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- This Week in PR Takes - Week 25
This Week in PR Takes - Week 25
Week 25
Brian Kramer
July 25, 2025
Take of the Week:
There were a ton of takes this week about Coldplay-gate or Astronomer-gate, or whatever it is that we’d like to call that viral sensation last week. I cannot reiterate enough that anyone posting memes and takes to be funny should also remember that innocent people and family members have had their lives upended as a result. Let’s please have empathy for those people, too.
In a must-read of the week, Eleanor at Axios released MuckRack data laying out just how the LLMs are citing earned media coverage. In a sense, this not only validates what we have known to be the new truth, but also does so for many of the takes below.
Happy Reading.
Resource of the Week:
Unfortunately we have all seen the bloodbath of reporters losing their jobs. Sarah has been thoughtful enough to put together a list of newsletters for those who have been hit, or are freelancers. Please comment in her LI post if you know of anyone.
The Rest of the Takes:
- I am sure lots of us saw the MuckRack AI analysis, but I’m flagging Christine’s post about it in case anyone missed this. It’s “proof that earned media materially influences what AI says.”
- Personally, I found this to be quite appalling in the world of PR and AI. I love how the LLMs are picking up earned media, but Drew rang the alarms on AI-written pitches. I know this is nothing new, but it’s still concerning nonetheless. And, Ashley wrote a similar post about a similar company.
- Julia with some thoughts on why we call it “earned” media and what it gives brands beyond marketing metrics.
- Another “earned” take from Colleen. In addition to what it means, she dove into how to avoid “mediocre” results.
- As we string some of these takes together, we often like to discuss what PR “can” do for a business. However, Sarah dives into what it “cannot” do in this post.
- I try to insert journalist takes when possible, especially if they help PR people do their jobs. Agam wrote a great take on AI-focused news, and how we should look at the bigger picture.
- If you’re a comms person reading this newsletter, then according to Becca we’re all in the same club. Can you guess what it is?
- “Going viral” should mean a campaign had a positive outcome, but Dustin lays out why that may not always be the case.
That’s it for this week’s takes, thanks for reading.
-Brian