are not perfect, they have eased and sped up the process for PR pros and reduced the “heavy lift” required.
  • The beeper: Leading up to the dawn of cell phones, many business professionals relied on this device to get in touch with an executive or subject matter expert. The beeper was a small device users clipped onto their belts, allowing them to receive phone numbers or a numeric message. The PR pro attempting to reach the SME would make contact with the beeper via a landline and the executive receiving the text would need to find a landline to call back the number displayed. Today’s PR pros are attached to their cell phones where they text and call for immediate access to the SME or colleague. Whether it’s receiving news of a crisis in a timely manner or quickly reaching an executive before a reporter’s tight deadline, these devices have been a game changer.
  • The clippings’ service: While many of us continue to refer to an online list of the month’s client media placements as a clip report, earlier iterations of these reports were much different. In the old days, clippings services would actually clip – with scissors – mentions of a client’s name in a physical newspaper or magazine and mail or deliver the collection of clips to the PR agency or client. The goal was to build a fat clip book with a “thud” factor when dropped in front of a client. Today, PR pros gain access to news stories featuring their client through online vendors that provide clickable access to client stories and in some cases, those of their competitors.
  • The wine and dine: In the 1990’s PR professionals could be equated with salesman, setting meetings at a fine restaurant where they hoped to woo a reporter with a high-end meal and a fancy cocktail. This trend has come and gone over the years in line with peaks and valleys in the economy, but since COVID, the wine and dine trend has nearly disappeared. With many reporters, subject matter experts and PR professionals working remotely or located in geographically diverse locations, it has become increasingly difficult to find the time for an in-person meal. At the same time, on-screen meetings have provided a new and important medium where all parties can “see” each other with some frequency to build stronger relationships without having to physically travel.

Admittedly, in the 90s, I was on the other side of the fence – studying journalism in college and then starting out as a young reporter. However, from this perspective, I did gain valuable insight into the public relations world – insight into more than their beepers, beer, and Bacon’s Books. That insight has certainly helped shape my career in PR.

When looking for the right PR partner, understanding the tools at their disposal is important, but it’s also critical to ensure any PR partner:

  • Thinks like a journalist and possesses a journalism ethos
  • Prioritizes responsiveness
  • Comes to the table with ideas, rather than asking what’s next?

To learn more about how Kimball Hughes PR can work for you or to simply reminisce with us about PR in the 90s, drop us a line.

Newsjacking: Using breaking news to a brand’s advantage 

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Some believe newsjacking is a dirty word. It is seen by some as akin to ambulance chasing. In reality, it is simply a part of the news cycle. In fact, while the term newsjacking carries a negative connotation for some, it actually helps journalists tell better, more accurate stories while also positioning sources as industry or trend experts. When executed properly, this tactic can present a client with an invaluable opportunity to showcase their expertise directly to their target audience on a newsworthy topic that is engaging readers, viewers or listeners at that moment.

Newsjacking allows companies to elevate their brand authority and credibility by positioning a leader within the company as a subject matter expert to share insights on a topic in the news that is relevant to the company’s key messaging or an SME’s area of expertise. An article published in the media can be invaluable when it comes to building credibility for a brand through third-party validation. 

Executing a Newsjacking Strategy

Let’s say the CEO of an insurance company for commercial trucking fleets is looking to generate press coverage for the brand. The PR team sees the federal government is requiring commercial fleets to implement technology-based monitoring systems in commercial trucks. If this CEO is well-versed on the issue, the PR team can reach out to media outlets covering this issue with two or three thoughts to consider to gauge interest in an interview or commentary. 

Next, the PR team will likely reach out to relevant publications offering the CEO’s insights/opinions on the impact of these requirements, the impact on risk reduction efforts and future insurance rates, as well steps fleet owners can take to ensure compliance. 

If the CEO is offered an opportunity to comment and the outlet uses the CEO’s insights, newsjacking likely earned a win for the company and broadcast insight and working knowledge of a meaningful trend trucking companies face. Consequently, the media audience for that story may see the insurance company as a potential resource to help them improve their businesses.

Newsjacking Done Right

Newsjacking requires a deft touch.  

