I’ve spoken a lot recently about the future of Digital PR, particularly as AI continues to change the way we search, create content and interact with brands. From AI-generated press releases and automated outreach to the growing influence of AI-powered search platforms, it’s fair to say the industry is going through quite a transformation.
And with all that change comes a fairly common question: is Digital PR slowly becoming a thing of the past?
It’s easy to see why people might think so. If AI can help businesses create content, identify journalists, generate campaign ideas and even influence what appears in search results, it might seem as though there’s less need for the traditional skills that PR professionals bring to the table.
But I think that overlooks what Digital PR is really about. It’s never just been about writing press releases, securing backlinks or getting a brand mentioned in an online publication. At its heart, it’s about building relationships, creating conversations and helping businesses establish a reputation that people recognise and trust.
And while AI is certainly changing the way we work, it can’t replace the creativity, experience and human understanding that go into building a genuinely successful PR campaign. In fact, as the internet becomes increasingly crowded with AI-generated content, having a brand that people actually recognise and trust could become one of the most valuable things a business can invest in.
So, rather than asking whether Digital PR is dying, I think it’s worth looking at why it’s becoming an even more important part of the marketing mix.
AI can help with PR, but it can’t do the relationship building
There’s no getting away from the fact that AI has made certain parts of marketing much easier. It’s a brilliant tool for researching opportunities, analysing data, developing initial campaign ideas and helping with content creation. Used properly, it can save a considerable amount of time and allow PR professionals to focus on the more strategic parts of their work.
However, there’s a difference between using AI to support a PR campaign and expecting it to deliver the campaign for you.
Think about media relations, for example. Journalists receive countless emails every day, many of which are generic pitches that don’t really consider the publication, its audience or the journalist’s particular interests. Sending another AI-generated email that could have been written for absolutely anyone isn’t necessarily going to get your brand noticed.
Good media relations comes from understanding people, knowing what makes a story relevant and building relationships over time. It’s about recognising when a journalist might be interested in a particular angle, understanding the wider conversation happening within an industry and knowing how to make a story genuinely useful to the person receiving it.
Those are things that require a level of human understanding that AI simply can’t replicate.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t embrace technology. Quite the opposite. AI can be incredibly useful when it comes to supporting research, identifying trends and making everyday processes more efficient. But the thinking behind a campaign, the relationships that help bring it to life and the creative decisions that make it stand out still need people.
I think the businesses that will get the most out of Digital PR in the coming years are those that understand how to combine the two, using technology where it makes sense without losing the human element that makes good PR work.
Digital PR is evolving, not disappearing
Another misconception I often come across is that Digital PR is only really valuable when it generates backlinks. While earning high-quality links is still an important part of an SEO strategy, the industry has moved on considerably from that way of measuring success.
As I explored in my last blog, Why Digital PR plays a pivotal role in Answer Engine Optimisation, building authority online is about much more than securing a link from a high-authority website. It’s about creating a consistent picture of your brand across the wider digital landscape and making sure people can find, recognise and trust the information associated with your business.
This is becoming particularly important as the way people search continues to change. With platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity influencing how people discover information, businesses need to think about how they appear beyond traditional search engine results.
When a journalist references your business, an industry publication features your expertise or your team contributes to an important conversation, you’re creating signals of credibility that extend beyond your own website. These mentions help establish your brand as a recognised and reliable source of information, which is increasingly valuable in a world where AI-powered platforms are helping people make decisions.
It’s also worth remembering that people don’t always discover a business by searching for its products or services directly. Sometimes they come across a brand through an article, an expert comment, an industry report or a story that’s been shared across social media. Digital PR helps create those opportunities and gives businesses more ways to become part of the conversations their audiences are already having.
Rather than becoming less relevant, Digital PR is simply finding new ways to demonstrate its value.
Universities are recognising the importance of Digital PR
Another reason I don’t think we’re anywhere near the end of Digital PR is the way the industry is developing professionally, particularly when it comes to education and training in the UK.
