5 PR & Comms Trends for 2026

After years of performance marketing, long-term brand building is moving back into focus in 2026. Companies are realizing that short-term KPI wins don't count for much if the brand loses its appeal. In a 2024 DMEXCO survey, 27% of CMOs said they planned to increase their performance spend. At the same time, 31% admitted they had invested too much in performance and too little in brand in recent years, and 32% plan to put more into branding going forward. A recent McKinsey study confirms this shift: four of the top five topics for CMOs, including branding, authenticity and data privacy, point clearly away from short-term activation and toward long-term brand building and trust. One reason: according to Statista, 73% of consumers find brands with clear values and sustainable practices more attractive. Purpose and credibility beat blunt sales messages.

Expert voices back this up. Sophie Müller (Europace AG) warns against simply filling channels with generic content: “People and algorithms reward clarity, stance and usefulness, not volume.” Göran Kügler (Tibber) sees a glut of interchangeable, run-of-the-mill posts and calls for change: “Brands need to act more human on LinkedIn again, which means showing some edge and taking a stance.” Moritz Meier (BVG) takes notice when companies keep their communication honest and straightforward instead of glossing over every problem with PR speak. Authenticity has become the buzzword of the year, but with substance behind it: consumers can tell when messages are just empty phrases. That's why Nora Goette (Miles) and Inga Bohn (Amorelie) stress that a clear position and consistent brand values are key to building trust. The motto: ditch the hype, take a stand. Short-term ad hacks lose their appeal once they start eroding the brand core. Cautionary tales from major brands that lost brand value through a pure performance focus prove the point. In 2026, it's about restoring the balance: performance marketing and branding have to go hand in hand.

Tips:

• Prioritize the brand experience: Set aside a fixed share of your budget for branding, even in times of crisis. A rule of thumb from practice: put at least 50% of your marketing budget into the upper funnel (brand awareness, storytelling) to secure demand over the long term.
• Take a stand: Develop a clear brand voice that takes positions on relevant topics. Content with a clear stance and real value builds a stronger bond with your audience than polished, one-size-fits-all messaging.
• Authenticity over volume: Only publish content you truly stand behind. Fewer posts with substance and honesty beat a flood of soulless content. Internally, that also means welcoming honest feedback and practicing self-criticism instead of measuring success by reach alone.

In 2026, artificial intelligence (AI) will be a quiet standard in communications in two ways. As a sparring partner, it supports communicators with analysis, writing and strategy. At the same time, it acts as a new gatekeeper that decides which content gets seen. AI already made huge leaps in 2025: “In 2025, AI evolved from a tool into a genuine strategic sparring partner,” says Sophie Müller (Europace AG), speaking from her own experience. Many companies now use large language models for far more than writing, for example for trend scouting, stakeholder analysis or crisis simulations, which has noticeably improved the quality and speed of their decisions. In short: AI has become part of everyday PR work. Worldwide, 78% of companies said they were already using AI in at least one area in 2024 (2019: 55%). Still, much of its potential remains untapped: 94% of marketing leaders say they haven't yet made significant progress in implementing AI. There's a clear gap between ambition and reality.

At the same time, AI is fundamentally changing how content is found and filtered. Generative AI systems like ChatGPT deliver answers directly, with no need to click through lists of links. More and more people, especially younger generations, would rather search via chatbot or TikTok than via traditional search engines. That turns algorithms into digital gatekeepers: they decide which brand messages become visible at all. Google, for example, features AI-generated answers prominently in search, and TikTok's feed runs on its For You algorithm. For PR, this means that if you want visibility, you have to win over machines as well as people. Content needs to be prepared so that AI systems can read and process it correctly. Many companies are already optimizing their copy for how AI “understands” it, with the risk of producing content that's made more for machines than for people. Ben Korte (Voltfang) is critical of this development. He sees many teams tailoring their content heavily for AI readability, at the expense of creativity. The challenge in 2026 will be striking the right balance: content has to be structured for algorithms without feeling soulless. Anything written only for the algorithm loses relevance and ends up interchangeable.

The sheer flood of AI-generated content also makes authenticity more valuable than ever. More than half of all text on the internet is already AI-based, and according to expert estimates, up to 90% of all online content could be synthetically generated by the end of 2026. That's why Göran Kügler (Tibber) predicts a renaissance of the human touch: the more the digital world is shaped by generic AI text, the louder the call for human creativity and authenticity. Companies that use AI wisely while still bringing in human perspectives will have the edge. In this context, Maximilian Ziche (getpress) explores what visibility means in the age of AI: when ChatGPT and similar tools deliver the answers, brands need to figure out how to make it into those answers, and how to measure that success in the first place. One thing is clear: AI is changing the rules of the game, from SEO (think AI visibility and GEO) to crisis PR (think deepfakes). PR professionals shouldn't see AI as just a tool. They need to understand its strategic implications.