Before making an attempt to newsjack, ensure you are working with a PR team that understands the fundamentals, including how to: 

  1. Set the foundation. Before a PR team can offer an executive’s commentary to a reporter or outlet, they’ll want to make sure they have a valid online presence including an online biography stating experience and credentials, a high-res headshot, a company website that is up-to-date and reflects the current brand identity and ideally previously published articles—even if simply on Linked In or the company website—on industry topics and trends. 
  2. Identify/qualify an opportunity. To newsjack successfully, understanding the universe of current and recent news coverage is essential. Pitch an angle that was already addressed, and you can be perceived as being out of touch. You also need to game out any sensitivities. If the issue involves life/safety or health issues, among others, the pros and cons of newsjacking need to be weighed to avoid unanticipated blow-back on more sensitive matters.
  3. Suppress promotion.  Newsjacking done right is an opportunity to help a reporter better understand a subject or provider deeper insights, rather than promoting the company’s products or services. Stick to the issues. The opportunity for the company will be a secondary benefit if the reporter includes your comments.
  4. Move quickly. Newsjacking is an in-the-moment opportunity requiring rapid action. PR teams should interpret relevant breaking news through the lens of what the company can say and immediately gather insights and commentary. PR pros who aren’t deeply plugged into the company’s executives, lines of business and appetite for media topics will fall short on newsjacking every time. The faster your PR team, and your company, can react and respond, the more likely a journalist will include your thinking in a story.
  5. Leverage the opportunity. Any media placement, whether sourced from a newsjacking opportunity or elsewhere, is most effective when leveraged across multiple channels. PR teams should know to promote media placements on social media channels, the company website, in marketing materials and more, letting their audience know their expertise has been validated by a third-party. 

Newsjacking is a powerful and effective tool to generate earned media coverage to increase your brand’s visibility and credibility. At Kimball Hughes PR, newsjacking consistently allows us to position our clients as subject matter experts in their varied B2B and B2C industries. If you have questions about how a newsjacking strategy can work for your brand, please drop us a comment.

Beyond the Fridge Magnet: Leveraging Media Placements in 2026

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When I was in grade school, it was cool to see your name in the local newspaper—whether you were mentioned for good grades, sports, a musical achievement or the like. If my name made it into print, we would head straight to the 7-Eleven to pick up the latest issue. I would page through the newsprint scanning for my name, then proudly show it to my mom. She would grab the scissors, clip the article and pin it to the fridge, where it would live out its days, seen only by whomever happened to pass through the kitchen.

Many of us have similar stories. In those days, unless the article was physically mailed to grandma, posting it on the fridge was the extent of our abilities to leverage our “coverage.”

Things have changed.

Today, media placements are destined for much more than life under a fridge magnet. With the right amplification, one placement can be shared, repurposed and extended across multiple channels to reach far beyond its original audience and continue to deliver value.

At Kimball Hughes Public Relations, we are securing meaningful media placements in key B2B trade and Tier One media outlets targeting our clients’ core audiences. Once these articles or broadcast interviews featuring our clients’ quotes, commentary or contributed content are published, we don’t stop there. We work to leverage those placements to ensure they create lasting impact.  

A good public relations partner knows individual opportunities should never be one-and-done opportunities. Those partners will consider amplifying the article through the following:

  • Social media: LinkedIn and other relevant social channels can serve as excellent platforms to gain extra attention on a media placement. Consider posting a brief teaser or summary of the article with relevant tags and hashtags along with a link to the article on the company’s LinkedIn page as well as on executive profiles. This practice not only puts original content from your company in front of followers, clients and prospects showcasing third-party validation, it also encourages engagement and drives additional interest in your company.
  • Email signatures: Encouraging executives and other employees to reference and link to the article in their email signatures can also serve as a credible endorsement or proof point for clients and prospects.
  • Website press rooms: A press room on a company website serves as a home for media placements and press releases. Housing materials here will help draw people to the company website where they can learn more about your company and the services it offers, while supporting discoverability.
  • A blog post: A blog post housed on your website can serve to draw more attention to your article and its third-party validation, as well as allow the SMEs to take a deeper dive on the topic or even provide additional information on how the company can provide solutions related to what was discussed in the article.
  • A LinkedIn newsletter article: Similar to a blog, the LinkedIn newsletter article could be something written to tease out the media placement and offer additional insight. LinkedIn articles are delivered directly to LinkedIn newsletter subscribers and encourage engagement and sharing broadening the article’s reach considerably.
  • Employee communications: Media placements can also be leveraged to generate company pride and excitement. Internal comms teams can distribute media placements with commentary to staff members to build company loyalty, foster company culture and encourage more to participate in media opportunities.
  • E-newsletters or direct mail: Weaving mentions of the placements and links into e-newsletters and direct mail to clients and prospects can serve as another touchpoint to highlight that objective validation provided by a media placement, helping to instill reader confidence in the brand.
  • Sales materials: Sales teams can take great advantage of the independent validation media placements provide when making a pitch or in a prospect conversation. It can be valuable to include publication mastheads, article summaries and links in sales decks, proposals and the like. Again, doing so showcases third-party validation supporting claims made by the sales team, reinforcing trust in the brand.

