PR in 2025: The chasmic changes and trusty traditional methods that still work

2nd September 2025 by Kate Logan

It’s already September! We know, we can’t believe it either. As we hurtle towards the last quarter of 2025, it’s time to look back on what’s been one of the most pivotal years in the industry, well, ever.

PR has changed. We say it every year but this time it feels more pertinent than ever. Press releases still have their place, but they aren’t enough anymore. In 2025, brand communications have become more visual and data-driven. And, in a world where it feels AI is taking over, there is a need to be as human as possible, to retain trust and authenticity.  

With our focus here at Active PR on the property and construction industry, we look at the lessons we’ve learnt this year and the innovations brands can take on board.

1. AI can guide but humans must decide

“Never start with a blank page” is about the best piece of AI-related advice I’ve been given this year. It’s the personal assistant we’ve all always dreamed of, helping to boost productivity but it still needs a human guide.

AI is brilliant at spotting trends, generating all manner of content and giving a steer on just about everything, but it hasn’t yet overtaken human judgment or creativity. You get out what you put in and, most important to remember in this business, it’s not always accurate.

It’s still up to us to provide the creative input and context to generate a meaningful output and do due diligence on its output. One AI expert recently told me AI is still “the wild west” and human judgement is as important as it’s ever been. This is particularly true in the field of public relations, where a brand’s reputation and credibility are at stake.

2. Creators add credibility

The days of bringing in a big-name celebrity to endorse your brand or product may be numbered. People build trust through meaningful interactions and find connections with influencers and creators online who reflect their own lives, interests and values.

Reach was once deemed the sole indicator of value and now trust matters more. Smaller creators are often more influential than celebrities because they’re relatable. For housing developers, that could mean partnering with local voices who understand the community and can tell the story authentically. One client recently told me they’d seen their biggest spike in enquiries from an Instagram reel by a hyperlocal influencer with a following of less than 50k.

3. Visuals that create impact

Construction and property are visual industries, so it stands to reason thattheir communication should be too. This year we’ve had success selling in stories to media with drone film footage, virtual walkthroughs and aerial images, while customer stories with a human face have been as popular as ever. Filming tends to be more expensive than still photography, yet it’s often worth the investment  as it  can make an impact across multiple platforms and through both earned and owned content.

4. Sustainability leads the story

Green credentials are front and centre of our clients’ business goals. Consumers and stakeholders expect to see this messaging across all comms. From low-carbon technology and biodiversity to support for community groups working to make their environment greener, communication around sustainable developments, backed up with evidence, is now key to building a strong reputation.

5. Using your people as storytellers

This is a well-trodden path that still rings as true as ever in 2025. If you want to engage journalists and the public, then your people, including leaders of your business, need to be the face and voice of your brand. A well-thought-out media comment from a managing director or interior designer can often make a bigger impact than a traditional press release. Position them as experts in their field and don’t be afraid to show their human side, whether it’s in a LinkedIn post, press release quote or through a thought leadership article.

6. Case studies build trust

Trusty case studies remain one of the strongest tools in our PR locker. This can be a focus on a client’s latest product or development to showcase how they stand out in the market or how they are making a difference to local communities.

Or it can be a testimonial from a purchaser to provide a third-party endorsement for a company. Again, this is all about helping potential customers to trust in a brand, when they hear from others who’ve experienced it firsthand. And they make great human-interest content for socials too.

To sum up, PR in 2025 is faster and more visual than ever. For the property and construction industries, it’s an opportunity to combine great images and film with authentic stories, to build a communications strategy that really stands out. The impact of AI as a tool to become more productive and support creative thinking is undeniable, but there’s a need to retain the human touch to make real connections and meaningful engagement.

It’s a little early to say this, but we already can’t wait to see what 2026 brings!

AI and PR

31st July 2024 by Rachael Bruce

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the landscape of Public Relations (PR), reshaping how organizations communicate and engage with their audiences. By leveraging advanced technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics, AI empowers PR professionals to craft more targeted, personalized, and effective communication strategies. From automating routine tasks like media monitoring and social media management to providing deep insights into audience behavior and sentiment analysis, AI enhances the efficiency and impact of PR campaigns. This integration not only helps in delivering timely and relevant content but also in predicting trends and crises, allowing for proactive reputation management. As AI continues to evolve, it promises to unlock new possibilities for innovation, creativity, and strategic thinking in the realm of Public Relations.

That first section was written using ChatGPT, perhaps one of the best-known AI brands. At Active PR we pride ourselves in our writing ability and so ordinarily don’t use AI in our copywriting. The above was an experiment as part of writing this blog.

But using AI does have its benefits as it can streamline the process for some tasks such as analysing data to find patterns. AI and automation are used by many media monitoring services to track and collate coverage including analysing sentiment in coverage and with machine learning help ensure consistent reporting.

However, there’s room for error and a need for human oversight as AI doesn’t always recognise some of the nuances in language. For example, a sarcastic negative comment on social media could be flagged as positive feedback.

In content creation, there’s a place for AI but there’s also a need for human input to ensure accuracy, authenticity and the tone are all on brand and appropriate for both the medium and audience.

It’s important to remember that AI is only as good as the people using it. Just as a new member of staff will need to be instructed to carry out tasks, AI needs to be briefed too and their work reviewed and signed off.

ChatGPT is perhaps one of the best-known AI brands, but there are so many others available with different functionalities.

In one of its simplest forms, AI can be used to autocomplete sentences, which can help save time, particularly if you’re often writing about the same subject as AI will learn key phrases. (Microsoft Word wanted to use automate in this instance 😉)

Speech to text technology such as Otter AI can mean you don’t need to take notes during meetings or interviews. But it also means when you’re reading back through the notes, you’ll have a record of those informal conversations that take place while you’re waiting for everyone to join the call.  Some of which you perhaps won’t want a permanent record of!

The search function is a great tool as it means you can easily look for and find a key topic or action point.

It’s always good to have the backup of your own notes – in a good old-fashioned notebook or on a laptop or tablet so you can cross reference and potentially correct any inaccuracies on either side.

AI is a tool that can make tasks easier. Some of our team remember the days when press packs had to be mailed or couriered to journalists. Today we can easily reach out to our media contacts, sending them a WhatsApp, DM or email with client news and photos.

It’s about embracing change and new technology and learning to work smarter not harder.

If you want to know more about how we can help your business, email beinspired@activepr.co.uk.