Why Traditional PR Alone Doesn't Cut It Anymore

February 4th, 2025

By Bethany Cadman

In the rapidly evolving media landscape of 2025, relying on traditional PR tactics alone is a risky business. Keeping your brand relevant and noticeable means jumping on the digital bandwagon and discovering where your target audience likes toget their info online.?

We’re not saying that traditional PR methods don’t still hold weight - they do. Press releases, media tours and print coverage are all going to help attract attention to your brand, products and services. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the PR game has changed, and shifting focus to a data-driven, digital-first PR approach is now a highly successful and efficient way to promote your brand online.

The Great Consumer Migration ??

There is no doubt about it; online audiences have diversified. Media platforms span from online magazines to podcasts, social platforms to Substack, YouTube to newsletters and if you don’t have a presence on these platforms, you are likely missing out on a huge cohort of your potential customers.?

Whether it’s consuming news and information through digital channels like social media, blogs, and online publications, sharing invaluable insights about themselves through their own posts, conversations and buyer journeys, or engaging with brands directly via digital platforms, consumers now play an active role in shaping their online experiences and influencing others through reviews, recommendations, and social interactions.

To stay relevant, and keep lines of communication open, brands need to meet customers where they are, and traditional PR alone simply cannot achieve this any longer.

Data, Data Baby??

Digital PR allows us to leverage data to tailor campaigns with real precision. Using gathered data about consumer preferences, buyer journeys, website traffic, brand mentions, social media engagement and more, means savvy businesses can refine, polish and repurpose their strategies for better results. Traditional PR, in contrast, often lacks the agility and measurability that digital platforms provide. The more data you have, the more insight you have. The more insight you have, the more knowledge you have, and we all know what knowledge equals, right?

Faster than a Cheetah, More Agile then a…Squirrel? ???

In today's fast-paced world, news cycles move faster than a squirrel scampering up a tree. Digital PR enables brands to respond in real-time, capitalising on trends and managing crises swiftly. Call us nuts (geddit?) but we don’t believe that traditional methods can always keep up with the demand for instant updates -and this could lead to a delay or a disconnect in communication with your customers.

A Global Takeover or Super Niche Targeting???

Digital PR breaks down geographical barriers, allowing brands to reach global audiences, so if you're aiming for world domination, a digital approach can be the way to get your message played far and wide. However, digital can also be helpful when it comes to targeting niche markets effectively. If you have a very specific product or service and target market, it’s easier to segment your audiences and be really particular about who you’re talking to. On the other hand, traditional PR's reach can be limited to local or national audiences through specific media outlets.

Building Trust - The Foundation of Everything???

Consumers today place their trust in influencers, online reviews, and peer recommendations more than ever. A recent survey revealed that 75% of customers will make sure they check online reviews when searching for local businesses, and? nearly four in ten customers use reviews as their main channel for online brand research. Digital PR taps into these trust mechanisms, utilising influencer partnerships to promote products and services, whereas traditional PR relies more heavily on the credibility of established media outlets to do the hard work for them.

The Bottom Line ??

In 2025, the most successful brands are ones that opt for a two pronged approach, seamlessly blending both those tried and tested elements of traditional PR with the fresher, more innovative, data-driven tactics of digital. So it’s not so much a case of which is best, or abandoning traditional methods in favour of a fully digital strategy. Rather the secret is to enhance both avenues, and use the power of digital tools to stay relevant and noticeable in the rapidly developing digital landscape.

Are you ready to pivot to a digital-first PR strategy? Let's talk about how we can future-proof your brand's PR efforts!