Tips:

• Build AI skills: Train your team on AI tools (text and image generators, analytics tools) and define clear use cases. Using AI in a targeted way, for topic research, trend monitoring or first drafts, makes you more efficient, as long as human quality control stays in place.
• Make your content discoverable for AI: Structure press releases and blog posts so that AI search systems recognize them as answer sources, for example through FAQ formats, structured data and precise wording of relevant questions. That improves your chances of showing up in AI-generated answers.
• Keep the human touch: Deliberately add creative, personal elements to your content that AI can't deliver, such as storytelling based on real experience, sharp opinions from leadership or humor. That keeps your communication appealing to human readers, even when their first point of contact is an AI's selection.
• AI ethics and monitoring: Put guidelines in place for how AI is used in your communication (e.g. disclosure notes on AI-generated content). At the same time, keep an eye on risks such as deepfakes and disinformation, and develop crisis plans so you can respond quickly when it counts.

More and more companies are pursuing an “owned media first” strategy: instead of relying on the goodwill of traditional media, they invest primarily in their own channels, from corporate blogs and branded podcasts to newsletters and LinkedIn. The appeal is obvious. Owned channels let you reach your community directly, control your own messaging and build up first-party data. According to the Content Marketing Institute, B2B marketers plan to invest almost as much in owned media in 2026 (32%) as in events (33%), with paid media trailing well behind at 25%. After years of paid channels dominating, budgets are now shifting toward in-house content platforms. That shows in practice, too: 92% of marketing decision-makers increased their content budgets in 2024, and almost half are spending $500,000 or more. In short, owned media has gone from side project to central pillar.

But “owned first” doesn't mean “owned only”. If you rely solely on your own newsletters, podcasts or LinkedIn posts, you quickly lose sight of the outside world. Independent media coverage remains important for reach and credibility. The art in 2026 will be orchestrating owned, earned and paid media wisely. Sophie Müller (Europace AG) currently sees LinkedIn as the owned channel with the most reach and trust, but stresses that what works best is the “orchestrated interplay” of channels: newsletters for depth, podcasts for loyalty, LinkedIn for reach. Integrated, not isolated. Lavinia Steinfels (Glow25) also emphasizes that every channel that creates real closeness to the community is valuable. Newsletters and social media are a must, delivering repetition and traffic. But she sees the biggest potential in longer, story-driven formats like podcasts and high-quality video series that entertain while sharing knowledge. These formats let brands genuinely show their values, expertise and personality, far removed from plain advertising messages. A weekly podcast, for example, becomes a ritual in the community's everyday life and keeps the brand top of mind. It also makes content more efficient: a single podcast episode can be turned into short clips, newsletter snippets and LinkedIn posts that work across every channel. Göran Kügler (Tibber) predicts a further boom in video podcasts along these lines: in the future, there will be a podcast (with a video component) for every niche to reach specific communities.

Ben Korte (Voltfang) also has clear priorities for owned media: “Newsletters remain a key direct channel,” he says. They reach stakeholders unfiltered, right in their inbox. Nora Goette (Miles) is firmly “Team LinkedIn” as well. Despite some criticism, she considers the platform underrated and full of potential, if only for its networking opportunities. Across all owned channels, though, one thing matters: offering content that stays relevant over time, not just self-promotion. Owned media can't be an extension of the marketing department. It has to be built as a medium that gives people something of value, otherwise users turn away disappointed. Success stories like Red Bull (The Red Bulletin magazine), HubSpot (business blog, Academy) and OMR (podcast empire) show that consistent content marketing can build huge communities. It does take time and resources, though. Inga Bohn (Amorelie) points out that customer focus is key: owned content has to be driven by what the audience cares about, not by internal sensitivities. Companies should regularly gather feedback from their community and shape their owned media strategy around it.

Tips:

• Content plan for owned channels: Create an editorial roadmap for your owned media with topics, formats and fixed publishing frequencies. Consistency is essential for building an audience. Aim for variety (text, audio, video) and plan for reuse from the start (content recycling across channels).
• Give every channel its own role: Define a clear role for each owned channel within the overall concept. For example: your blog as an SEO traffic driver and knowledge hub, your newsletter for personalization and lead nurturing, your podcast for brand storytelling, LinkedIn for reach and conversation. That way, the channels complement each other.
• Community, not broadcast: Think of owned media as a dialogue. Encourage feedback (comments, polls), respond personally and create things like exclusive LinkedIn groups or events for subscribers. Owned channels should be places for exchange, not one-way streets.
• Professionalize: Treat your owned channels like media products. Invest in quality (design, audio, storytelling) and measure success with the right KPIs (open rates, subscriber growth, time spent, etc.) so you keep learning. And bring in outside expertise where needed (e.g. podcast production) to maintain high standards.