With these suggestions for amplification, it is critical to keep copyright in mind. Even if a company SME authored the piece, the company likely no longer owns the collateral. Often, once an article is published it becomes the property of the publication. Any posting of the article in its entirety could violate copyright laws. Media placements should always be properly attributed and should never be copied and pasted in part or in their entirety without permission from the original publishing outlet.

A strategic multi-channel approach leveraging a media placement can result in lasting meaningful impact for sales, the brand and company morale. So don’t just frame that article on your office wall, leverage it.

Are You Ready for PR? Questions to Ask Yourself Before Engaging

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Water is a necessity of life. It sustains us. Public relations serves a similar purpose for reputations, as it builds trust and keeps individuals and organizations top of mind. PR sustains good business. It can also protect your business when things go wrong.

But unlike water, believing you can turn the PR faucet on and off is to misunderstand how PR works. Reputations aren’t built on the occasional press release. Executives don’t find themselves interviewed by the media on the strength of a single pitch. Impactful public relations requires sustained engagement. For PR to work, you have to commit to it.

Because when you hire a PR professional or agency, you aren’t delegating work. You’re forming a partnership and understanding that related expectations and responsibilities matter.

Public relations can serve as a business development resource—strong media coverage can build credibility, open doors and reinforce a reputation among prospective clients. But PR is rarely effective when treated as a direct sales engine. Those who expect media coverage alone to drive immediate revenue are often disappointed. PR works best as part of a broader strategy that includes marketing, relationship-building and sales execution.

It’s important to gut-check whether an organization can use PR as a growth accelerator or if it risks becoming an exercise in frustration. That gut-check largely follows a series of basic-yet-important questions.

Do we have capacity to support public relations?

PR requires access to leadership, subject-matter experts and decision-makers who can provide insight quickly. Journalists work on tight deadlines and often need executive perspectives on short notice. If leaders are rarely available or approvals take days or weeks, quality media opportunities will disappear and become increasingly rare as the organization’s reliability with media fades.

Can we dedicate consistent time to the process?

Public relations is not a set-it-and-forget-it resource. Developing story angles, reviewing messaging, preparing interviews and responding to media requests requires ongoing collaboration between an organization and its agency. If internal teams don’t have time to engage regularly, even the best PR strategy will struggle to gain traction.

Are we telling important stories or just promoting ourselves?

The media is rarely interested in covering company news that doesn’t significantly impact markets. Strong PR depends on substance—innovation, new approaches to solving problems, deep industry insights or meaningful perspectives on emerging trends. If the most important part of your story is about you, your organization, your event or products or services, you likely don’t have a story the media will be interested in covering.

Do we have something important/interesting to say?

Executives who want to be seen as thought leaders must do more than comment on the news cycle. Real thought leadership requires informed opinions and a willingness to engage with the trends shaping the industry. It also requires getting out of one’s comfort zone. That doesn’t mean being controversial. But it does mean having a clear perspective on what comes next, what companies are getting wrong and forming opinions on what leaders should be considering for the future. Absent this approach, thought leadership descends into little more than a cacophony of bland, homogeneous opinions of interest to no one.

What does successful PR look like?

Public relations can support many business goals: building credibility, attracting talent, strengthening investor visibility, positioning executives as experts or helping a company stand out in a crowded market. Absent a shared understanding of what must be achieved and what success looks like, PR efforts can feel scattered and difficult to evaluate, impacting perspectives on the ROI of the engagement.

A Partnership is Required

Public relations works best as a partnership with shared goals, language and vision. Agencies bring media relationships, strategy, creativity and storytelling expertise. Organizations and their leaders bring insight, access and the spark of ideas that lead to stories worth telling. When both sides contribute the results compound over time and help sustain and grow the business.

Like a tall glass of cold water, leaders who answer these gut-check questions long before bringing in the PR pros often find themselves both refreshed and satisfied with their investment. 

For those attempting to evaluate where or how strategic communications might fit into their broader business goals, a thoughtful conversation with the team at Kimball Hughes PR can be a useful place to start.

