With a new president taking the helm, the feeling of tension and division in the U.S., and technology evolving rapidly, there is a lot of anticipation (and anxiety?) for 2025.
December unloaded a lot on us already, and it really feels like it’s setting the precedent for the coming year.
For public relations and communications pros, there are a few key trends to watch for.
Power to the People
Layoffs abound in the industry, from agencies to newsrooms. Meanwhile, after a slowing of M&A activity at big agencies, things seem to be picking back up again, which will result in – you guessed it – more layoffs.
Journalists like Taylor Lorenz are already striking out on their own, launching their own creator platforms for news to escape the red tape and corporate interests impacting their work. At the same time, PR pros are more and more discovering the power of self-employment and boutique firms, giving them more control over their professional future.
The decentralization of public relations and communications could help tip the power scales toward individuals, smaller media outlets, and even mid-size agencies.
Contractors, consultants, and smaller firms are a more viable solution.
- Brands get top-tier solutions for more affordable pricing.
- Experienced pros take their careers into their own hands.
Fragmented Audiences
And speaking of the above, audiences of all sorts are becoming more and more fragmented. Gone are the days of relying on large legacy media outlets to reach the masses. Today, approximately 40% of consumers use TikTok as a search engine; Substack reports more than 20 million active subscribers; and social media users are able to curate personalized feeds on every platform. These are just a few of the radically different ways people are now getting their information.
It’s more important than ever to:
- Identify your audiences.
- Zero in on what matters to each of them.
- Become deeply familiar with how they consume news and search for content.
Trust as the Greatest Currency
When “living in a post-truth world” becomes an open secret, trust is your super power. And with so many brands and senior leaders falling short on this front, this can easily become your most potent differentiator.
According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, more than 60% of people worry that business leaders, government officials, and journalists are trying to mislead people.
Winning and holding onto trust is the most pressing issue facing brands, the government, and senior leaders today.
Earn trust by speaking with transparency and maintain it through consistency in both values and actions.
Building trust should be every executive’s top objective in 2025.
- Say what you mean.
- Show up reliably.
- Make sure your actions match your words.
It’s simple, but it’s not easy.
AI Grows Up
With some of the fanfare of AI dying down, it’s time to dig in and adopt practices that advance your PR and communications work.
There are right and wrong ways to utilize this technology, and committing time to learning them is going to make all the difference.
Streamline reporting and competitor research, develop rough drafts and outlines, jump start informational interview one-sheeters, become more deeply familiar with the tone and voice of the senior leaders you represent. These are all great use cases for AI in PR and comms, and there are about a thousand others out there.
One of my daily go-tos is Claude AI, and of course, ChatGPT.
- Being afraid of AI will get you left behind.
- Using it improperly will reveal you a fool.
- It’s time to get serious.
Closing Down and Looking Up
Looking ahead to 2025, one thing is clear: the traditional playbook for PR and communications is being completely rewritten. The democratization of media, coupled with technological advancement and a crisis of trust, has created a perfect storm for change.
What will set the winners apart in 2025 won’t be the ability to adapt to each of these trends individually, but the skill to weave it all together into a cohesive, forward-thinking strategy.
As you plan for the year ahead, remember: in a world of increasing complexity, clarity and trust aren’t just nice-to-haves – they’re your competitive edge.
