The New Rules of Media Relations in 2025: What Smart Execs, Founders, and Thought Leaders Are Doing Now

By Christie Bilbrey

Table of Contents

• Craft the Right Strategy 

• Build the Right List

• Write the Best Pitches

• Prep for Any Interview 

• Post-interview Essentials

• Leap Forward Faster with Analysis
  

Many once saw the goal of earned media as a series of one-off, big hits. But today’s audiences don’t rely on a few large outlets—they’re scattered across blogs, podcasts, newsletters, YouTube, social media, and niche sites. Smart brands adapt to that.

In 2025, media relations isn’t about sending big press release blasts. It’s about nurturing authentic connections, leveraging tech wisely, and telling stories that connect across multiple platforms. If you're an executive or marketing leader, here's how to win attention and trust where it counts.

1. Craft the Right Strategy
   

Think Like a Journalist

Today, journalists have smaller teams, bigger workloads, and receive up to 100 pitches daily. Put yourself in their shoes and think about what you would want from people pitching you: thoughtful, credible sources with a pulse on what your audience likes and clear, concise ideas on stories they want.

Here’s how to become the trusted expert they value.

• Research each journalist or creator before you pitch them to find out what they cover, how they cover it, and gaps in their coverage. This will help you brainstorm story angles that may interest them.
  

• Outlets are featuring more media-rich content now, so including pieces like stats, quotes, images, and b-roll helps them work faster and makes you a better source for them. Good job!
  

• Your pitches shouldn’t be filled with self promotion. They should focus on your story idea.
  

• Keep pitches short, very short! I’ll get into the exact structure later.
  

Following those four steps, alone, will help you quickly become a better asset to journalists and creators. 

Give Your Audience What It Needs

Your target market’s needs are constantly evolving. If your content and services don’t adapt, your audience will move on. 

The good news is that you don’t have to be a natural trendspotter. There are plenty of ways to keep up.

• Ask your clients what they’re most concerned with.

• Talk to others in your industry.

• Search your keywords and terms like “news,” “trends,” or “changes” on Google, YouTube, social, or ChatGPT.

• Subscribe to podcasts, newsletters, and channels focused on your audience.

• Attend conferences on your audience’s key issues.

We live in a time when information is always at our fingertips, so find the resources that work best for you and develop a habit to stay on top of what’s happening and how it impacts your audience.

Staying on top of this also helps you track public conversations around your key topics and anticipate what’s coming next. And that is exactly what journalists and content creators are looking for! 

Get Specific on Positioning

Before choosing the type of content to share and the best outlets to pitch, you need clarity on three things: your audience’s needs, what you want to be known for, and what sets you apart from your competitors.

Once you’ve nailed these down, you can identify the right topics and develop pitch angles that align with your positioning. When you create your strategy in this order, each media hit reinforces the brand perception you want to achieve. 

This approach creates consistency across earned media and owned media (blogs, podcasts, YouTube, webinars, and white papers).

Then, wherever your audience finds you, your brand and message are clear and consistent—strengthening your brand and making it easier for your audience to understand why they need you. Well done! 

There is a lot to consider but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. We would love to help you map this out. Schedule a free consult here.

Expand What You Consider Media 

Today’s most valuable coverage often comes from unexpected places—like podcasts, newsletters, blogs, and niche creators, not just legacy outlets.

Since the media landscape is so fragmented, you can’t rely on one outlet or big feature to reach your entire audience.

To make a real impact, you need to show up in more places that matter to your audience.

Adapt to AI Search Optimization 

According to Hard Numbers, 61% of signals that inform AI come from editorial media sources. So we know that press coverage still matters, but the focus is shifting beyond keywords.

To stay visible in the age of AI-driven search, you need a broad, content-rich, digital footprint. It’s no longer just about traditional links—AI is prioritizing context, clarity, and credibility. It likes FAQs, product explainers, how-to guides, and other practical types of content. 

But beyond answering practical questions, you also need to include messaging that defines what you want to be known for and what makes your brand unique.  

2. Build the Right List 

Journalists are no longer the only ones you need to target. Landing coverage on the front page of The New York Times used to be considered the pinnacle of media coverage. But today, legacy media is fractured. More journalists and other creators are building their own brands with podcasts, newsletters, YouTube, and social media. Focus more on where your topic is being covered well than the historical status of an outlet. The media is a different world today.

Does size matter? Only if the audience aligns.Bigger isn’t always better. A niche podcast or newsletter with a few hundred loyal followers may yield more leads than a national TV segment that nobody in your target market watches.

3. Write the Best Pitches

Journalists, podcasters, and creators are bombarded with so many pitches that if yours doesn’t instantly connect with them, they won’t spend more than a couple seconds (and I’m not exaggerating) before deleting it and moving on with their day. 

To have a better chance of being considered, curate a small, highly targeted list. You’ll need to personalize every pitch you send. This is an area where quality over quantity matters. 

Research each journalist or creator to see what they’ve published over the past few months. This will give you a much better idea of angles that may interest them. 

Before reaching out, follow them on social media and engage with their work by sharing and commenting on their articles or posts. This will help develop a relationship and show a genuine interest in their work.