What to Expect From a PR Partner: Debunking Common PR Myths

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Public relations’ (PR) function in business can often be misunderstood. The frequent conflation of PR with marketing and advertising, which both contribute to a brand’s visibility and growth in different ways, can complicate its understanding further. Like many communications efforts, PR’s direct impact on sales isn’t easily measured, making it difficult for those who don’t understand its value to commit to consistent PR in order to take full advantage of the long-term audience-building and reputational benefits. 

Below, we’ve listed and debunked some of the most common misconceptions we see related to public relations: 

  • “PR is just putting out press releases” 

The role of PR in building a business’ reputation goes well beyond press releases. While press release writing and distribution does remain an important tactic for sharing relevant and timely business updates, press releases are not and should not be the sole method PR professionals leverage; they should be one tactic of a more strategic approach likely involving proactive pitching of thought leadership and more. Press releases should be used tactfully and strategically. An effective PR partner will avoid the “spray and pray” approach, in which press releases are distributed broadly across a myriad of publications to prioritize the quantity of placements over quality ones that reach relevant audiences and perpetuate an organization’s communications goals. Before a press release is distributed, media lists should be curated carefully to ensure only media contacts with related beats and relevant audiences are on the receiving end.

  • “All publicity is good publicity”

In today’s digital world, where an ill-timed social media post or public faux pas can catapult an everyday individual into public infamy overnight, bad press can tank careers and upend businesses. In the current news cycle, there is never a guarantee those individuals will get a chance to share their side of the story. Any good crisis PR expert will tell you negative publicity requires immediate, careful consideration for the short and long-term reputation of the individual at issue and/or the health of a related organization. 

  • “There is no ROI on PR”

As mentioned above, PR success can be difficult to measure as verified numbers regarding accurate article views are rarely shared or can be unclear. Earned media is earned not bought, which means there is no absolute guarantee of coverage as there would be with advertising or sponsored content, especially in a crowded and fickle news cycle. Our agency has had success measuring share of voice (SOV) with clients, which measures the percentage of a brand’s presence in market conversations relative to competitors. Media relations results are dictated by the given coverage and even if a PR pro sends a well-crafted, relevant pitch to the perfect contact, one breaking news story could completely disrupt their efforts. An effective PR agency will work with clients to identify what metrics are most important to an organization’s goals and report these measurements at a regular cadence. 

From media relations to crisis communications, PR can be misunderstood. At the end of the day, it’s a key component in ensuring your organization remains not only in good standing but reflects the company’s mission and draws in its audience. A good PR partner will be well-versed in how best to identify storytelling opportunities, navigate relationships with the media and position organizations in front of their target audiences. Don’t let these PR myths deter your business from committing to a PR team who will implement a consistent approach that will set your company up for media success. 

Journalists Are Using AI to Filter You Out

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Your AI content isn’t yours, and people are noticing.

For some, the advent of ChatGPT has democratized public relations, marketing, graphic design and countless other creative fields, empowering just about anyone to create whatever content they want anytime, anywhere. And, yes, people are noticing—but their reaction might not be positive.

In the case of public relations, some unwanted or unintended recognition is happening among journalists who are filtering for and flagging AI-generated email pitches and/or contributed content.

This can lead to a simple admonishment if the AI content runs up against an outlet’s AI policy. Alternatively, the impact can be more extreme, leading to an outright ban of the offending organization and/or the public relations pros connected to the infraction. It comes down to the outlet’s AI policy, a nascent but growing best practices area for media outlets. Some I’ve spoken to have told me if contributed content is deemed to be 30% or more AI generated, they will return it for re-writing. Others, at their discretion, say they reject outright any content deemed to be written—in whole or part—by AI. By the way, it’s not all about my beloved em dashes anymore.

As for email pitches, what’s clear is some reporters are turning this shiny tech resource against itself.

To be sure, journalists have always applied filters to their email inboxes. Some journalists use built-in tools to file or discard certain messages, keywords or even the emails of ne’er-do-well publicists and public relations people who have run afoul of basic rules of the road.

However, with AI—ironically—journalists are now leveraging their own artificial intelligence tools and resources to identify AI vagary (a tell-tale indicator of either AI or ill-informed public relations people), relevance to their beats or interests, lack of clear opinion, perspective or concrete angle and clean, simple writing. Still other journalists are training Google’s Gemini or ChatGPT (used by 77% of journalists according to Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 2025 Report) to look for the superlatives that drive editors out of their logophile minds such as:

  • Unique
  • Best-in-class
  • Unprecedented
  • Cutting edge

So why should you care as a non-communications professional leading an organization? For the same reason you deploy public relations in the first place: to protect and enhance your reputation. If the media are filtering you out because AI has become the driver of your public voice, that public voice will be overlooked and ignored in the din of others clamoring for attention.

