So what’s next? If PR has changed so much, how can businesses get ahead?
1. PR Needs to Be “Always On”
There’s no such thing as a one-off PR push anymore. If you want to stay relevant, you need to be consistently pitching, posting, and positioning your brand.
- Build relationships with journalists over time, not just when you need something.
- Keep your LinkedIn, blog, or social media active so you’re always on the radar.
- Have content, data, and expert commentary ready to go when news breaks.
2. Data and Insights Are the New Currency
Opinion is cheap. Data is valuable. If you want journalists to cover your story, back it up with numbers, trends, and original insights.
- Run surveys (or partner with research firms) to generate exclusive industry data.
- Track customer trends and share them as newsworthy insights.
- Use Google search trends, social media data, or company stats to add credibility.
3. SEO and PR Need to Work Together
PR isn’t just about landing media coverage anymore—it’s about making sure your brand shows up when people search for it.
- Use PR to build backlinks from high-authority sites (news outlets, industry blogs, etc.).
- Optimise press releases, guest articles, and thought leadership pieces with search-friendly keywords.
- Make sure your website is structured to convert traffic from media coverage.
4. PR and Paid Media Are Merging
The best PR campaigns now combine earned and paid media for maximum impact.
- If an article about your brand is getting traction, consider running LinkedIn or Meta ads to amplify it.
- Sponsored content (done well) can help brands break into media outlets that don’t always pick up their stories.
- Retargeting PR readers with ads, email funnels, or additional content keeps the momentum going.
Final Thoughts: How to Win in the New PR Landscape
If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: PR in Australia and New Zealand has evolved, and brands need to evolve with it.
- Earned media is still powerful, but harder to get—brands need to work harder and smarter to get coverage.
- PR is no longer just media relations—it’s about owned content, SEO, social media, and influence.
- Data, digital strategy, and always-on PR are the future—brands that embrace this will stay ahead.
The brands that win in the next decade won’t just be good at PR—they’ll be good at storytelling, digital strategy, and making themselves impossible to ignore.