DIY PR: What is PR in 2026?
The Evolution of PR from Traditional to Digital to AI
This article in a nutshell
PR (public relations) is still about reputation: what you do, what you say and what other people say about you.
Traditional PR focuses on earned coverage and relationships across print, broadcast and mainstream online media.
Digital PR earns credibility online and turns it into discoverability through citations, links and searchable proof.
PR in 2026 sits closer to SEO and discovery than ever, because AI-led answers favour trusted sources.
AI is now part of the job: it speeds up your workflow and changes how audiences find and judge brands.
PR has always been about trust. The difference in 2026 is that trust is built across multiple platforms and various stages.
Your audience might see your post on LinkedIn, check your website, Google your name, read reviews and ask an AI tool who you are before deciding whether to buy or enquire.
Public relations is the work of shaping that full picture.
To paraphrase CIPR’s definition, PR is the planned, strategic work of generating visibility, building authority and protecting reputation by earning understanding, support and positive attention from the people who matter to your organisation.
PR in 2026: What It Includes
PR is much more than media relations. If it influences how people perceive you, it sits somewhere within the public relations universe.
Depending on your role and sector, it can include:
Media relations and press office
Thought leadership and expert commentary
Trust-building content and storytelling
Crisis comms and issues management
Stakeholder and community engagement
Internal communications and employer branding
Traditional PR
Before the internet, there was what is now called ‘traditional PR’.
This is the relationship-led side of the practice, built around earned coverage, earned influence and the ability to package a story in a way that catches the imagination of a journalist, editor or producer.
That might look like press releases, interview opportunities, reactive commentary, features, event PR, broadcast segments and crisis response.
Traditional doesn’t mean old-fashioned. It means foundational – and it excels in many areas:
Credibility at speed: A strong piece of press can change how people see you overnight.
Third-party validation: A trusted outlet saying it for you is worth more than you saying it about yourself.
High-stakes communications: When reputations take a hit, calm, experienced PR action matters.
Digital PR
Digital PR is where PR and SEO stop being separate conversations and start sharing a plan.
It takes the basics of traditional PR and applies them to an online-first world, using content and outreach to earn media coverage, backlinks and brand mentions that build authority and visibility on the internet.
It still relies on newsworthiness, storytelling and relationships, but it's designed to land in places that shape online perception.
Digital news publications
Podcasts
Newsletters
Communities and forums
Influencer and creator channels.
What Digital PR Looks Like In Action
Online media outreach that earns relevant coverage via data-led stories, expert insight and original research that gives publications something worth writing about.
Pitching for podcast appearances, working with influencers and industry-relevant creators, building reputation through genuinely helpful content, and link building campaigns that earn backlinks (the right way, not through dodgy schemes).
The Traditional-Digital Connection
Traditional PR earns the story and gets people talking through coverage, quotes and interviews that establish trust fast.
Digital PR takes that same credibility and turns it into a lasting online proof trail, with trusted references, links and evergreen assets that people can still find later when they research you, compare options or ask an AI tool who to trust.
The Evolution of PR
Public relations has evolved through expansion, not replacement.
What began as press office work grew into broader corporate communications, stakeholder management and brand building. Then social media came along and made every brand a publisher, every customer a reviewer and every mistake a screenshot.
Now we're in another phase of the evolution: AI-assisted discovery, "zero-click" answers and audiences who expect instant proof. PR has evolved from chasing coverage to building authority across a wider ecosystem.
What's Changed and What Hasn't
Public relations still runs on trust, clarity and relevance. If your story is not genuinely useful or interesting, it won't land. No changes here.
But what has changed is where your story appears, how long it lives and how measurable it is.
As per PRLab CEO Matias Rodsevich, PR in 2026 is “driven by how audiences now discover brands, evaluate credibility, and decide who deserves their attention. The tools have changed, the platforms have multiplied, and the rules for earning visibility have been rewritten.”
PR in 2026 and beyond
In 2026, PR success is not just "did we get coverage?" It's "did we show up and build credibility in the right places.”
The essentials haven't changed, the environment has. If your PR strategy is built for a world of blue links and press cuttings alone, you'll feel the ground shifting. You need to build a reputation footprint that travels wide.
Looking for PR support to boost your visibility in AI search and beyond? Get in touch with me at rob@robphillimore.com.
#PR #PublicRelations #AISearch
AI as a PR Tool
According to Muck Racks State of AI in PR 2026 report, 76% of PR pros now use GenAI tools in their workflows.
Used properly, AI can save time on the admin-heavy parts of PR. For example, turning messy notes into a clean first draft, generating angle options for a pitch, summarising background research fast and repurposing a core story into multiple formats.
The key is quality control. AI helps you move quicker, but it doesn't replace common sense, ethics or accuracy.
AI as the New Discovery Layer
AI-led search rewards content and brands that look trustworthy. Google's own advice “focus on creating people-first content to be successful with Google Search, rather than search engine-first content made primarily to gain search engine rankings.”
In practical PR terms, that means:
Make it easy to verify who you are (clear about pages, author bios, credentials)
Publish genuinely useful content that answers real questions
Earn credible brand mentions from relevant publications
Keep messaging consistent across channels so you don't confuse people or machines.
In 2026, PR is not just about getting noticed. It's about being understood.
Why PR Matters Now in 2026
Search and discovery are shifting underneath our feet.
Up to 30% of Google searches now show AI overviews, and 37% of consumers are choosing AI platforms over traditional search engines because they’re faster, clearer and less cluttered, according to Search Engine Land.
A loud and clear signal that search behaviour is changing.
If audiences are getting answers without clicking, then being "findable" is not just about your website. It's about your reputation footprint across the web.
PR matters in 2026 because it creates the signals that modern discovery leans on: credible third-party coverage, consistent expert commentary, brand mentions across trusted sites and proof that you are real, relevant and reliable.
