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As we move into 2026, the PR landscape is evolving faster than ever. Economic pressure, AI-driven search, and shifting audience expectations are reshaping how brands earn attention and build credibility.

We’re no genies, but as industry experts, here are three key trends we see that will shape PR in the next year:

Earned Media Will Become the Engine of Generative AI Visibility

Answer Engine Optimization and generative AI platforms increasingly rely on trusted journalism to power their answers, summaries, and recommendations. As AI continues to solidify itself as a primary search tool for business leaders and consumers, brands with strong earned media footprints will be far more discoverable.

In short: if reputable outlets aren’t talking about you, AI probably isn’t either. This makes high-quality, authoritative media coverage more important than ever. To note, some of those smaller, but highly niche publications, rank high on GEO influence.

Media Relationships Will Become PR Professional’s Competitive Edge

With earned media playing a larger role in AI outputs, and newsrooms continuing to operate with fewer reporters, relationships with journalists will become a major competitive advantage. Mass-blast pitches have always fallen short, but will fade even further. Instead, PR pros who bring reporters real value, data, timely insights, and genuine partnership, will come out on top.

In 2026, trust and collaboration will matter more than volume. And, with reporters becoming increasingly frustrated by generic, AI-generated pitches flooding their inboxes, the bar for thoughtful, customized outreach will rise even higher. Taking the time to research a journalist’s beat, angle, and past coverage won’t just be best practice, it will be essential to strengthening relationships in today’s AI-saturated environment. Meeting reporters in person – at events or for a convenient coffee or cocktail – will come back in vogue as well, helping to solidify relationships.

Brands Will Shift From “Announcement PR” to “Authority PR”

Audiences are growing more skeptical of surface-level corporate messaging. And, while AI discovery tools increasingly elevate content with depth, accuracy, and authority, there are often questions about the validity of these sources. Brands that invest heavily in thought leadership, original data, third-party validation, and issue-driven storytelling, like shaping the narrative around a broader industry, societal, or policy issue and trends, will stand out. Press releases won’t go away, but they’ll play a supporting role to bigger narratives that demonstrate real expertise.

2026 will reward credibility, not noise. The brands that win will be the ones that build trust with journalists, create authoritative content, and show up consistently in the highly-trafficked outlets that AI – and audiences – rely on.

To our PR colleagues… any others?