What is PR and how does it work in 2025?
“Don’t expect to get a job in journalism.”
Was the key message shared from all our lecturers when studying my degree back in 2012.
Quite a confusing message for a young person to receive when studying media communications: majoring in journalism…
Nevertheless, to be honest they weren’t wrong. The media industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. But what I didn’t realise when I signed up to do my course is that there are many jobs in the media industry and after ten years working within it, arguably the most misunderstood one is Public Relations.
So if you’ve ever wondered what PR actually is, or how it works today, especially in a media landscape as fragmented and noisy as ours, read on.
What PR actually is
Let’s clear this up: PR isn’t just sending press releases or ‘spinning’ stories, contrary to shows like ABC’s Optics or Kitty Flanagan’s character Rhonda n Utopia.
At its core, Public Relations is about building trust and managing reputation. It’s how businesses, leaders, and brands communicate. Strategically, clearly, and often managed behind the scenes.
And good PR isn’t spin. It’s not about covering up. It’s about showing up. Ethically, consistently, and in a way that earns credibility.
Also like any industry there are specialists within sectors, for example you can be a fashion PR representing designers or brands, a travel PR representing businesses involved in travel and the list goes on. Each industry has a separate playbook to achieve results – some rely more on events, or influencer partnerships or product testing, but all need good storytelling.
I created ABC PR to be a specialist in Business-to-Business PR within the financial services, sustainability and corporate sectors. Therefore most of the work we do for clients is developing thought leadership, profiling experts, briefing media on investment reports or insights papers, and proactively offering story ideas to relevant target media.
So, how does PR work in real life?
PR helps you build trust before people are ready to buy, invest, or refer. It gets you in front of the right people without advertising, but with clever, compelling stories.
Here’s how I explain it to clients.
PR is like the moon cycle, it’s always working, even when you can’t see it.
Sometimes it’s front and centre, shining brightly. Other times, it’s building quietly in the background, setting the stage for your next big moment.
PR programs start with identifying what you are trying to achieve, what you are trying to say and to who. From there we consider what assets are available to support these objectives eg data, expert spokespeople, key metrics etc. Then we formulate the plan which includes the story angles, the channels and the media to target accordingly.
Some of the channels PR can help shape are:
Media relations – working with journalists to get your idea or story in print, online, radio or TV.
Peer to peer media – engaging with digital content creators across their platforms to engage your target audience through podcasts, Substacks and socials.
Thought leadership – helping you become a go-to voice in your industry through interviews, opinion pieces, blogs and LinkedIn.
Issues and crisis comms – protecting your reputation when things go wrong. Saying the right thing, in the right way, at the right time.
Internal comms – ensuring your team hears the same story as your clients or customers.
Owned content – blogs, podcasts, newsletters, socials essentially content you control to communicate with your audience and show what you stand for.
Events and speaking gigs – getting you in the room where your audience is listening and helping you get featured on a panel of experts, facilitate an event or keynote to demonstrate your expertise.
In 2025, it’s rarely about one channel. It's about showing up where your audience already is and making sure you are saying something your audience wants to hear.
The election will be a masterclass in PR, so become the student
With the campaigning underway, the PR machines are already humming.
Politicians will be on the news, in debates, on TikTok, and chatting to influencers. Why? Because people are consuming media differently, and campaigns are following where attention goes.
In fact, Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) 'How we access news' report published in February 2024 just 18% of Australians now access news through print newspapers, while 79% get their news online.
Case in point the Government inviting digital creators and independent media organisations into the Federal Budget lock up, they have also been invited to join the campaign trail, much to the criticism of traditional media publications.
So yes, you’ll see the slick campaign videos and polished talking points. But you’ll also see strategic use of humour, ‘relatable’ content, and appearances on unconventional platforms, all designed to build trust with different segments of Australians.
The rise of Peer-to-Peer media
One of the biggest shifts I’ve noticed and something that came through at the recent Mumbrella Commscon event, is the rise of ‘peer-to-peer media.’
This includes newsletters, Substacks, podcasts, niche LinkedIn creators, all the places where content is coming directly from people we choose to follow.
Australians are now spending close to two hours per day on social media[1], and nearly 40% of Australians say social platforms are our primary source of news[2]. I speak to my friends and family about this all the time, and the resounding message is one of distrust for ‘traditional news,’ which is extremely troubling for our society and democracy…but I’ll save that discussion for another blog.
That’s why PR in 2025 can’t just focus on traditional media. You need to consider how your business is showing up across the spectrum: online, on podcasts, at industry events, LinkedIn.
Why trust is the whole game
In a world where information is everywhere and attention is scattered, trust is everything. And once it’s lost? It’s incredibly hard to rebuild.
For example, some institutions from the Banking Royal Commission owned their mistakes and worked hard to rebuild. Showing up with honest comms, taking accountability, and making senior leaders available for tough interviews.
Others doubled down on jargon, hid behind statements, or were slow to respond. Even if their operations were sound, the silence created suspicion and trust took a hit, some of which are still trying to rebuild after almost a decade on.
So, what should you be asking?
As the election ramps up and your feed fills with content, I’d love you to consider:
As a consumer:
Why do I trust this source?
Who’s behind this message?
What’s the ‘ask,’ what do they want from me?
As a business leader:
Are we building trust, or just talking about ourselves?
Are we showing up where our clients actually spend time?
Are we using positioning our brand strategically, or just spraying and praying?
PR is no longer just about media headlines. It’s about visibility, (yes, I feel like this has replaced ‘pivot’ as the word du jour for 2025), values, and trust and how you build those over time.
The best PR doesn’t talk at people. It listens. Then it shows up, again and again, in the places that matter.
So if you’re wondering whether you could be doing more with your story, PR might be the missing link in how you're building trust with the people who matter most.
[1] We are Social, Digital 2025 Australia report
[2] Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) 'How we access news' report published in February 2024