Building lasting trust is your most powerful PR strategy in 2026. Not filling the internet with more content.
There was a moment not long ago when Sir Martin Sorrell famously declared that PR is dead and the future belongs to flooding the internet with content.
Flooding it.
As if the problem with modern communications is that there is not enough material online already.
And we’re just going to come out and say it – the problem is the exact opposite. The internet is bursting at the seams with “new” content, but it suffers immensely from a total lack of trust.
There’s actually so much out there that I dare say we humans have become professionals at spotting all the ‘duff ‘copy being thrown into our feeds, shamelessly advertising at us with AI-generated, promotional nonsense.
And people are tired.
Tired of seeing brands everywhere, tired of the echo chamber of copycat thought leadership, and tired of humans trying to pass off AI copy for their own profound thoughts and ideas.
As a business, you must be hyper-aware that, when your target audience scrolls right past your posts or emails, it’s not because they don’t wish to engage with you (you might even have the messaging nailed). It’s because they’ve learned to stop trusting business page content.
People know (your customers and your target audience know) that so very much of what they see is cooked, served and sprinkled with sugar to sweeten you up, so that ultimately you buy their product.
In a nutshell, the average reader in 2026 can your smell marketing spin a mile away, and they have lost the taste for it.
So, needless to say, adding more content to the pile is not a solution.
In fact, it can make the problem worse for you. If you want your business to be seen out there, you need believability, not volume.
You can’t buy trust (sorry)
A surprising number of things in life can be purchased. But not trust. Granted, attention can be bought through advertising. Clicks can be bought with clever SEO or (cringe) AI-generated content.
Speed and scale can, in general, be bought with automation. But credibility? Trust? This comes only from being seen in a good light, by those outside of your business and primary networking circle.
This is why PR is indispensable.
That is to say, trust comes from third parties. A journalist picking up your story organically because they liked it, a respected blogger sharing your insight, or even customers talking about their authentic experiences when they haven’t been asked to.
It comes from stories that hold up when someone other than your marketing team is telling them it holds up.
And your long-term success as a business depends on this trust. Without it, all the content in the world is just unwanted (and quite annoying) noise.
Let’s put it this way, if you can make people believe in your business when they have every reason to be sceptical, then you’ve done PR.
Flooding the market vs telling the truth
In 2026, there is a clear choice for businesses like yours. You can either try to flood the internet with content or focus on communicating the truth about who you are.
Flooding the internet is about reach. It assumes audiences are passive and algorithms reign supreme. It is about making your brand seen in front of as many eyes as possible.
While this can deliver temporary attention, it just doesn’t build lasting credibility, let alone convert into sales.
Humans are many things, but they are certainly smart, and they can spot inauthenticity without any effort at all. And once they do? Even millions of impressions mean nothing.
Telling the truth is about reputation. Unlike flooding the internet, this works more slowly (because it requires work, not just a quick tactic), and it requires your human judgement.
And, it’s remembering that it’s about them, not you. What actually matters to your audience, rather than what you want to be seen saying.
All things considered, and much to some people’s surprise, PR in 2026 isn’t really about content. Companies that shine out there will be those whose messages break through because they are believable, not because they are the loudest or have £5000 behind them.
Your business being credible is going to stick far longer than reach and likes (despite what some marketing managers seem to think).
What you should do – storytelling is the job now
If PR in 2026 is about credibility, then storytelling becomes the central task. But this is not the flashy storytelling of brand videos or glossy mission statements that nobody reads. It is real storytelling, rooted in truth.
Storytelling means:
Explaining what your business actually does, honestly, without exaggeration
Owning mistakes instead of hiding them
Showing leadership that sounds human, not corporate
Making your company make sense in the real world
PR’s job is not to invent stories. It is to discover the stories that already exist and tell them so well that no one can ignore them. And these stories are often found in the people who work for you, the customers you serve, and the challenges you have overcome without shying away from.
