PR is changing, and you can see it in the news stories.

Cut through the staggering amount of noise in the marketing and PR space and you start to spot a few items that show a genuine shift in the way things are happening. Things that will impact PR and strategic communications in the future.

I read a lot of newsletters, and as I say, there is a lot of noise.

But I picked out four stories that seem at first glance to be nothing special until you look into them. I explain why they matter for how PR and communications.

I look at:

- What the erosion in trust in traditional media means, according to Reuters, and why it is more nuanced than it first appears.

- How tool makers are using AI to analyse whether campaigns will work, and more importantly, whether you can do something similar for free on your own computer.

- The quiet return of experiential PR as an answer to digital and AI fatigue and slop. Will this continue to grow?

and

- Why one podcast industry newsletter shows that, without getting the product right, no amount of marketing will work.

I also talk briefly about a new research project I am working on.

This episode is an experiment. I wanted to try looking at a small number of news stories that genuinely stood out from the noise. As usual, I will look at the data, and if people find this episode useful, I will do more like it. If not, enjoy this one off.

NOTE: This was recorded in late October 2025

AI is already inside the tools you use. Waiting it out is no longer an option.

In this episode, I speak with Karen Sutherland, author of Artificial Intelligence for Strategic Communication, who, at the time of the recording, was fresh from a Marketing AI Conference in the US.

We cut through the noise and talk about how PR and comms teams are actually using AI day to day, what works, what breaks, and where people are getting it wrong.

This is not about replacing people or chasing shiny tools. It is about saving time on the work you hate, protecting quality, and building skills your team will still need in five years.

If you run an agency or work in-house and feel stuck between curiosity and fear around AI, this episode gives you a clear place to start.

We cover

• Why AI agents change how work gets done, not just how fast

• The real risk for junior staff and how to avoid hollow skills

• How teams are using custom GPTs to speed up reporting without sounding generic

• A simple framework for integrating AI safely and sensibly into comms work

• Map your tasks before touching tools. Start with repetitive work that drains time, not creative judgment.

• Use AI as a first draft assistant, then edit like a professional. Quality control becomes a real job, not an afterthought.

• Train AI on your own writing and reports so outputs sound like you, not the internet.

• Regularly check whether AI is saving time and protecting standards, not just pushing content out faster.

DescriptionPractical takeaways
GUEST
Karen Sutherland - Senior Lecturer, Public Relations, University of the Sunshine Coast
LOCATION: Sunshine Coast, Australia
Book: Artificial Intelligence for Strategic Communication by Karen E. Sutherland
NEW TO PR?
- Check out the new podcast 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.com
SUBSCRIBE
- Video and Audio links here - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/listen/
Or search for "The Public Relations Podcast" on all good podcast apps
CONNECT WITH ME
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/
- Website and newsletter - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/
- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.com
FUTURE GUESTS
- Check out: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/one-sheet/

AI is already inside every corner of PR and comms, but very few teams have real safeguards in place. In this episode, I sit down with Dr Lukasz Swiatek from UNSW (The University of New South Wales) to talk through the real risks facing agencies and in-house teams.

Luk researches the impact of AI on communication and education and he lays out the pitfalls that PR teams keep tripping over. Accuracy problems. Deep fakes. Reputational slipups. Ethical blind spots. The slow erosion of trust.

If you are trying to use AI while still protecting your organisation or your clients, this episode gives you a straightforward way to think about boundaries and guardrails that actually work.

What you will hear
Luk on the big AI concerns people are ignoring
The accuracy trap and why comms teams keep falling for it
How to build real boundaries around AI in your organisation
What AI means for trust and authenticity
The future of PR roles and whether humans still matter

Practical takeaways

1. Create a simple yes or no list of what AI is allowed to do in your organisation, then make staff sign off so there is shared responsibility.

2. Treat all AI output as unverified until checked against a real source. Never publish raw content.

3. Build a rule that any AI assisted content must be reviewed by a human who understands tone, risk and context.

4. Set expectations with clients or leadership about what AI can and cannot reliably do. This reduces pressure to use it in unsafe situations.

GUEST
Lukasz Swiatek - School of the Arts and Media, University of New South Wales
NEW TO PR?
- Check out the new podcast 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.com
SUBSCRIBE
- Video and Audio links here - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/listen/
Or search for "The Public Relations Podcast" on all good podcast apps
CONNECT WITH ME
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/
- Website and newsletter - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/
- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.com
FUTURE GUESTS
- Check out: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/one-sheet/

I’ve been getting a lot of messages lately from people asking the same thing: “How do I get a job or a better job?"

So far in the podcast, I've tended to focus on campaigns people are running, but I also want to do some episodes featuring interviews with agencies and recruiters around the world to find out what they're looking for.

My first guest is Brooke Kruger, Partner at KC Partners in San Francisco (USA).

In this quick episode, we cover a lot of stuff about what is really happening in hiring right now and why so many good people are still struggling to get noticed.

Here are three insights that stood out to me, but there are a lot more in the episode:

🤖 AI isn’t a headline skill anymore — it’s assumed.