Universities are increasingly recognising that modern PR is about much more than traditional media relations. The next generation of communications professionals needs to understand digital platforms, social media, content creation, data analysis, reputation management and, of course, the growing influence of AI.
There are already some great examples of universities bringing these subjects into their courses. The University of Westminster offers programmes covering Digital Media, Public Relations and Advertising, giving students the opportunity to explore the changing communications landscape. The University of Hertfordshire’s MA in Public Relations and Digital Communications also looks at areas such as digital PR, brand narratives, automation and AI, while the University of Gloucestershire’s communications and PR postgraduate offering brings together digital PR, social media, influencer strategy and crisis communications.
It’s encouraging to see these subjects being recognised as important parts of modern marketing education, particularly when the industry is changing so quickly.
Professional organisations are also playing their part. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), for example, continues to provide training and professional development opportunities across areas including Digital PR, social media, media relations and AI.
There’s still work to do when it comes to making PR education accessible and ensuring there are clear routes into the profession. The CIPR’s research into PR education and career pathways has highlighted some of the challenges facing the industry, including changes in the availability of dedicated undergraduate PR courses.
But the important thing is that Digital PR is being recognised as a skill set that needs to evolve, develop and be properly understood. Universities and professional organisations aren’t preparing people for an industry that’s disappearing; they’re helping people develop the skills needed to work in one that’s changing.
Brand recognition is about more than being seen
One of the things that often gets overlooked when talking about Digital PR is the role it plays in building brand recognition. Most businesses want people to know who they are, understand what they do and remember them when they need a particular product or service. But achieving that kind of recognition takes more than regularly posting on social media or publishing content on your own website.
People are exposed to an enormous amount of marketing every day, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to stand out. Even if you have a fantastic website and a really strong content strategy, that doesn’t necessarily mean your audience will recognise your brand or see you as an authority within your industry.
This is where Digital PR can make such a difference. Getting your business featured in publications that your audience already reads, contributing expert commentary to relevant industry discussions or sharing original research gives people the opportunity to discover your brand in places they already trust.
There’s also something quite powerful about having someone else talk about your business. You can publish as many articles as you like explaining why you’re an expert in your field, but when a respected publication independently recognises your knowledge or features your work, it adds another layer of credibility.
Over time, those interactions help build familiarity. People begin to recognise your name, associate your business with particular topics and remember the expertise you’ve shared. It’s not something that happens from one campaign or one media placement, but rather through consistent activity that keeps your brand visible in the right places.
And while AI can certainly help businesses produce more content, it can’t simply manufacture that kind of genuine recognition. Being visible is one thing, but becoming a brand that people actually remember is something else entirely.
Brand loyalty and reputation still need a human touch
Of course, getting people to recognise your brand is only part of the picture. You also want them to trust you, choose you over your competitors and hopefully keep coming back. That’s where brand loyalty and reputation become so important.
Both are built over time through positive experiences, consistent communication and a clear understanding of what a business stands for. They’re not things that can be created overnight by publishing a few impressive blog posts or asking AI to write some clever brand messaging.
Digital PR helps support this process by giving businesses opportunities to demonstrate their expertise and values beyond their own marketing channels. Whether it’s through expert interviews, customer success stories, industry awards, original research or commentary on relevant news stories, each opportunity helps build a more complete picture of your brand.
It also gives people reasons to trust you that go beyond what you say about yourself. Independent coverage, recommendations and third-party recognition can all help reinforce the reputation you’re working to build.
And this is particularly important because a brand’s reputation isn’t something it has complete control over. Customers share their experiences, journalists investigate stories and conversations happen across online platforms whether a business is involved or not. Having a proactive Digital PR strategy gives you a better opportunity to contribute to those conversations, share your perspective and build relationships with the audiences that matter.
