What’s next in public relations? Each January, the industry buzzes with predictions. But great forecasts don’t come out of thin air—they’re grounded in the lessons learned from the past year and a clear vision for the future. Drawing on ASC’s expertise and insights from 2024, here’s our take on the top PR trends set to reshape the industry in 2025.
This last year, we saw an increase in social media use and trend hopping for businesses. While some companies were able to keep up with the speed at which the trends would appear and fade, many were unable to match the momentum and fell behind.
Heading into 2025, we believe that digital media will continue to play a large role in public relations, but storytelling and brand positioning will be key to business authenticity and success. Here are our five key trends that we believe will lead the public relations industry this year.
Embrace Visual Driven Storytelling to Stand Out
It’s time for brands and businesses to stop telling and start showing. Paragraphs of text as your only form of communication will cause you to fall behind those who are embracing photo, video and graphic design content in 2025. Creative visuals allow your story or message to come to life in a way that is meaningful to your clients and consumers, and without visually-rich content, prospective customers are likely to move on.
In 2025, we expect more businesses to adapt AI-driven tools like Canva’s Magic Studio or Adobe Firefly to make high-quality visuals. These tools will level the playing field and enable brands to create immersive, interactive content—from short-form videos to eye-catching infographics. Brands not investing in high quality creative will soon look out of place.
The use of visual-driven storytelling will go far beyond social media channels, too. Visual content can also be used on your company website, included in earned media and leveraged for paid advertising and in-person experiences. Just as your brand sounds the same across mediums, it should look consistent, too.
ASC Takeaway: Audit your current brand guidelines and identify areas where visuals—such as videos, infographics, and photos—can replace or enhance text.
Integrate PR, Marketing and Design for Impact
That leads us to the next trend: consistent integration. The most effective way to communicate your key messages to your audience is through integrated campaigns. Blending PR, marketing and design allows you to share cohesive messaging across multiple mediums, increasing audience exposure. Research shows that a message typically needs to be heard 7 times before it sticks. This is known as the “Rule of 7” in marketing and communications.
Following this principle will not only increase brand awareness and recognition for your business, but also lead to an increase in brand loyalty by creating a memorable experience for your consumers. When all elements of your campaign align – from the visual identity to the strategy behind the messaging – your audience is more likely to trust your brand and remain engaged over the long term.
Integrated campaigns are powerful tools because you can utilize the strengths of different channels and practices to maximize the impact of your business’s branding and PR budget. Instead of funneling money into three different strategies, integrated campaigns ensure that every dollar is funding the larger goal of your brand.
ASC Takeaway: To integrate PR, marketing, and design effectively, consider creating a shared strategy roadmap that defines your core message, visual identity, and campaign goals upfront.
Don’t Fake Purpose-Driven Communications
Consumers are looking for more than just meaningless, trendy posts. They’re searching to support businesses that align with their values and beliefs. According to a 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer report, 63% of consumers buy or advocate for brands based on shared values. This means your business’s mission and purpose are no longer optional—they’re essential. To attract the right audience and build lasting loyalty, you need to make your mission clear, authentic, and consistently visible across all your messaging.
When discussing your mission, use transparency and hold your business accountable. Consumers want to know what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. If you claim to have a purpose-driven mission but there’s no actions to back it up, your customers will be suspicious. Be truthful about how you’re supporting your mission and own up to any mistakes or shortcomings you have.
However, in your attempts to make your mission known, don’t fall into the trap of performative actions. Doing something just for the sake of media attention or a quick revenue increase without any thought into longevity and authenticity will only harm the credibility of your business.
ASC Takeaway: Clearly define your company’s mission and values, then map out how you can show, not just tell, your purpose. Regularly share real actions and outputs.
Localize Your PR with a Global Mindset
In 2025, hometown and local news are more important—and trusted—than ever. In fact, according to Pew Research, 71% of Americans trust local news sources more than national ones. By tapping into your local audience, you can build meaningful connections that extend far beyond your immediate community. When done right, local PR doesn’t just drive regional awareness—it becomes the foundation for national and even global opportunities.
The key is to make your messaging relevant and sticky for your closest neighbors, but carry universally relatable themes. This can then lead to a ripple effect.
When your brand resonates on a local level, you build trust and loyalty in your backyard—and that authentic connection is what fuels broader visibility. National and global audiences are drawn to stories that feel real and human, and often those are rooted in the communities where brands begin.
ASC Takeaway: Pitch hyper-local stories to regional media outlets that showcase your impact on the community.
Data as a Storytelling Tool
Data-based storytelling has been around for a long-time, but in 2025 we anticipate data to be driven from the brands themselves as the content source. Proprietary data can be used to craft narratives that break through the noise and allow companies to exist in their own “white space” now more than ever. And since storytelling will lead the way in 2025, it’s important to source stories from even the most unlikely places.
Businesses often overlook the wealth of creative data sources already within their organization. Beyond standard metrics like revenue growth or social media performance, think outside the box to uncover data that tells a compelling story about your impact on your business, stakeholders, and community.
Ideas could include:
- Customer Behavior: Highlight a percentage of repeat customers or increased engagement with a new product or service.
- Employee Satisfaction: Share survey data showing improved morale or retention after launching a new initiative.
- Community Impact: Showcase volunteer hours or funds donated to local organizations.
- Efficiency Gains: Use metrics showing reduced time or costs achieved through process improvements or use of a new product or service.
- Sustainability Efforts: Highlight progress toward environmental goals, like reduced waste or energy savings.
By integrating this data into your storytelling, you bring credibility and relevance to your key messages while building trust with your audience. Numbers alone aren’t enough—when paired with a clear narrative, they become powerful tools to showcase the impact of your work.
ASC Takeaway: Start mining internal data by conducting an audit of metrics you’re already collecting and brainstorming how they can support your messaging.
As the PR landscape continues to evolve, authenticity, integration, and creative innovation will set the most successful brands apart. By prioritizing storytelling, embracing visuals, leveraging data, and connecting with audiences locally and globally, you can set your brand apart. The key isn’t just following trends—it’s leading with purpose and staying true to your unique story.
Need help implementing these trends in your strategy? Contact ASC to make 2025 your most impactful year yet.
