Navigating Unprecedented Change in Public Relations

How must public relations professionals adapt to continuous industry change?

While the mechanics of public relations continuously evolve—from fax machines to generative AI—the core demand for strategic thinking remains unchanged. To successfully navigate this constant industry disruption and rebuild public trust, executives must rigorously prioritize their own mental and physical well-being.

The well-being of our profession is strong, which is good news as we have never been needed as much as we are today.

The first press release I sent was by a fax machine to 200 reporters. The nerves I felt were nearly infinite as I waited to receive that “ok” message from the machine confirming everything went as planned.

Today, a message can be automatically generated and distributed to the entire human race at the click of a button.

The mechanics of what we do have evolved over the decades, but not the critical and strategic thinking our profession is based on.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant is change.”

For public relations people, I say, “The only change is constant.”

In our profession, we understand change is constant. It’s what separates our profession from others.

Because our role centers on building relationships, we must ensure we know how those relationships are seeded, grown, and maintained.

At the same time, we’re in the middle of unprecedented change in our profession.

- We’re in the middle of an evolution in our relationship with social media.

- We’re in the middle of an evolution in our relationship with earned media.

- We’re in the middle of an evolution in where we work.

- We’re in the middle of an evolution in our trust in one another.

Looking back at the last five years, the amount of change can feel exhausting!

And yet, for decades, our profession has evolved with the times.

We showed up when companies were looking for ways to use social media. We were at the forefront of recommending that companies avoid the “buy me now” marketing approach, instead using a best practice of building community, creating advocates, and ultimately securing customers and fans.

When media companies were shuttering, we had to adapt. We have continued to build relationships and have empathy with overworked reporters who have mouths to feed and careers to grow.

When the constant barrage of topics around “Return to Office” and “The Great Resignation” were prominent, we helped companies strategically navigate this challenge to meet the needs of customers and employees.

But another fight is ahead: how do we use the power of public relations to build trust with each other again?

For the public relations profession and professional to continue to shine, we must ensure we are mentally, physically, and socially stable when the world around us appears to thrive on instability.

This year, I will examine several of these questions related to our well-being.

- How are we as individuals adapting to our physical and virtual surroundings?

- How will we prioritize our well-being first to take on the challenges ahead?

- How will we remain empathetic to others without negatively impacting our health?

These are just some of the questions I look forward to working with you to tackle this year.