The classic silo approach, with PR over here, marketing over there and social media somewhere else, has had its day. In 2026, holistic campaigns are what's needed: topics that play out across channels, teams that plan together and KPIs that measure impact as a whole. The lines between PR, marketing, social and events are blurring more and more. Customers experience a brand as one entity anyway, so companies need to communicate across the board as well. And it pays off: 86% of marketers confirm that multichannel campaigns are becoming increasingly effective, and companies with strong multichannel strategies see 9.5% higher annual revenue and 91% higher customer retention rates. Rolling out messages consistently across 3+ channels significantly increases reach and recall. Yet many still struggle with this: Only ~30% of marketing leaders are very confident in their ability to execute truly integrated campaigns. Internal structures and tool landscapes often lag behind.

In 2026, collaboration will therefore be recalibrated. Communication and marketing teams will work more closely together to maximize cross-media impact from a single idea. Lavinia Steinfels (Glow25) explains how she approaches content: A central theme, such as a podcast launch, is planned so that a whole bouquet of activities is created around it. “We pull short clips, reels, newsletter snippets, and LinkedIn posts from a single episode”, says Steinfels. This integration ensures efficiency and a recognizable common thread across all channels. A unified goal is essential: “Truly good communication is based on clear goals and measurable results”, reminds Lavinia Steinfels. All campaign activities, whether PR stories, social videos, or events, should contribute to a few central KPIs (e.g., leads, engagement rate, share of voice). Modern PR measures this effectiveness today using tools like social listening, web analytics, UTM tracking, or even pre/post-surveys. This makes it visible what a feature in the FAZ really achieved or how many webinar registrations a LinkedIn post generated. Ben Korte (Voltfang) expects a general trend in 2026 away from purely quantitative success metrics toward qualitative reasoning: It is not the number of clippings that counts, but the demonstrable outcome. Holistic campaigns therefore define success across departments—from reach (marketing) to reputation (PR) to conversion (sales).

Best practices for integrated campaigns already exist: For example, “IKEA Christmas” 2024, where a PR story (press release about sustainable decor) and a social media challenge (#DIYDeko) went hand in hand, flanked by a microsite and a newsletter giveaway. The result was both high media presence and directly measurable sales effects. Hans Neubert (charles & charlotte), a digital creative, advocates in this context for not viewing social media as a mere distribution channel , but as a creative, cultural space that must be thought of in conjunction with traditional media. For him, entertainment, stance, and community belong at the center of every campaign—the product takes a backseat. Brands that dare to take this holistic approach break out of the monotony. They boldly combine owned, earned, paid, and shared media into holistic brand experiences.

Tips:

• Create a campaign "one-pager": Start by sketching out every major campaign on a single page and answer: What is the core message? Who are the target audiences? What are the touchpoints along the customer journey? Ensure that appropriate measures are planned for every phase (awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty), from PR articles and social posts to follow-up emails.
  
• Channel mapping & adaptation: Take your central campaign message and adapt it precisely for each channel (keyword: transcreation). One and the same motto can feel different in a LinkedIn post than in a press release or a TikTok video, yet it remains recognizably the same. Consistent core messages across all formats strengthen brand recognition.
  
• Interdisciplinary teams: Bring all involved disciplines to the table early on, from PR, social, content, and events to SEO and, if applicable, agencies. Joint campaign stand-ups and a shared editorial calendar help break down silos. Everyone should know the overall strategy in order to optimally integrate their own measures.
  
• Holistic measurement: Develop a campaign dashboard that combines metrics from all channels (e.g., media clippings, web traffic, and lead numbers). This allows you to see the full-funnel impact. Use UTM parameters or QR codes to bridge offline/PR effects into online tracking. Learn from the data which channel combinations work and adjust in real time.

