2026年公关行业趋势报告

Contents 02PR is evolving03The long and winding road to B2B sales05The digital disconnect07The private web is growing09AIisdrivingthesearchconversation11Journalists are drowning in a sea of poor pitches13ESG:Audiencesvalueactions PR is evolving In 2025, media relations made a strong comeback as marketers recognised thepower of trusted, high-quality earned coverage – especially after studies showedthat placements on reputable outlets could influence AI and large language While this reinforced the value of credible media exposure, it also introduced new pressures.Journalistsarenowdrowninginafloodofpoor-quality,AI-generatedcontentandevenfakespokespeople.Withshrinkingnewsroomsandfewerjournalistsmanagingever-growinginboxes and workloads, it has never been more important for pitches and stories to stand out Atthesametime,bothconsumersandB2Bbuyersarechanginghowtheydiscoverbrandsandmakedecisions.Marketingteamsmustensuretheyshowupintherightway,intheright Addtothataprice-sensitivemarket,growingsustainabilityexpectations,rapidtechnologicalchange,andglobalpoliticalinstability,andthere’salotformarketerstonavigate. Inamediaanddigitalecosystemthat’smorecrowdedandfastpacedthanever,theroleofPR–tobuildtrust,managereputations,shareinformation,anddelivermeasurableresults–hasneverbeenmorevital.It’ssomethingwe’repassionateabouthereat Here,weexplorethekeytrendsshapingPRin2026tohelpmarketingteamsgetahead. Claire Claire Gamble,MD, Unhooked Communications The long and winding road to B2B sales B2B buying is increasinglydigital, complex and trust-driven. Researchshowsthat73%ofB2Bbuyersnowprefertobuyonline,while75%wouldswitchsuppliersforabetteronlineexperience. The average purchase involves around eight stakeholders, andMillennials and Gen Z now make up71%ofB2Bbuyers,highlightingashifttowardsyounger,digital-nativedecision-makers. However,86%ofB2Bpurchasesstallatsomepointand81%ofbuyersendupdissatisfiedwiththeirchosenprovider,underliningtheimportanceofclarity,trustandcustomerexperience. Meanwhile,90%ofbuyersresearchindependentlybeforeevercontactingthevendor,andtwo-thirdsnowusegenerativeAItoolsasmuchastraditionalsearchwhenexploringsolutions. Together,thesetrendspointtoanon-linear,research-heavybuyerjourneywherecredibility,digitalexperienceandearlyvisibilityarekeytowinningtrustandconversion. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR PR EARNED TRUST MATTERS BE DISCOVERABLE EARLY SIMPLIFY COMPLEX STORIES With90%ofresearchhappeningbeforecontact,brandsneedconsistentvisibilityacrosssearch,media,LinkedIn,andAI- Buyerswantcredible,third-partyproof.Focusonhigh-qualitymediacoverage,thought leadership, and case studies Buyinggroupsarelargeandtime-poor.Create concise, useful content that helpsstakeholdersunderstandvaluequickly. SHOW UP WHERE RESEARCH HAPPENS OPTIMISE FOR AI AND SEARCH USE PR TO HUMANISE DIGITAL BRANDS Securementionsoncomparisonsites,tradepublications,andtrusteddigitalplatformsusedduringtheresearchphase. AsbuyersincreasinglyuseAItools,ensurebrand content and media coverage arestructured and credible enough to surface in Withself-servicedominating,humanstories,expertise,andbrandvaluescommunicatedthroughPRhelpbuyersfeelconfidentin The digital disconnect A shift seems to be happening regarding people’s online and social media use. Yes,we’re still online for a large proportion of the day, but this is beginning to fall. Accordingto some studies, daily time spent on the internet and social media has decreased by Interestingly,astudybytheBritishStandardsInstitutionfoundthatalmosthalfofyoungpeoplewouldratherliveinaworldwheretheinternetdoesnotexist,and70%admittheyfeelworseabout Over half of UK adults get their news via social media, but trust and engagement remain fragile, withtraditionalnewsplatforms–suchasTVandprint–ratinghigherfortrust. Authenticitywilldrivethesocialmediaconversationin2026,particularlyasweseeariseofhyper-realisticAI-generatedvideocontent.Whilesomemanufacturedcontentcouldbeseenaslight-heartedorentertaining,thereisachancepeople’ssocialmediafeedswillbeawashwithAIslop,meaningmanywillcheckoutordisengage.Deepfakesalsoposeseriousrisksforindividuals, Ontopofthat,socialfeedsareincreasinglycommercial;hundredsofmillionsofbusinessaccountspublishdaily,someusersgetservedalargeproportionofadcontent,andinfluencerpromotions WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR PR BE SELECTIVE WITHSOCIAL PLATFORMS CREATE AUTHENTIC, HUMAN-CENTRED CONTENT LEVERAGE EARNED MEDIAAND CREDIBLE THIRD-PARTY AspeoplegrowwearyofmanipulatedorAI-generatedcontent,trustworthy,human-ledstorytellingandgenuine In videos and photos, showcase realpeople,stories,andbehind-the-scenesmomentstocounterthefloodof Focusyoureffortswhereyouraudiencestillfindsvalue,ratherthanspreadingthinlyacrosseverychannel. Withtrustintraditionalnewssourcesremaining stronger than social media,securingqualitymediacoverage,whichcan be shared on social channels, will PREPARE FORMISINFORMATION RISKS AUDIT YOUR PAID ANDINFLUENCER ACTIVITY GO OFFLINE BALANCE REACH WITH RELEVANCE Face-to-