*probably
The whole ecosystem digital PR relies on has changed.
In case you need a refresher, ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews are obliterating the traffic publications once depended on.
Less traffic = less money = redundancies and closures = fewer opportunities to land coverage.
We’re already seeing it happen. Reach plc just made a wave of redundancies, and others will follow.
To put it bluntly, things look… well, a bit fucked.
A recent MuckRack report optimistically claims that “89% of links cited by AI come from earned media.” Which sounds great, but only if those publications still exist.
Some will, because they’ve signed deals with the likes of OpenAI to license their content in exchange for a fee, though I’d bet you anything it’s dwarfed by what they used to make from display ads.
The good news? Publishers have been here before. They adapted then, and they’ll adapt again.
Here’s how I see things panning out
Distrust in Big Tech Will Push Publishers Toward Owned Media
Remember when you could build an entire business on Facebook traffic? Viral Nova did, it sold for $100m in 2015, then just two years later for $25m after Facebook changed its algorithm and reduced the traffic you could get from organic posts.
All those platforms, Facebook, Twitter, even Linkedin, want to keep and hoard all the traffic for themselves. Which is why we’ve all resorted to putting those silly ‘see the link in the first comment’ when posting, to ensure reach isn’t capped. It never used to be like that.
Big tech gives, so everyone builds around it. Then it takes away. Now it’s Google’s turn. With AI Overviews, they’re keeping more traffic for themselves.
Publishers have no reason to trust big tech anymore. They’ll turn to what they can own, newsletters, podcasts, apps, channels that can’t be easily taken away.
This trend has been quietly growing for a while, but it’s about to accelerate.
Just last month, The Independent was hiring for a “Bulletin Editor” (read: newsletter editor). The job description mentioned “help grow the new brand. This is an exciting opportunity to join a new team”, suggesting this is an entirely new focus for them.
And it’s not just traditional publishers. Journalists with established audiences are going solo. Jim Waterson left The Guardian to launch London Centric on Substack, one of many following the same path.
In fact, when you look at traffic data across major English-language news sites, nearly all are down year on year… except Substack.
Follow the Money — It’s All Going to Video
One channel that still looks lucrative for publishers is video.
While Reach plc, owners of The Mirror, Daily Star, The Express and numerous regional titles recently made a wave of redundancies, they’re also on a hiring spree for YouTube Channel Managers, videographers, and video editors.
A quick look on LinkedIn shows no one at Reach previously held the title of YouTube Channel Manager, suggesting this is a new direction for them.
Ines Santos, a video reporter at Reach, recently shared that she’s moving into a new role as part of a newly formed team of four, and that they’re hiring a video producer and videographer. Clearly, video is becoming a priority.
In a recent article in Press Gazette, Brian Whelan, video strategist at Hearst UK, said publishers “should be making £1m a year from a successful YouTube channel.”
In the same article, Sky News’ Managing Director and Executive Editor Jonathan Levy added that “digital videos are about five times more valuable than display advertising.”
So, it’s easy to see why publications are shifting their focus, there’s money in video.
What Does This Mean For Digital PR?
In 2026 I expect I’ll still be doing much of the same work as I’m doing now, but if publications and journalists are adapting, we’ll need to as well. That might mean pitching to newsletters, creating video content, or producing audio for podcasts.
Some of the content I pitch may not even be included in an article at all and it might not even get a link, and if that’s what digital PR becomes… I’m not sure if it’s even digital PR anymore is it? Maybe it’s just regular PR?
That's all for this time, thanks for reading! For all previous newsletters, see below.
— Mark
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