As Brooke put it, you wouldn’t write “proficient in Excel” on your CV. Same with ChatGPT. The difference now is whether you can show how you’re using AI to improve speed, clarity, and results.

🎯 Storytelling is everything.

It’s not enough to do the job. You have to be able to tell the story of why you want to do it. Ask yourself why and then explain what drives you, how you think, and how that helps a company tell their story better.

⚙️ You have to be both strategic and hands-on.

Companies want people who can think at the top level and still roll up their sleeves. The days of “I only do strategy” are gone.

If you are in comms recruitment or recruit people and think applicants need to do better, then let me know and let's get you on an episode.

Guest: Brooke Kruger, KC Partners

Web: https://kc-partners.com/

Podcast: www.ThePublicRelationsPodcast.com

"Advertising Value Equivalents" are supposed to be dead, yet CFOs keep asking for them. Meanwhile, clients want backlinks, CMOs want digital metrics, and AI is rewriting the measurement rulebook daily.

So how do PR and comms teams actually prove value in 2025?

In this episode, I talk with Neha Bahri (Bconnect Communications) and Tarunjeet Gujral (Nucleus PR / PRPOI) about what’s really happening on the ground in India’s PR scene — and why it matters globally.

We cover:

• - Why some CFOs still cling to AVEs

  - What else clients are demanding

  - How AI is reshaping measurement and what comms pros need to track now

  
  

  Some of the takeaways

• 1) AI rewards earned media — the more credible your coverage, the more likely it is to be surfaced by tools like ChatGPT.

  2) Educate CMOs early — if they don’t understand how PR differs from digital marketing, they’ll pass the wrong expectations up the chain.

  3) CFOs will still demand AVEs until educated otherwise — you may have to provide them as a “translation” alongside more modern measures.

  4) Backlinks remain a visibility metric — clients see them as proof of quality and traffic, even if they oversimplify PR’s role.

  This episode is for anyone stuck between old-school AVEs and new-school metrics who needs to show results without losing their sanity.

  
  GUESTS
  Tarunjeet Rattan - Nucleus PR - www.nucleuspr.in

  and

  Neha Bahri Bconnect Communications - bconnect.co.in
  

  SUBSCRIBE
  - Video and Audio links here - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/listen/
  Or search for "The Public Relations Podcast" on all good podcast apps
  CONNECT WITH ME
  - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/
  - Website and newsletter - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/

Do you think they ever really cancelled Jimmy Kimmel?

Or was it a smart PR move to kill a firestorm?

Put the politics aside for a second.

Here’s what happened:-

- Jimmy Kimmel made comments about Charlie Kirk.

- Backlash exploded.

- His show was pulled “indefinitely”.

- The funeral went ahead.

- Kimmel returned.

The moment his show was axed, a good chunk of the fire just blew out.

- No protests during the funeral.

- No attention on the network over that weekend.

Why? Because there was nothing left to argue about.

Kimmel was “gone”... at least publicly.

It defused the heat.

It kept attention off the network.

And it avoided the funeral becoming a flashpoint of increased attention. Then, after the funeral, the narrative moved on.

We heard how people were calling for his return. That was reinforced with interviews and Kimmel himself listing a huge list of celebrities who wanted him back.

So, do you think it was clever planning of the narrative or simple luck with events?

While not everyone needs to think about US politics, it's a good example of how some organisations read the room in a crisis situation and how, by being aware of where the flashpoints can be, they can douse the fire, at least to an extent.

“I never planned to become a campaigner…”

That’s what George told me.

He’s a sports reporter. A good one.

But then he tragically lost six-week-old baby.

And suddenly, George found himself in the national media pushing for change.

Today I sat down with him — to not only learn his story but also to help him shout louder in future.

We talked about a huge number of things.

How to keep the media interested after the initial headlines fade?

How to be the best spokesperson for an organisation?

How to utilise modern PR (which goes far beyond just press relations today).

And, we agreed a next step to try. We'll be following George to see what happens.

In the edited episode, you’ll hear real strategies anyone can use (even without a budget).

If you have a story that should be heard and you want to discuss it on a show, reach out to me by DM or search for The Public Relations Podcast.

#PR #Comms #Storytelling #ThePublicRelationsPodcast #MediaStrategy #Campaigning

Season 9 of The Public Relations Podcast is underway.

Soft launch this time. No big fanfare. Just notes from the front line of comms.

People I’m helping. Conversations I’m having with other comms pros. Tools I’m testing. AI experiments, too.

And, the podcast keeps opening doors, and I'm getting to help people this time, which will allow me to share what I'm seeing myself on the frontline too, not just gathering other people's voices.

It may be a bit sporadic at first. The bigger ideas for Season 9 will come later. But this is where it starts.

First up? A story from a room I was in the other day, where I was explaining to a group why I believe clear, laser-focused goals beat a perfect list of action steps every single time.

Maybe I'm wrong, but people in comms talk so much about process, but is that grand process actually achieving the goals you were brought on for?