Digital PR: Y2K fashion might be back, but it’s good that PR strategies have moved on

By: John Bowes, Senior Account Manager

The current popularity of all things Y2K has got me thinking about how PR has changed in the past two decades. 

Back in the 2000s, print coverage was everything. Clients lit up when their business appeared in a key trade magazine or national newspaper. 

They’d ask for multiple copies, scan in articles, and display them in reception. The value of PR was measured entirely in column inches and equivalent advertising value, a phrase that brings a grin to the face of any PR professional you mention it to today. 

Fast forward to today, and the media landscape has gone through an almost complete digital transformation. 

The numbers say it all. In 2024, according to Ofcom figures, 71% of UK adults accessed news online, surpassing TV for the first time (70%), with print continuing to decline year on year. 

Among 16–24-year-olds, 88% consume news online, with 82% using social media as their primary source. 

Platforms like YouTube and TikTok now command more viewing time than the major TV channels, especially for professional audiences consuming video explainers, demos, and opinion-led content. 

In the B2B space, it’s a similar story. Trade publications are still trusted and respected, but their readership has shifted heavily to online formats. Most now operate as hybrid outlets, publishing articles, videos, whitepapers, and webinars via digital PR and social channels either first or simultaneously with print. 

So what matters most in a digital-first world? 

With such a diverse and ever-expanding range of channels at our disposal, it’s tempting for brands to chase visibility on all fronts. But being everywhere isn’t always achievable, or even desirable. What matters more is consistency. 

That means creating high-quality, on-brand content tailored to the needs of each platform, with messaging and tone of voice that aligns with a clear, overarching communications strategy. 

When audiences are scattered across social platforms, news sites, search engines and podcasts, consistency of voice, value, and visual identity becomes crucial. If your company looks and sounds completely different on LinkedIn than it does in a webinar or in media quotes, that undermines trust in your brand. 

What’s the best framework to manage it all? 

This is where the PESO model - Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned - comes into its own. Rather than treating PR, content, and digital marketing as separate disciplines, PESO helps integrate them into a coherent whole. 

Earned media – the traditional media relations approach where coverage is driven by providing content that has editorial value - remains a cornerstone, whether you’re targeting digital or print outlets. 

However, supporting this activity with owned content (like blogs and direct marketing), shared content (on social channels), and paid amplification (LinkedIn ads or sponsored social posts) gives your brand a bigger shop window and provides more opportunities for people to engage. 

With the PESO model, you can turn one good piece of coverage into multiple different touchpoints across the customer journey. 

What does success look like in digital PR? 

As the media landscape has diversified, it no longer makes sense to put all of your eggs in one basket, channel-wise, and continue to target purely editorial coverage. 

Much better to aim for sustained visibility, trust, and building a connection with your audience over time. With a consistent flow of high-quality content and a smart approach to pushing it out over all available channels, your PR activity will continue to be an effective tool for raising awareness, but it will support many other areas too, like lead generation and conversion, SEO performance, recruitment and even investor confidence. 

Y2K fashion might be back on the high street, but it’s probably best not to revive your PR strategy from 2003. Low-rise jeans might be having a moment, equivalent ad value definitely shouldn't.