Here’s what I advise:

  1. Understand the AI practices of your public relations team, be they an external agency or an in-house communications department. And if you’re tasking your marketing team with executing your public relations efforts, I respectfully submit you are likely mismanaging your marketing team at best and at worst failing to execute PR properly, which wastes your organization’s money and the time of everyone involved.
  2. If you don’t already have an AI policy for content, create one that addresses how and when to employ AI for content and communications purposes, leaning heavily into fact checking as well as using AI to support, not lead, your comms work.
  3. Deploying AI in preliminary research and outline generation makes sense, but don’t use it to write. AI content is often obvious to outside observers and it often dilutes your messaging and thinking to a malaise of sameness.
  4. Understand the media you’re pitching and what, if any, AI policies they employ before sending them anything remotely connected to AI content.
  5. Using AI to improve or better articulate your message is one thing, but asking an algorithm to grab a journalist’s attention without original thinking on your part is the fastest way to prove how you are not a good source of information for serious media doing serious work.
  6. Work with PR professionals who understand how journalists work and who follow ethical practices to ensure your reputation is in the best possible hands.

Remember good tech is designed to enhance, streamline and assist while leaving the human aspects of the work—in this case creativity and communications—intact. Used poorly, technology takes over the world, destroys humanity and runs for governor of the Great State of California.

New Year, New PR Habits

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Gyms across the country are cashing in on countless new memberships as New Year’s Resolutions have begun in earnest as many of us aim to make 2026 a year of personal and professional growth. Like all resolutions, it’s the follow-through that counts.

For business leaders as well, the new year provides an opportunity to start the year off with resolve to address pain points and produce better business outcomes. This includes addressing all aspects of the business from technology to operations to communication and marketing initiatives.

As PR pros focused on building brands, protecting reputations and raising awareness for our clients, we offer a few best practices here to help your business succeed in 2026 from a public relations perspective.

Building Sustainable Goals for Better Strategy

According to Forbes, more than 80% of resolutions end up failing by February. Why? We don’t build in the resources necessary to make them sustainable.

Just as someone who hasn’t stepped foot in the gym in years is unlikely to immediately run a marathon, businesses that have not invested consistently in communications will find it difficult to secure a high-profile media win with their target audiences right out of the gate. With that in mind, here are some good communications habits to incorporate in 2026 to set your business up for success in the eyes of your employees, stakeholders, clients/consumers and the public:

  • Invest in Communications: As mentioned above, building brand awareness through PR can take time as the company needs to build credibility before it can be seen as a trusted source by the media. Ensure your company is putting budget aside and support from the top either to make sure your in-house comms team has the resources they need or to engage a PR agency team who knows your specialty.
  • Commit to Transparency: Whether it’s a communications partner or an internal team, transparency about company goals and setbacks is imperative. Prioritizing candor about the organization not only builds trust among your team members but can also lead to more effective strategic planning by allowing your communications team a greater opportunity to get ahead of potential roadblocks. Transparency should also extend to your audiences, maintaining a consistent and open level of communication to ensure they don’t feel isolated or unheard.
  • Be Proactive Storytellers: Don’t wait for stories to come to you. To further build out thought leadership, identify accessible subject matter experts who can serve as effective spokespeople and provide an informed, unique perspective on topics in your industry. A good communications team will be able to work with your thought leaders to refine their ideas and get them ready for media interviews or on-camera appearances.
  • Understand your audiences: Take steps to stay better connected with your audiences’ needs, whether through improved social media engagement or more consistent brand messaging. This clarity can provide greater guidance for both internal and external communications efforts. A communications team can also be an excellent sounding board for new business decisions, ensuring they are aligned with your target audiences and reflect your branding.
  • And new for 2026, Keep AI Search in Mind: In 2025, we saw online search begin to evolve rapidly with more users relying on artificial intelligence (AI) for search and this will continue to be the case in 2026. Good communication strategies in 2026 will consider AI search in content they produce, as AI search scours the internet to produce summaries from multiple pieces of content with trusted third-party media content high on the list. Savvy comms teams will encourage content that avoids jargon and focuses on clarity.