AI can help monitor sentiment, analyse feedback and identify potential reputational issues, but understanding how to respond appropriately still requires people. Knowing when to offer reassurance, how to communicate during a difficult situation or how to rebuild trust after something has gone wrong takes empathy and experience.
Rather than replacing the need for Digital PR, the growing importance of brand loyalty and reputation is another reason businesses should be investing in it.
Inside brand knowledge is still gold dust
For me, one of the most important things to remember is that the best Digital PR campaigns have always been about creating stories that people actually want to read.
It doesn’t matter how many journalists you contact or how much content you produce if there’s no real story behind it. People want useful information, interesting insights, original research and perspectives that help them understand something new. That’s what makes a campaign worth sharing, and it’s what gives a journalist a reason to cover it.
Take our work with Tadweld, for example. As we discussed in our previous article about Digital PR and AEO, we developed a data-led campaign exploring the future of UK steel prices and the potential for price increases by 2027.
Rather than simply creating another piece of promotional content about the business, we looked at an issue that was genuinely relevant to its industry and developed something that could provide useful information for manufacturers, buyers and journalists.
The campaign demonstrated how original insight and industry expertise can create interest beyond a company’s own website, while also helping to build the kind of visibility and authority that supports wider search activity.
It also went on to achieve visibility in AI-generated search results for relevant steel price queries, which is a great example of how Digital PR can support changing search behaviours.
There’s a lot we can learn from campaigns like this. The technology might help us research information, analyse trends or identify opportunities, but it’s the understanding of the audience, the development of the story and the strategy behind the campaign that make the difference.
Ultimately, people still want interesting stories. AI hasn’t changed that, and I don’t think it ever will.
The future of Digital PR is about combining technology with people
So, what does all of this mean for the future of Digital PR?
I think it’s fair to say that the industry will continue to change. The platforms people use, the way they discover information and the tools available to marketing teams will all develop, and we’ll need to keep adapting as they do.
But the fundamentals of good PR haven’t suddenly disappeared. Businesses still need to build relationships, journalists still need interesting stories and customers still want to know they’re buying from brands they can trust.
Digital PR is now an important part of a much wider marketing strategy, supporting brand awareness, reputation management, SEO and Answer Engine Optimisation. It’s helping businesses become more visible across the digital landscape while creating the recognition and credibility that can make a real difference to how they’re perceived.
And I think that’s where the real opportunity lies. Rather than seeing AI as something that will replace Digital PR, we should be looking at how it can help us do better work. It can make research more efficient, help us spot opportunities and support the creative process, but it shouldn’t take away the human thinking that makes campaigns interesting and effective.
The brands that are likely to stand out will be those that understand this balance. They’ll embrace new technology while continuing to invest in relationships, original ideas and the kind of genuine expertise that people want to hear about.
Digital PR isn’t dead. It’s just getting started.
It’s understandable that AI has prompted questions about the future of Digital PR. The industry has changed a lot over the years, and there’s no doubt that it will continue to evolve as new technology becomes part of our everyday working lives.
Digital PR was never just about securing backlinks or getting a business mentioned in a publication. It’s about helping brands build relationships, establish credibility and become recognised for what they do. Those things are just as important today as they’ve ever been, if not more so.
In a world where AI-generated content is becoming increasingly common, having a brand with a genuine reputation, recognisable expertise and people willing to recommend it is incredibly valuable. And those things don’t happen simply because you’ve invested in the latest technology.
They take time, creativity, consistency and a proper understanding of the people you’re trying to reach.
So, while the tools we use might change and the way we measure success will continue to develop, I don’t see Digital PR going anywhere. If anything, I think we’re only just beginning to see how important it can become.
The businesses that understand the value of combining technology with genuine human connection will be in a much stronger position to build brands that people don’t just come across, but actually remember and trust.
And that’s why Digital PR isn’t a dying art form. It’s an important part of the future of marketing.
Check out some of our latest projects to find out more:
https://www.brand-ambition.com/our-work/