In 2026, it is truer than ever: community beats reach. Instead of collecting millions of fleeting contacts, successful communicators focus on engaged niche communities that remain loyal to the brand in the long term. Classic mass reach is losing importance because people's attention is becoming increasingly fragmented—divided into countless micro-trends, subcultures, and specialized forums. "The zeitgeist is becoming increasingly fragmented", also observes trend scout Isabelle Rogat (formerly of Odaline), Brands must react to trends intelligently and consciously without falling for every short-term hype. This means: it is better to build a small but highly connected community than to try to please everyone. Hans Neubert puts it in a nutshell: "Community building is the new gold for brands." Whether it's a running club, a Substack newsletter, or a private WhatsApp group—successful brands create their own spaces for their fans, away from the public social media timeline. In such exclusive communities (e.g., on Discord or in LinkedIn groups), customers can exchange ideas with each other and interact directly with the brand. This significantly strengthens trust and loyalty. It is no wonder that in 2025 many brands are expanding their community formats: from corporate member clubs (with events and rewards) to brand forums or ambassador programs.

It turns out that smaller communities are often more effective than a large, anonymous crowd of followers. Micro-influencers are a good example: they have fewer followers than mega-stars, but those followers are there out of genuine interest. Micro-influencers achieve an average engagement of ~6% on Instagram, while mega-influencers only reach ~2%. Their content feels more authentic and closer to the niche—the relationship of trust is much stronger. Brands that work with micro- and nano-influencers therefore often achieve a better ROI than with expensive celebrity collaborations. In other words: niche communities offer highly relevant contacts without wasted coverage. It is therefore not surprising that, for example, 44% of brands now specifically cooperate with micro-influencers to address these strong niches. The same applies to internal communication directed outward: involving employees as authentic brand ambassadors can build trust—as long as they behave respectfully. Nora Goette (Miles) urges professionalism on public platforms: anyone posting or commenting on LinkedIn as an employee is always doing so on behalf of their employer, so respect and empathy are the top priority. Managed corporate influencer programs (such as selected specialists who act as thought leaders for the company) will become more important in 2026, but they must remain credible.

Communities & niches also mean: listening instead of just broadcasting. Successful communication in 2026 moderates the dialogue within the community, picks up on sentiments, and adapts content accordingly. Ben Korte (Voltfang) puts it in a nutshell: "Do more, think less. Communication becomes effective when it is embodied by real actions." In other words: Don't just talk, act and create experiences that get the community talking on its own. Think exclusive campaigns for loyal fans or co-creation (letting the community help develop new products). This is how you build genuine brand love. The niche may be smaller, but it will champion the brand if it feels valued. All in all, in 2026 we will see many brands expanding their microcosm strategy: less mainstream media buzz, more owned community cultivation. And in the long run, they will be more successful for it.

Tips:

• Use your own community platforms: Think about where your target audience likes to gather. Perhaps a Discord server, Slack channel, or LinkedIn group hosted by your brand is worth the effort. Exclusive access (e.g., for newsletter subscribers) can increase appeal. Important: Ensure moderation and provide regular added value (Q&As, insider news, beta tests, etc.).
  
• Involve micro-influencers: Identify influential advocates in your niche. These could be satisfied customers with a following or industry experts. A long-term partnership (e.g., as a brand ambassador) often feels more credible than large influencer campaigns and achieves higher engagement.
  
• Community listening & co-creation: Listen closely on social networks and forums to what moves your core community (topics, pain points, trends). Use these insights for your content planning. Involve active community members in formats – for example, as guests on a podcast, in blog interviews, or through voting on product developments. This fosters a sense of belonging.
  
• Guidelines for employees: Establish internal social media guidelines that give employees guidance on how to represent the company online (tone of voice, handling criticism). Encourage them to show their expertise, but sensitize them to the responsibility that comes with it. Authentic employee advocacy can also enrich the brand community if it is well-supported (training, content templates, etc.).

The future of communication is not a gut feeling. It is strategic, data-driven, and approachable all at once. You need a stance, clear narratives, bold formats, and the ability to understand your community before you convince them.

If you want your company to grow, build trust, and increase your visibility to both people and machines, you should rethink your PR now.

Interested in a sparring session on strategic communication for 2026?
Then talk to us at getpress. We help companies with a focus on innovation, B2B, and real impact to not just "do" PR, but to achieve results. 

www.get-press.de

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Thanks <3

A big thank you to all the experts who shared their perspectives, insights, and assessments for this whitepaper. Also to our podcast guests, the getpress community, and our "getpressis," who regularly provide us with questions, experiences, and inspiring examples. You are the reason why communication must and should be rethought time and time again.

We are curious to see how 2026 actually unfolds: which new platforms will emerge, which narratives will prevail, and which trends might surprisingly disappear. Because as much as we plan communication strategically, in the end, it remains a reflection of its time.

We look forward to the exchange: whether on LinkedIn, in our podcast, or in a personal conversation. Let's find out together what good communication looks like in 2026.