The media landscape is continuously shifting, and PR needs to shift with it.
Traditional press will always be crucial. But audiences are no longer discovering brands through traditional media alone.
They are reading independent newsletters, following founders on LinkedIn, watching YouTube, listening to podcasts and asking AI tools for recommendations.
PR is not just about getting a brand mentioned. It is about building a clear and credible body of content around what a brand does, what it stands for and why people should trust it.
PR in the AI era goes beyond traditional media
The media mix has become much broader.
A strong national feature can still deliver huge value. But it now sits alongside specialist newsletters, social platforms, podcasts, video and owned content.
Each channel gives brands a different opportunity to reach an audience and build authority.
This broader approach is something we have explored before at Little Red Rooster. PR now stretches well beyond traditional media relations, encompassing everything from social media to content creation and brand storytelling.
The importance of Substack and LinkedIn
Substack gives writers, journalists and creators a platform for newsletters, articles, podcasts and video.
For PR teams, its value is not simply another place to secure coverage.
Much of the appeal comes from the relationship between a writer and their subscribers. People choose to follow particular voices, subjects and points of view.
That can make a relevant mention particularly valuable. Instead of reaching a broad audience with little interest in the subject, brands can reach smaller communities that are already engaged.
LinkedIn works slightly differently but also gives brands access to an audience built around interests, industries and professional expertise.
LinkedIn articles give individuals and company pages more space to share insight than a short feed post.
They can be especially useful when there is a bigger story to tell.
That might be a founder’s perspective on where an industry is heading, a response to changing consumer behaviour or a deeper look at a new product or company mission.
For brands, this creates another way to demonstrate expertise and strengthen positioning.
Why this matters in the AI era
AI tools are increasingly becoming another way people research topics, compare businesses and look for recommendations.
That gives PR another job to do: helping create a clear and credible digital footprint around a brand.
Press coverage, expert commentary, useful owned content and strong thought leadership all add context about who a brand is and what it does.
Consistency matters too.
If a brand appears across credible media, relevant Substacks, LinkedIn articles and its own useful content, there is a stronger body of information around it online which gives AI platforms more context to work with.
This is something we look at through Little Red Rooster’s Soundcheck.
Soundcheck explores how brands appear across AI platforms and identifies potential gaps in visibility, sentiment and supporting content.
It is another reminder that a brand’s wider digital footprint now matters to more than the people reading it directly.
What this means for brands
Traditional media is still important. It has not suddenly been replaced by newsletters, LinkedIn or AI.
Instead, brands have a much wider media mix to think about.
A national press feature can build broad credibility.
A specialist Substack can reach a highly relevant community.
A LinkedIn article can strengthen a spokesperson’s authority.
A YouTube review, TikTok review or podcast interview can bring more depth and personality to a brand.
Owned content can give people somewhere to find useful information directly from the source.
Together, these channels create a stronger and more complete presence.
For PR in the AI era, that is the real opportunity. It is not about abandoning the media relations that already work. It is about building on them and making sure a brand shows up credibly wherever its audiences are looking.
