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There can be no doubt the media landscape is undergoing a seismic shift.
In recent months, TechCrunch closed its European office, Business Insider laid-off a fifth of its workforce and trade media outlets continue to feel the pressure. But these changes aren’t just media headlines, they’re signals the media model many communications professionals rely on is under growing strain.
But, at the same time, new opportunities are emerging. The New York Times recently licensed its editorial content to Amazon to train AI models, for example. On one hand, this highlights the financial challenges facing even the world’s most prestigious newsrooms. On the other, it proves something critical: the future of technology still depends on trusted, human storytelling.
As the Economist explains: “As consumers switch from search-engines to chatbots, brands need to persuade LLMs to speak highly of them. The most effective way to do that is to influence the sources that the model pays most attention to, such as news articles.”
For business-to-business brands, this is the moment to adapt.
Shrinking newsrooms, broader beats and more competition
Traditional journalism, especially in the business and tech space, is shrinking. As a result, journalists are more time poor than ever. As a result, beats that once had dedicated specialists are now often merged or diluted.
Yet the demand for trusted insight hasn’t gone away. If anything, with the prolific rise of mis- and dis-information, it’s increased. From tech buyers to enterprise decision-makers, B2B audiences are seeking clarity, analysis and thought leadership in a noisy digital landscape.
The question isn’t whether media still matters – it’s how to work within a changing system to make an impact.
There are a number of factors in play. For example, deeply focused media verticals are becoming more prevalent than wider media channels, as ‘newsfluencers’ rise in prominence. Industry newsletters, analyst-led podcasts and Substack writers with real operating experience now command more influence in many B2B niches than large publications. This creates opportunity for brands to target smaller, more engaged audiences with much higher relevance.
As newsrooms shrink, journalists are overwhelmed. They’re receiving hundreds of pitches daily, and a lot of them are unoriginal and most stories don’t get written. What cuts through now is original insight, unique data and though-led perspectives. Comms professionals need to really think, and be honest, is this really a story worth writing?
The comms set up used to be very regimented; PR was on one side, and content marketing on the other. We now live in a world where a single LinkedIn post can spark a trend or generate news, so every brand touchpoint can carry media weight. This means every piece of content has media potential. And, as social media increasingly becomes the first place that people interact with brands, the impression that is made is vitally important.
Finally, the recent deal between the New York Times and Amazon, which allows the company to train AI models using the Times’ content, is a critical signal. It shows news organisations are exploring new revenue models to survive and that even AI needs credible, high-quality human storytelling as raw material.
Journalism – and by extension, PR that feeds journalism – remains foundational to how people understand the world and the issues within it.
Far from being replaced, journalistic content is being licensed and valued as an irreplaceable input to the future of technology and information. For brands, that reinforces why smart, strategic media engagement still matters.
Build relationships with the right voices
The modern media mix includes journalists, analysts, newsletter authors, podcast hosts and LinkedIn creators. It is important to build relationships across all of these media forms, so new audiences can be reached, and loyalty can be nurtured.
It’s a worthwhile exercise to map out the key individuals shaping conversations in your sector, and that means looking beyond your traditional media list. The way you interact matters too, thinking about how you can help a writer to do their job more effectively, especially when the landscape is in continual flux.
High quality storytelling shouldn’t be reserved for PR efforts. Content for owned channels – blogs, social media, newsletters – requires the same kind of content approach. And at a time where AI is growing in prominence, and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is just as important as SEO, creating useful, informative content on owned channels is vital.
Plan for reputational resilience
The growth of AI generated content also increases the proliferation of misinformation and risk to reputation as a result. Developing a clear narrative and response methodology is really important, as is maintaining media hygiene; media monitoring, building relationships with key media voices and third-party fact checking are all non-negotiables.
Fundamentally, it is harder to achieve high quality and high-volume coverage than it has been in the past. But the credibility of good coverage, the power of a well-placed story and the influence of trusted voices in the media – both traditional and alternative forms – remain strong.
As journalism evolves, economically, structurally and technologically, it’s not going away. In fact, its value is being quietly reinforced, even by the most advanced AI tools. The brands that understand this, that invest in real stories, real relationships and real insight will be the ones that continue to lead.