The phrase “New Year, New Me” is commonly thrown around at the start of the new year. But it’s important to remember building better habits is no easy feat. It requires setting up resources to help you find success. To ensure your company is capturing the share of voice among your competitors you want to see and owning the conversation in your space, work with your communications team or engage a public relations agency specializing in your industry to learn their plan to build stronger audience connections in 2026.

The Court of Public Opinion: Public Relations Wins & Fails in 2025

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Public relations can be a fickle industry. A crisis can strike at any moment, the most comprehensive plans require adjustments along the way as the rapid, unpredictable news cycle dictates available opportunities. In most best-case scenarios, the wider public is unaware of the time and care that goes into building a successful public profile. They absorb PR campaigns almost subconsciously, allowing a brand to be part of their everyday lives. But when things go wrong and a brand is thrust into a negative spotlight that same public will both anticipate and scrutinize the brand’s next move.

Throughout 2025, there was no shortage of both PR wins and questionable scenarios across national news. From Molson Coors’ typo strategy to the Astronomer CEO’s obvious passion for Coldplay, below are a few examples of what we saw as the biggest public relations wins and fails in 2025:

2025 Public Relations Wins

  • Jet2 Redirects the Jingle Mishap:If you’ve been on the internetin 2025, you have probably heard the phrase “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.”  What started as a cute jingle advertising a low-cost British airline, Jet2, turned into a social media trend in which users used the upbeat sound bite to contrast a disastrous travel moment playing out on video. While this was probably an issue at first, Jet2 jumped on the bandwagon using the soundbite in their own social media videos, engaging with user-generated content and driving organic traffic to their brand social media pages. This goes to show brands cannot control how the public perceives or takes hold of a particular communication, but they can control how they respond and even use it to their advantage.
  • Molson Coors’ Case of the Mondays:Just before the 2025 Superbowl, Molson Coors released a series of advertisements for Coors Light that misspelled the word refreshment. The ad ran in major U.S. newspapers, on billboards and even in New York City’s Time Square. The public was outraged, reaching out to Molson Coors to flag the typo and criticizing the company’s proof-reading abilities. Shortly after, the company released a short press release that started with “We had a case of the Mondays,” recognizing the mishap and maintaining their “Made to Chill” brand identity. During Superbowl season, beverage companies are all fighting for the country’s attention, forcing them to get creative with their efforts, and even ruffle some feathers (within reason).

2025 Public Relations Fails

  • United Airlines Communication:In August of 2025, United Airlines experienced an issue with the system responsible for essential flight operations such as tracking flight times, calculating balance and weight and other necessary data for flight safety. As a result, 35% of United Airlines flights were delayed and 6% were cancelled according to FlightAware. Passengers were outraged after the airline failed to promptly communicate the issue with airline staff and the public, leaving many confused, overwhelmed and frustrated. The company lost control over the narrative, failing to reassure their staff and passengers, and prompting safety concerns. Technical difficulties are inevitable, but it is crucial that brands are prepared to quickly deploy messaging that clarifies a problem, the steps a company is taking to fix them and provides support for frontline staff to reassure customers and answer questions.
  • The Kiss Cam Heard Around the World: Earlier this year at a Coldplay concert during the band’s kiss cam portion of the show, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot were spotted mid-cuddle. A cute moment, until the pair realized they were on screen and quickly ducked away, leading Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to jokingly speculate into his mic whether the two were having an affair. As concert goers uploaded the now famous video, the speculation began immediately on who the pair was, their backstory and of course, their workplaces. As it turns out, the two were having an affair and internet sleuths made it their mission to figure out the full story. Astronomer took a couple days to respond initially with a short statement and by the time they did, the public had already developed their own narrative that painted Byron, Cabot and the company in an unfavorable light. Then, a few weeks later, Astronomer tapped celebrity Gwenyth Paltrow, famously Martin’s ex-wife, as a temporary spokesperson in a humorous marketing effort. The only problem? The public didn’t get the joke. Many felt the video was tone-deaf, lacked responsibility and was viewed as a celebrity stunt amid the company’s already slow response. While you can’t always control if and when a scandal occurs, brands must work quickly and thoughtfully to address situations that can threaten the integrity of their brand and values.

Each year brings numerous public relations stories from which communications professionals and brand representatives can learn. Communications at its core is about preparation, understanding a brand’s potential risks and addressing them before the public takes hold of a narrative and draws harmful conclusions. 2026 is almost here and there is no better time to evaluate your brand’s communications strategy to ensure your company navigates the new year with more wins than fails.