William Shakespeare may have been the best ‘PR man’ ever.
When Shakespeare staged Richard III in the early 1590s, England had been under Tudor rule for more than a century. The Tudors owed their throne to Henry VII’s 1485 defeat of Richard in the War of the Roses — a victory they claimed was a triumph of good over evil. Shakespeare knew his audience. The Tudor dynasty controlled not just the royal purse but the theaters and censors that shaped public life.
Richard III had already been cast as a scheming, deformed villain, but Shakespeare’s storytelling art was so great that he turned political spin into cultural canon. The play was a masterstroke of public relations for the crown that shaped Richard’s reputation for centuries — no bones about it.
Since Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II started carving obelisks to spin battle stalemates into victories, public relations has been a thing. But it’s never been just one thing. And the things it can be now are changing so fast that professionals are relegated to amateurs every few months. Media outlets are shrinking. Credibility is cracking. AI is flooding news and social channels with so much content that people now need AI to help them wade through it. Tech companies aren’t just battling their market rivals. They’re competing with content farms and AI-driven spam just to get the word out.
And it’s all changing PR forever. Here’s how:
1. Relationships are dying
“Now is the winter of our discontent.” With fewer journalists and tighter editorial filters, landing credible media coverage will mean more than ever. And yet … lasting relationships with trusted reporters are nothing like they used to be. Mass pitching is practically pointless. Companies with PR teams and partners that know how to forge instant, useful connections will gain an advantage others can’t buy.
2. Narratives need control
“Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous.” False stories often move faster than facts. An MIT study found that false news spreads six times faster on Twitter (X) than true news, and that was before AI-generated misinformation became a daily reality. Today, tech brands face threats from spoofed press releases, deepfake interviews, and AI-driven fake accounts. PR teams will need to borrow tactics from crisis communications and cybersecurity. That means monitoring risks in real time, responding quickly, and speaking directly to audiences before bad information takes hold. Narrative control will depend on speed, agility, and trusted voices.
3. Volume lacks value
“Conscience is but a word that cowards use.” Simply churning out posts for blogs and LinkedIn used to work as a foundation for developing thought leadership. Now, AI can produce that kind of content — albeit, unoriginal — in seconds, which means so can your competitors. Algorithms tend to reward the most recent or provocative content, which makes the volume game a losing proposition. Clients won’t be looking for more posts. They’ll want better ones. That means sharper insights, distinct points of view, and work that sparks genuine conversations. The winners will be those who create authoritative content that builds trust and influences decisions instead of chasing clicks.
4. Coverage (alone) doesn’t cut it
“Why, I can smile, and murder while I smile.” Getting media coverage used to be the end goal. Now, it is only the beginning. Investors, partners, and buyers want to see a clear link between PR efforts and business outcomes. They expect PR to drive site traffic, generate leads, build partnerships, and strengthen credibility in the market. In the tech industry, PR must work closely with marketing, sales, and investor relations. The job will be to deliver awareness that opens doors and supports deals. The real win comes when PR efforts contribute to growth or help close a funding round — not when they land a headline.
5. AI ain’t strategy
“I am determined to prove a villain.” AI can summarize reports, analyze sentiment, and draft briefing notes. But AI doesn’t care. It can’t understand markets, audiences, or reputational risks. It can’t read a room, pick up on nuance, or build lasting relationships. Communicators who succeed will use AI for routine tasks and focus their time on creativity, strategic thinking, and relationship-building. As AI levels the field on speed and scale, human skills like trust, insight, and creativity will set the leaders apart.
6. Stories still sell
“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” Humans are less special than ever. Plenty of animals use tools, recognize themselves, demonstrate empathy, and even pass down culture. AI knows (or has stolen) most of what’s been written. But a good story, told well, still has no rival in the animal and computing kingdoms. It turns out the part of the brain that lights up when we hear a good story is heavily involved in higher-order thinking processes such as planning, reasoning, and decision making.
What’s past may now be prologue for the next act in PR. At Sterling, we aim to tell good stories about great clients for a better world. And you won’t need to trade your kingdom for a horse to win the battle.