This time of year, it seems that every business and spokesperson is offering their predictions for the next 12 months. And, while these articles and posts may attract clicks, few of the predictions ever really come true. So, instead of offering our predictions for 2026, W2 Communications is instead launching our “Looking Ahead” series, where our team is offering insights into what we expect and how we are helping clients build their brands in 2026.
It’s less about predicting the future than learning from the past. What worked a few years ago in PR is obsolete today. If you’re not adapting, you are falling short, wasting time and resources and ending up disappointed.
I’m kicking off our Looking Ahead series with a quick snapshot of “In” or “Out.”
In: Targeted, Strategic and Quality Media Engagements
In the emerging age of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), earned media is now more important than ever, but against the backdrop of shrinking newsrooms, strategic engagement is critical. You need to earn trust in order to build your brand since GEO relies on a combination of visibility, repetition and reputation. And today, a few strategic stories prove exponentially more valuable than a multitude of low-end pickups and mentions.
Out: Shotgun Media Relations
First of all, shotgun media relations should never be a thing. If you are judging your PR efforts by how many reporters you targeted with information they don’t care about, you are wasting time and money. Fire your agency and find a new career.
In: Smart Metrics
Earned media is more important than ever, but the media landscape is also more diverse than ever with various platforms from podcasts to broadcast outlets and paid engagements. It’s no longer ruled by a handful of large media houses. Those massive media organizations are shrinking while smaller more agile players are disrupting the media industry. Look at metrics that help you identify successes and challenges and areas where you can realistically invest in change.
Out: Broad Generic Measurement
Today, Share of Voice (SOV) rules the industry when it comes to measurement. It comes up more than any other metric, but unless you are a billion-dollar brand, it’s useful less than 50% of the time. If you are in an emerging market, if your competitive pool is too vast or too niche, if you’re measuring a commoditized or mature market, or if your efforts are either dwarfed by much larger competitors or are dwarfing a universe of much smaller players, then SOV may not be for you – or you may need to refine how you use it. And, as we talk about unhelpful metrics, let’s pretend that no one talks about ad equivalents anymore. (Check out a blog from one of our SVPs, Christine Blake, on how you can go beyond SOV to measure PR success in a meaningful way.)
In: Customer Centric Storytelling
Now more than ever, media want stories that their readers (your buyers) can relate to and learn from. Even in the hot spaces, like AI, you need to stand out and share new and unique insights that customers care about. As competition for coverage becomes increasingly fierce, do yourself a favor and mine for stories and angles that reporters actually want.
Out: Marketing Messaging Disguised as Expertise
Which means, stop, stop, stop, trying to recycle data sheet messaging, telling stories that focus solely on your company, your tech and your features. Do the leg work to really uncover stories that speak to – not at – your customers.
In: Media Relationships
Every day the media pool shrinks, making relationships even more important. Reporters know and trust good PR people. It’s a synergistic relationship, but it’s based on an often unspoken truth: we don’t try to sell garbage. We tailor stories and compile the assets we know reporters will need. We are beholden to them as much as we are to our clients. Good PR people know what makes a good story.
Out: Misunderstanding the Value and Basis of These Media Relationships
A good relationship opens the door, because the reporter knows they can trust what we bring to them. But it doesn’t guarantee coverage; it still needs to be a good story. They trust our team because we are honest, upfront and strive to understand what they need and deliver on that. If they write, it’s because we bring them good stories; not because they ‘owe us one.’
And my final “In” is:
In: Willingness to Fail in Pursuit of Success
If you aren’t willing to fail, then you aren’t willing to take risks and try something new. You are playing to not lose, but you aren’t playing to win. Our media landscape has changed, and as PR practitioners we need to get more creative and tailored. Old approaches are working less and less. At W2 Communications we encourage calculated risks coupled with contingency planning.
Fail Fast, Move on and Win.
Out: Inauthenticity
Like our media peers, PR people evaluate a lot of technologies, companies, executives and trends. Over time we develop a sixth sense – sniffing out the authentic from the inauthentic. The story that sounds too good to be true versus the executive who has a real excitement and enthusiasm for the way he’s helping customers. These days, there’s a lot of inauthentic coming through – AI companies that are smoke and mirrors, executives who are more interested in investors than customers, thought leaders who care more about their personal platform than their company’s success. But, there’s also a lot of authenticity, and good PR people know where to find it.
Stay tuned for more of our Looking Forward Series.