Not long ago, PR sat comfortably in its silo. Press releases went out, headlines came back, and everyone clinked glasses at the coverage even if it was buried behind a paywall no one clicked. The formula was simple. Linear. Predictable.
But attention doesn’t move in straight lines anymore.
People flip from Substack to TikTok to trade publications without stopping to ask which department “owns” the message. News hits, but only when it feels personal, timely, or useful. Most brands haven’t caught up.
The truth? Traditional PR is dead.
The better truth? What’s replacing it is smarter, faster, more connected and far more interesting.
The PR Playbook Broke. The Audience Rewrote It.
Legacy media has been thinning for years. Journalists are burned out or building their own newsletters and platforms (Hi, Doug! Hi Kyle!). Paywalls go up as trust in institutions goes down. Add in AI, attention fragmentation, and economic pressure, and suddenly the press release isn’t the power move it used to be.
Sure, pitching still matters. But the real wins come from narrative strategy not a scattershot inbox hustle.
That means:
- Showing up where audiences actually are, not where they used to be.
- Crafting a message that lives across formats, not trapped in one.
- Building trust by giving more than you’re asking for.
Take Tripadvisor. Instead of leading with a press release, we focused on podcasts. We secured a guest spot on a podcast where the conversation started with advertising and veered unexpectedly into why tomato juice is so popular on planes. That detour, while totally irrelevant to business goals, made the interview more human and memorable, and led directly to new speaking opportunities and brand momentum. No wire required.
PR isn’t a function. It’s a muscle. And brands have to flex it early and often—way before the product deck is final.
News Isn’t the Story. The Story Is the Story.
The headline might earn the click, but it’s the emotional core that earns attention. The “so what” needs to resonate beyond the wire.
Sometimes that’s a podcast. Sometimes it’s a founder’s LinkedIn post that hits a nerve. Sometimes it’s a dinner with ten people who matter. What’s consistent is the strategy behind the scenes and shaping a message that speaks to humans, not algorithms.
That’s never clearer than during award season. Professional accolades are nice, but if you’ve ever sat in a judging seat, you know: the entries that rise are the ones that humanize the work. It’s not enough to say you drove revenue. That’s table stakes.
The real question is: How did this work impact society, move the economy, or contribute to progress? Did it advance DE&I? Spark environmental change? Create mentorship pathways? Help a community rebuild or reimagine? That’s what wins. That’s what resonates.
We’ve built award narratives that center those truths because the story behind the strategy is what moves juries, stakeholders, and audiences to care.
You want connection? Skip the spin. Start with truth. Build from there.
The Humans on the Other Side
Audiences today don’t care about your talking points and product capabilities unless it makes them feel something real. They’re asking:
- Does this help me?
- Does this move me?
- Does this teach me something worth remembering?
If the answer’s no, they scroll on.
That’s why every piece of earned media, every quote, every touchpoint needs to earn attention and keep it. Not with hype. With relevance.
One way we’ve done this: cultivating customer advisory boards. Not email surveys. Not scripted feedback sessions. Real, in-person conversations behind closed doors where brands actually listen to their top customers and ask, “What matters to you? What makes you spend?” From there, we build communications strategies grounded in human insight, not assumptions or personas.
Because as marketers, we often talk about “audiences” like they’re job titles. But people are runners, parents, community members, creatives—long before they’re decision-makers. Great messaging speaks to the full person. Not just their role.
As Marcus Collins says: if you don’t connect to someone’s heart, you’re just another brand trying to sell. And audiences are over it.
Welcome to the Era of Strategic Visibility
Strategic visibility is about showing up in the places that matter and providing value to the people you’re speaking to. It starts with messaging and lives across earned media, owned channels, and trusted relationships.
It begins upstream. With listening. With understanding what matters to your audience and aligning your message to meet them there. You build trust by showing up on stage with something real to say. Something people can take with them. You lead with ideas and follow through with consistency.
The same approach works with news and content. The best media relationships are built over time by sharing useful insights. Blog readers and podcast listeners want to learn from you before they buy from you. When you consistently help them do their job better, you earn the right to be part of the story.
This kind of visibility leads to something bigger than buzz. It translates to stronger brand affinity, more meaningful customer engagement, and ultimately, revenue. That’s the goal.
So think holistically. Think about the brand. Think like a human. Always come back to the reason someone should care. That’s the message worth sharing and the strategy worth investing in.
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Lauren Douglass is the founder of Reverve and is based in Brooklyn.
