10 Crucial PR Trends for Fall Brands Need To Know About
Make these shifts in time for Holiday 2025 and Beyond
Let’s talk PR crystal ball.
We’re barreling toward Fall/Holiday 2025, and this season is destined to break all the rules. From spooky Summerween vibes in July, to founder-forward storytelling, here’s what’s actually working in the land of PR pitches and press.
🧵 1. Hyper-Specific Product Hooks
Call it a foreshadowing of things to come, but most articles and product roundups are looking to answer a question. The reason? When someone types “What should I get my co-worker who’s obsessed with Led Zeppelin” into their Google search bar, the browser attempts to come up with a direct answer. And since Google (even though it offers AI mode) often fumbles the ball, AI powered tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity come up with better ideas.
As a result, publishers are quite fixated with getting their gift guides right. They want tailored gift ideas so their guides come up on all searches, not general ones. Ideas that sound like their trying to work for everyone will work for no one.
🎄 2. Holiday Actually Happens in August Now
I know you’ve heard this before, but please heed the trend: Christmas comes a little earlier every year, and this year it’s really pronounced (thanks to Tariff jitters). Halloween is roundly celebrated in July as Summerween, and August is now “Augtober” (or Aughost 👻) - rushing us collectively to gift guides that straddle Back-to-School and Christmas.
A little messy? Oh yeah. But with consumers well into their purchasing thanks to a myriad of “Black Friday in July” promos from big chains, gift guides are locking now with unique and irresistible gift picks.
👩💼 3. Founder-Driven Stories Are Still the Heartbeat
Media is craving meaning. They want the why behind the what. A founder story with a mission, a moment of adversity, or a unique perspective is still one of the most compelling ways to land press. Profiles, quotes, podcast appearances, guest editorials, blog posts from a personal perspective, and social media feeds rich with quick founder insights convert much better than other types of PR hits. This is where smaller founder led brands excel where big corporations won’t tread. They try to fill the gap with influencers and paid posts, but that just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Are you a founder trying to find your voice? Sign up for my free 30-Day Visibility Challenge to help get you on your way.
🛋️ 4. Comfort > Cool
Cozy is in. Edgy, shock-value, ultra-trendy? Not this season. We get enough of that from the news. Nostalgia, emotional resonance, and feel-good vibes are winning over editors and consumers alike. Here are 7 trends dominating right now:
Balletcore: grace and elegance;
Gorpcore: embrace comfy, techy outdoor gear! Think hiking gear but make it fashion and functional;
Cottagecore: less perfection, more creativity, slow living, chickens on the porch;
Dark Academia: tweed, leather-bound journals, oxford blazers, pipe smoke, academic vibes;
Coquette: flouncy bows, lace, and pastel romance, sweet, playful, and unapologetically girlish.
Y2K Vintage: Betsy Johnson Milk Maid dresses, Norma Kamali ultra tailored jackets, concert T’s from old school bands.
Grannycore: floral chintz, frilly lace, layered textures, and the gentle chaos of well-loved vintage pieces.
🔍 5. Details Are No Longer Optional
Sustainable, made in the USA, women-owned, small-batch, allergen-free. These aren’t “nice to have” features anymore. They’re the entry fee to coverage. Provide proof and specifics. Publishers are done with vague greenwashing. Again a great device by which smaller brands can compete with corporate brands.
📬 6. Ready-to-Publish Is the Name of the Game
Press kits are a big deal, especially for situations where an overworked freelancer has a deadline 2 hours away and wants to include your products or quote. If you don’t have high-res product + lifestyle images; a one-paragraph (elevator) pitch and a quick one sentence summary; and an easy to read backgrounder, you’re making it harder for writers to say yes.
They want/need plug-and-play content that’s cheap and easy to access. Give it to them.
🗞️ 7. Tier 2 (Local) Outlets Are Hot
National media may be shrinking, but local and niche is thriving. Smaller publications, city magazines, and vertical-specific blogs are easier to land, and they move product.
🤖 8. AI Visibility Is the New Google Test
Before an editor replies to your pitch, they will Google you. And increasingly, they’re typing your brand into ChatGPT or Perplexity to see what shows up. That means press placements, strong web presence, and strategic PR make you more “AI discoverable.” If you’re invisible in those tools, it can kill your credibility before you even get a reply.
📣 9. PR and Publicity is more important than Social Media
For decades PR was king, then it was elbowed out the way for social media because small brands could finally get in front of audiences. Algorithms changed that and influencers rose to prominence. But as AI rises to take the crown from influencers, PR is bigger than ever.
Why? As AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google SGE reshape how people search, they rely on earned media as signal boosts.
That roundup in Better Homes & Gardens? It’s what AI pulls in when someone searches “best nontoxic candles.” That Today Show mention? It helps you surface when someone asks ChatGPT for “gifts for new moms.”
Social content might get a like, but PR gets you indexed.
Here’s the truth:
AI tools don’t surface your Instagram Reel, they surface your press coverage.
Consumers trust third-party mentions more than brand claims, or paid influencer posts.
Editorial authority is becoming algorithmic currency.
PR is no longer a nice-to-have: it’s how your brand earns credibility and visibility in a search landscape driven by machines but powered by trust.
✨ 10: Freelancers Are the New Super Influencers … Driving Coverage, Not Necessarily Editors
Freelancers are the new mega influencers! There I said it :-) Freelance writers for major media outlets are becoming the ghost architects of AI influence. They are feeding the machines, and the machines are increasingly what consumers are “asking” when they’re ready to buy.
Meanwhile, social media influencers power may plateau in the AI-first era if their content isn’t authentic, discoverable, or trainable (such as writing a blog in addition to social posts).
So if you’re building a visibility strategy: Prioritize earned media in trusted outlets for long-term, AI-fueled discoverability.
Major gift guides, roundups and profiles on top sites like USA Today, The Strategist, People, BuzzFeed, and Forbes Vetted are increasingly written by freelancers, not editorial departments. These writers are juggling multiple outlets, tight deadlines, and a need for fast, usable content. This makes tracking down who is writing for which publication pretty difficult for the average brand. It’s a full time job, which is one more reason working with a PR and marketing firm is more important than ever. A full time publicist is always on the lookout for who is writing what and when. A task that’s literally impossible for in an in-house strategist.
⭐ The brands winning coverage this Fall are showing up early, delivering hyper-targeted stories, handing over assets on a silver platter, and backing every claim with proof. They’re pitch-perfect, affiliate-ready, and AI-relevant.