This is a slower, harder approach than posting constantly online. It requires judgment, patience, and a deep understanding of your audience. But it is the only approach that builds long-term trust and credibility.
How to do it, breaking down PR and the approach to take
For businesses new to PR, it can feel alien, and for good reason. The thing is, PR is not just one activity. It is a collection of practices that, when executed thoughtfully, help you build credibility and trust. There’s a good reason most businesses hire professional PR experts to get it done right.
But as an overview, here are the main areas (and how to approach them)
Media relations (and earning those relations)
This is the heart of traditional PR. Not only building relationships with journalists, editors, and other content creators so that your story is told through independent, credible channels.
The value of earned media is that it is third-party validation. Unlike advertising, it is not controlled by your business, which makes it inherently more trustworthy to audiences.
The approach is to provide relevant, newsworthy stories. Share insights, thought leadership, or expertise that journalists will want to cover. Avoid over-spinning. Focus on accuracy and context. Follow up, build relationships over time, and respect journalists’ perspectives.
Communications strategy
A communications strategy is the blueprint for everything your company says. It ensures that messages are consistent, aligned with business goals, and meaningful to your audience. Without a strategy, PR becomes reactive and disjointed, and audiences quickly lose trust.
The approach is to identify the key messages that define your business, map them to the audiences you want to reach, and plan how you will deliver those messages across channels. Keep refining the strategy based on feedback and results.
Digital communications (social media & online content)
Social media and online content amplify your stories. But in 2026, this is not about posting as much as possible. It is about thoughtful, high-quality content that supports your narrative and demonstrates expertise.
The approach is to create content that adds value, not noise. Listen actively to your audience, monitor sentiment, and respond authentically. Use social media to share real stories, insights, and achievements, not just promotions.
Internal communications
This is one often overlooked while everyone is worried about adding content to the internet. If you’re a good leader, your employees will become your strongest advocates. Being clear about your company’s mission and values helps people feel included, as does giving them the recognition they deserve for their ideas and expertise.
Leaders who fail to maintain strong internal communications miss out on the enormous advantage of having authentic advocates. As a result, they often lead teams who do not speak highly of the business externally.
By contrast, when employees are informed and appreciated, they reinforce your credibility as your best advocates. This requires regularly sharing updates, celebrating successes, acknowledging challenges, and providing clear channels for feedback.
Is this PR? I’m afraid it is.
Crisis & reputation management
In a fast-moving digital world, crises can emerge quickly. Handling them with honesty and transparency is essential for maintaining credibility.
Getting ahead of the game and planning for potential situations. Rounding up spokespeople in advance who are ready to run, if the iron strikes.
Addressing issues head-on rather than spinning them to make you look better (usually with the opposite effect). Trust is strengthened by how well a company navigates challenges, not by how many it doesn’t have.
Measuring success
In PR, success is not measured by volume of posts or impressions. It is measured by trust, credibility, and impact. Track outcomes such as:
Media coverage and sentiment
Social engagement and audience perception
Internal alignment and employee advocacy
Stakeholder feedback and reputation benchmarks
These indicators show whether your messaging is landing and whether people believe your company.
2026 belongs to the believable
The era of “post more, think later” is over. Audiences are sharper, journalists are more sceptical, and trust, once lost, is brutally hard to regain.
PR is not dead. What is dead is the notion that noise equals influence.
The companies that succeed will be those who act consistently, communicate authentically, and recognise that credibility is not a tactic. It is the whole point.
PR and reputation management are needed now more than ever because the digital landscape is crowded, sceptical, and complex. Your audience is listening for trust, not volume.
They are looking for authenticity, not spin. They are seeking stories that hold up when told by someone outside your organisation.
If you embrace believability over volume, 2026 can be the year your PR work builds lasting reputation, stronger relationships, and real influence in a world full of noise.
And that matters now more than ever.
Becky Green, January 2026