Early on, a mentor encouraged me to pitch myself to reach more audiences and strengthen my brand. I really admired a well-known marketing influencer and decided I would send a “test” pitch to her to start with someone beyond my reach, just to get some practice. I had no pitch template, but thought about what I would want if I were her.

I was shocked when I got a response from her team within 24 hours saying she was interested. Beyond that, she praised my pitch to her audience during our interview, breaking down what she liked about it and recommending they pitch her the same way I did. I used the exact approach I share below. It has served my clients and me well for many years.

My recommended pitch format:

• Keep pitch email subject lines short and let them know you have a story idea.
  

• Start by finding something they wrote about that connects with you and with the topic and angle you’re pitching. This shows that you understand what they cover and how your story idea connects with it. Keep it timely and focused on moving the public conversation forward on the topic. You don’t want to repeat what others are saying. They need clicks on their articles and that happens with new information their audience is looking for. 
  

• Try to include stats and data that supports your story idea in the pitch, but remember, no one has time to read a long block of text or a pasted press release. Use bullets to highlight the key points. Link any supporting materials.
  

• Next, your pitch should briefly share who you are, what your company does, and why it matters to the journalist’s audience. If they have to figure out any of this on their own, they’re more likely to delete the pitch and move on. They simply don’t have the time. It needs to be clear and concise.Don’t oversell yourself. The bulk of the pitch should focus on your story idea. Don’t ramble. Get to the point fast. 
  

• End with a clear call to action. 

Follow up: I recommend waiting 48 hours before sending a follow up. You can send two, maybe three follow ups, if it’s really timely and a big deal. If they’re still not responding, consider it a pass. Don’t take it personally. You can reach out with other story ideas in the future but you don’t want them to consider you a nuisance.   

Bonus: Many journalists prefer to receive pitches in the morning and on Tuesdays-Thursdays. 

4. Prep for Any Interview

Watch a smart politician give an interview. They always keep their core message points top of mind. Regardless of the questions they’re asked, they will find a way to bring it back to their core messaging.

It’s not just about adding to your “as seen in” section—it’s about sharing your brand, insights, experiences, and what you’re launching.During the interview, you want to project confidence and humility. Without coming across as arrogant, you want to show passion and confidence. Instead of pre-planning what you want to say next, listen carefully to their questions without interrupting, and provide thoughtful answers. 

But don’t fall into the trap of waiting for the question you really want to answer and hoping they’ll get there. Almost everyone has fallen into this at one time or another. Look for ways to answer their questions and share what you really came to discuss.

One of my former clients is a couple who started a nonprofit after spending decades as newscasters. I interviewed them on two episodes of my podcast, one about how to become a better interviewer and another about becoming a better interviewee. I was surprised when they told me how much control the interviewee has. The interviewer can only ask the questions but the interviewee controls a lot more of the conversation by the way they decide to respond and the direction they choose to take. 

Everyone feels a little nervous before an interview but preparation and practice make a huge difference in the outcome.

Strategy: Prepare two or three talking points you want to make no matter what you’re asked. Use simple language. Bring real stories, not just talking points. 

Research: Listen to, watch, or read previous interviews to learn the interviewer’s style. Sometimes they will send you questions in advance if you ask, so make sure you do. I also recommend asking questions in advance about the interviewer’s audience, so you have a better idea of the lens the interviewer is viewing the conversation through.  

Practice Makes Perfect: Conduct mock interviews to anticipate questions and refine your messaging. Focus on being clear, concise, energized, and confident. 

Be Authentic: Audiences can spot a rehearsed script. Share real stories and experiences that come from the heart to build trust and credibility.

Appearance: If it will be on-camera, make sure you have clothing that looks good on camera, think of how you’ll style your hair and makeup, and if you’re on Zoom or giving the interview remotely, plan your background and lighting. Test everything.Bonus: Think of a couple of sound bites you can have ready. Those are great quotes for articles or blogs and are perfect to repurpose as reels on social media. 5. Post-Interview Essentials Send a thank you within 24 hours of the interview, thanking them for the opportunity, share something specific you enjoyed, and ask for the details of when they will air or publish the interview or article, so you can help promote it. 

Create a plan for how you will promote the interview. That may include some combination of a blog post, an email to your list, social media stories and posts, and possibly paid ads, depending on the opportunity. Also, make sure you have the right names of the accounts to tag the interviewer and their outlet.

Not only will this help you, but it shows the interviewer that you appreciate their hard work and want to help it go further.

6. Leap Forward Faster with Analysis

Athletes watch replays of their games to improve faster by seeing what worked and what didn’t.

Most bypass this step, but you will leap forward faster by spending time reviewing what was sent, said, and recorded. 

After each round of outreach or campaign, review what got results. Which angles landed? Which media formats worked best for your audience? Track your wins, gaps, and ideas for next time. The most effective PR pros don’t just pitch and pray—they analyze, optimize, and double down on what gets traction.

Final Thought:In 2025, the brands that win in the media aren’t necessarily the loudest—they’re the most strategic. If you want media coverage that truly matters, shift the emphasis from sheer reach to impact with audiences, journalists, and creators. 

Curious what a custom PR strategy could look like for your business? Let’s talk. Book a free consult and we’ll walk through where you are, where you want to go, and what it’ll take to get you there.