James Crawford, MD at PR Agency One: "For me, 2016 feels like a simpler moment for PR. There were more journalists, more time, and more appetite for stories that were genuinely data-led and newsy. What we now label digital PR was not a discipline in its own right then. They were just survey stories, and journalists were happy to use them.

"Links were given freely, largely because few people were thinking about them as a commodity at all. Most clients had little understanding of SEO, and the idea of PR being engineered for search was still nascent. That changed quickly. As search-led tactics flooded the market, the model became overworked. Google adapted, the easy wins disappeared, and much of what was once effective became unsustainable. What remains now is a smaller group of specialists and a more fragmented market overall.

"Yet for all that change, some fundamentals remain stubbornly familiar. The industry is still poor at measuring reputation and brand impact properly. Too many briefs still default to counting coverage, splitting it into tiers, and mistaking volume for value. PR is arguably easier to enter than ever before, with more agencies and independents competing for attention. Fees, however, have not kept pace with rising client expectations. Where once a brief focused on media relations and social, today’s RFPs demand everything at once. Much has changed. Much has not."

Jenny McMonagle, head of consumer at Cirkle: “The classic 2016 spray and pray method meant firing out an often too-long press release titled 'For Immediate Release' to hundreds of journalists, followed by a triumphant end-of-month coverage book (thankfully by then binding machines had by then been replaced with PDFs).

"Fast forward to 2026 and that same approach wouldn’t just fall flat, it would barely register. If you’re lucky, you might get a polite decline. The biggest change over the last decade isn’t shiny new platforms or tools, it’s expectations. Ideas are no longer built purely to land coverage. They’re built to travel across earned, social, influencer and paid, and they have to earn their place in every channel. Journalists are thinner on the ground and inboxes are brutal. Stories have to be tailored.

"Influencers are no longer bolt-on distribution channels chosen by follower count; they’re strategic partners with opinions, communities and hefty fees to match. Cultural relevance has overtaken calendar moments, WhatsApp has replaced desk-side drops, and ROI has replaced reach.

"The job hasn’t got easier, but it’s got much sharper. PRs now need to be part strategist, part producer, part cultural translator, constantly asking the question that didn’t always get asked in 2016: will anyone actually care? Same pressure, same pace — but a much higher bar. And no amount of inflated reach figures can rescue an average idea.”

Anna Ewer, director of comms and social at Clue PR: "PR in 2016 was largely about access and contacts... Who you knew, which inbox you could land in, and how loudly you could shout. Success was often measured in coverage volume, splashy headlines, and the speed of the news cycle. 

"PR in 2026 is all about credibility. Audiences are savvier, journalists are stretched thinner, trust is harder to earn — and easier to lose. The role of PR has shifted from amplifying a moment in time to shaping meaning, building connections and building them consistently. It’s no longer enough to say something once, loudly. You have to say it time and time again, prove it through action, and be prepared to stand behind it when challenged.

"I would also say there has been a significant shift in the expectation of leadership. Comms/PR teams aren’t just promoting products or announcements; they’re navigating culture, values, regulation, and scrutiny in real time. Reputation isn’t built through a single campaign, it’s accumulated through thousands of decisions about what to say and what not to say, when to show restraint, and how honestly an organisation responds under pressure.

"In 2016, PR could afford to be reactive, but in 2026 it has to be anticipatory. The best PR today comprises clear narratives, informed voices, and a deep understanding that how a brand shows up in the world matters just as much as what it’s selling."
 

Michael Rowinski, VP brand and communications at Mimecast: "In 2016, most PR pros still operated under the quaint notion that paying for editorial coverage was beneath us. It wasn't just against best practices; it felt morally wrong, like something your journalism professor would fail you for even considering. 

"Fast forward to today, and sponsored editorial isn't a dirty secret. It's a line item in the budget. Major publications openly operate hybrid models, and a new generation of "independent journalists" has built entire businesses around paid coverage that sits somewhere between advertorial and editorial.

"The shift forced our industry to grow up and get honest. We had to accept that the 20th-century firewall between church and state in newsrooms was a luxury sustained by advertising revenue that no longer exists. The real skill now isn't pretending that wall still stands. It's knowing when earned credibility matters more than paid reach, and being transparent with clients about what they're actually buying."

Jenny Mowat, CEO at Babel: “For me, 2016 was a personal and professional wake-up call. I was navigating life with my first child while still operating in a PR world that felt like it had a uniform: starched shirts and pencil skirts matched with ‘corporate speak’ and ultimately more time to react. Ten years later, I’ve traded the formal attire for chunky boots/trainers and a lot more personality — and I am so here for it. But while our office style may have relaxed, the industry pace has done the opposite. That pause we used to have to breathe, seems to have evaporated.

“In B2B tech, we no longer live in a news cycle; we live in a 24/7 ecosystem where every platform needs to be considered simultaneously. Our advice has to be much sharper, braver, quicker and multi-faceted — thinking of all stakeholders and audiences. Every recommendation must now account for how a single unfiltered post ripples across the entire brand instantly.”

Bogdan Marinescu, co-founder and PR strategy director at Edera Lab: "In 2016, PR was primarily a gatekeeper game: convince the journalist, win the piece, move on. In 2026, the journalist is only the first audience. The real verdict arrives in the 'second room' after publication: comments, reposts, newsletters, partner channels, AIOs, inbound enquiries from potential commercial partners, job applications from potential new team members and so on.

"That’s the biggest change I’m seeing is that PR strategy now has to be designed for what happens next, not just the individual campaign or milestone. A pitch isn’t just a pitch; it’s the first move in a public conversation you don’t control (this was the case in 2016 as well, but the breadth of this conversation and channel complexity is now tenfold).

"The win is no longer coverage and PRs no longer get away with fluff. The win is when a carefully developed marcomms strategy is well executed to the point where it enables or facilitates lead generation or sales, partnerships, investment, expansions, hiring and much more."

Christie Buet, client services director at Leopard Co: “Back in 2016, PR had a very specific soundtrack — the dial tone. If you wanted coverage, you picked up the phone, took a deep breath, and sold it in. A good pitch wasn’t just well written — it was well delivered. Charm, timing, and knowing exactly when not to waffle could make or break a story. Winning coverage often came down to how confidently you could make the case, live and in real time.

"Fast forward to now, and the phone is… let’s face it, mostly decorative. The biggest shift in PR has been how pitching has slowed down and sped up at the same time. Journalists are flooded, inboxes are battlegrounds, and attention is the most valuable currency. That little black book hasn’t disappeared, but access alone isn’t enough anymore. Relationships still matter, but they’re built over time, not in a five-minute call. A smart, relevant email or even a DM, often does more heavy lifting than a perfectly timed ring ever could.”

Jonathan Weinberg, founder of The Write Story: "There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but when a PR was paying — or wining and dining you in the evening — it was the best perk for this national journalist.

"During the 2000s, I likely ate out, with the bill settled by a PR agency credit card, more times than I had my own hot dinners. But now when I train PRs to work better with the media or write more effectively, I'm constantly asked how to meet a journalist. 

"Clearly, opportunities (and expense budgets) have declined since 2016. A harsh decade of publication closures and redundancies has rapidly shrunk the pool of media while PR agency and freelancer numbers have grown. Journalists today — especially online — are busier than ever; they're pumping out story after story without the free time or accommodating Editor to tuck into three slap-up and leisurely courses from 1pm.

"However, PR/journo relationships only thrive through face-to-face contact... and so it's high [tea] time to get back to that. I miss the Asia de Cuba or Butlers Wharf Chop House days but a quick cuppa and chat about our industries and clients should still be a piece of cake."