Attention is more fragmented than ever, but trust cannot be bought. At the same time, people consume content from an increasingly diverse range of sources, including news media, social platforms, influencers, and their own networks. As a result, effective PR is no longer built around a single channel or press release. It depends on the ability to tell the same story credibly across different environments. When media brings credibility and influencers bring the conversation into people’s everyday lives, visibility becomes something more than a fleeting moment of attention. Modern PR is built at the intersection of these two worlds.
A modern PR strategy is built on three elements
Editorial: a news headline, relevant facts and a ready-made package of material make the journalist's job easier. According to Cision's 2025 Journalist Survey, seven out of ten journalists still want to receive a press release, and images and data increase the likelihood of publication. Journalists are also more open to AI content for PR, but only if the facts hold and the language is human.
Influencer-driven: influencer marketing in Finland grew by a further 6% in 2024, with an estimated market size of €59.6M, meaning the audience has not disappeared, it has just changed channel. Influencer content is not only marketing, but also a signal to journalists: if the audience talks about a topic on social media, it deserves to be seen in the media. When news and influencer content go hand in hand, both reach and credibility are created.
Experiential: a PR event can start with a small media meeting to introduce the news to journalists and influencers. The selected influencers can then take the message further by inviting their followers to a consumer event. This creates two levels of input: editorial stories and consumer experiences.
For example, in the case of a plant-based product launch, the media received clear news about the consumer research, influencers shared their experiences on social media and later followers were able to test the product themselves at a pop-up event. The end result was in the headlines, Instagram stories and consumers' everyday lives all at the same time.
Influencers with editorial rules of the game
Influencers can be a huge asset when they are guided by the same factual framework as the media. That's why the basic principles are the same: verified background information before publishing, a clear distinction between paid and earned, transparent sources and a quick response to errors. This creates credibility that stands up to critical scrutiny.
How to connect media and influencers?
- Create a common story. Choose a news story or observation that is of interest to the journalist and that the influencer can share with their audience in their own voice.
- Plan a two-stage event. Start with a PR event and continue with a consumer event through influencers. This way, one input is multiplied by many.
- Give influencers editorial tools. When they have facts, images and sources at their disposal, their content is credible and supports the brand message.
What's worth measuring?
The best PR efforts aren't just reflected in the number of publications or reach figures. They are seen in how the story comes to life with different audiences. That's why we look not only at visibility, but also at the conversation the content generates, how the media and influencers engage with the topic, and whether the conversation continues after the initial release.
On the influencer side, we are interested not only in how many people saw the content, but what people did afterwards. Recordings, viewing times, comments and follow-up conversations often tell us more about the relevance of the content than mere impressions. On the media side, we look at the perspectives the story raises and whether the topic becomes part of a wider social or cultural debate.
Ultimately, the most important measure is impact. Is the campaign reflected in people's behaviour, search behaviour, sales, or whether they return to the topic weeks or months later? When a story continues to live on without constant pushing, we know we've succeeded.
What does this mean for brands?
PR's job is no longer just to get releases into the media. Its job is to build trust in the environments where people form their perceptions of the world. Increasingly, it means bringing together editorial media, influencers, communities and experiences into a single entity.
Successful brands are not wondering whether to choose media or influencers. They build stories that work across both. When a message stands up to both editorial scrutiny and people's everyday conversations, it has the potential to leave a lasting impression.
- Pauliina Pajunen