News and Blog

I've noticed something happening in the marketing world over the past year or so. There are suddenly an awful lot of AI optimisation experts. Many of them come from the SEO world. That's perfectly understandable because AI is changing the way people search for...

What my first job taught me about investing in young talent Today marks the end of my journey at Briscoe PR after nearly three years. Looking back, it's hard to believe how much has changed. I joined as a graduate with an undergraduate degree in marketing and a...

For years, retail businesses have focused on driving customers to physical stores and websites. While these channels remain important, consumer buying habits are evolving rapidly, and social media is no longer just a place for brand awareness and engagement. Today,...

Professional photography is not a one-off marketing expense. It's a multiplying asset that generates returns for months or sometimes even years. Photographs are vital across PR activity, social media, your website, advertising, and sales.  One well-planned photo...

We all have a “comfort zone” at work I used to think people in comms and marketing naturally fell into two categories: creative people and strategic people. I knew exactly which one I was. I naturally leaned toward reporting, analytics, project management and strategy...

Starting with a new PR agency should feel exciting, collaborative, and organised from day one. A strong onboarding process lays the foundation for a successful partnership, helping both sides align on goals, expectations, and communication from the outset. We believe...

Every business is creating content right now, from LinkedIn posts and blogs to newsletters and TikToks, with the assumption usually being that more content will eventually lead to more growth. The reality is that a lot of businesses are posting constantly whilst still...

You’ve launched a new product, won an award, expanded your team, opened a new location, maybe you’ve even shared the news across LinkedIn, Instagram and your website. But many businesses overlook the fact that journalists are incredibly busy, and there’s a very high...

There's a dangerous misconception amongst small business owners that PR is something you worry about once you've "made it." It’s a luxury for companies with spare budgets, not a necessity for businesses trying to grow. You're competing against companies with marketing...

In PR, responsiveness is often mistaken for effectiveness. A quick “yes” can feel reassuring because it signals enthusiasm, momentum, and alignment. But one of the clearest signs of a bad PR agency is constant agreement. If your agency says “yes” to everything, it’s...

There’s a point where more leads stop being helpful. Enquiries come in, calendars fill up, conversations happen, but none of it really moves the business forward. The pipeline looks active, but revenue doesn’t reflect it. Time gets spent on calls that go nowhere,...

In PR, I’ve realised that ideas are never the issue. There’s always another angle, another hook, another campaign we could run. The real challenge, and where the pressure really sits, is choosing the right one. When working with our clients at Briscoe PR, one of the...

When businesses consider their public relations strategy, one of the first decisions is whether to build an in-house team or partner with an agency. On the surface, hiring internally can appear more cost-effective. A salary is predictable, and the team is fully...

There was a moment, not that long ago, when adding “AI-powered” to anything was enough to make it newsworthy. It signalled innovation, future thinking and relevance. This all worked very well… until it didn’t. Now, in a landscape where every brand, platform and...

Being known, understood and trusted as a business.

There’s always been a bit of tension around this topic. Should brands keep social media in-house to stay “authentic”? Or outsource it and risk losing their voice? From my experience working with clients at Briscoe PR, I’ve found the answer isn’t as black-and-white as...

Reputation often gets framed through the highly visible moments - headlines, campaigns, announcements and carefully managed launches. However, the reality is that reputation is shaped far more by the things that happen outside those moments. For PR professionals, the...

The social media comment section is probably the most underutilised PR tool in your arsenal.  It’s a place where your audience actually tells you what they think. Your comment section is a goldmine of consumer insight, engagement opportunities, and crisis prevention...

Somewhere between "polished corporate perfection" and "radically authentic chaos," there's supposed to be a sweet spot. A place where brands can be transparent without being Too Much Information (TMI). Whilst some navigate this brilliantly, others are learning the...

Attention spans feel smaller than they’ve ever been. People scroll faster, skip quicker and decide in seconds what’s worth engaging with. On top of this, algorithms on social media platforms are becoming more personalised, audiences are more fragmented and the window...

Think about the last time you sat down to write something from scratch. No prompts, no shortcuts, just you and a blank page. Can you remember when that was? For a lot of people, it was a while ago. And honestly, that makes sense. AI tools are fast, useful, and...

A baby monkey clinging to a soft toy should not have become a global talking point. Yet within days, Punch was everywhere. Shared across platforms, dissected in comment sections, turned into reaction memes and symbolic of something far bigger than a single clip from a...

Not everything is a crisis. Sometimes vocal complaints are just that – vocal. Modern PR isn't always about controlling the narrative, sometimes it's about having the confidence to let the narrative unfold organically while your community does the heavy lifting. Some...

This week at Briscoe PR…  It was Pancake Day, and the team enjoyed some sweet treats at Lancaster Court. Safe to say productivity was fuelled appropriately. Kevin was at The Village Hotel in Portsmouth on Wednesday to catch up with Jaimes Harrington from the...

Here’s a number that looks great in a report: 4.2 million impressions. Here’s the number that’s harder to find: how many of those 4.2 million people felt anything. Reach tells you how far a message travelled. It doesn’t tell you whether it landed. That gap, between...

This week at Briscoe PR… ✨ It’s been a week of networking, nostalgia, strategy, content creation… and quite a lot of food, if we’re honest. The Briscoe PR team enjoyed Valentine’s Day treats at Arena Offices Lancaster Court, complete with sweets and a chocolate...

I miss hashtags.Not ironically. Not nostalgically. I genuinely miss the days when #SmallBusiness could get your post in front of thousands of engaged viewers. But hashtags, as we knew them, are essentially dead. And I can't help but mourn what we've lost and worry...

This week at Briscoe PR... Harriet and Bella attended the Portsmouth Business Expo. It was Harriet’s first networking event, and the pair enjoyed meeting new people, discovering a wide range of local businesses and getting a real feel for the energy of the Portsmouth...

Some campaigns shout. Others land quietly and linger. Dior’s Summer 2026 Book Tote launch sits firmly in the latter category. By reimagining an iconic accessory through classic literature and marketing it via BookTok creator Tray Taylor (@trayreadthat), Dior has...

If you work in a "boring" industry, you've probably convinced yourself that nobody wants to watch videos about your work. You're wrong. Some of the most engaging content right now isn't coming from flashy consumer brands, it's coming from industries people know...

This week at Briscoe PR… Kevin attended his Peer2Peer Boards meeting at Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest on Thursday, hosted by Simon H-C. The afternoon board kicked off with lunch, giving Kevin the chance to catch up with Tom Woodley, Director at Woodley &...

One of the most common challenges we see in communications planning is not a lack of activity, but a lack of focus. Organisations are publishing content, engaging with media, posting on social platforms and issuing announcements, yet still struggling to reach the...

After years of 15-second TikToks and perfectly curated Instagram grids, people are craving something different from a brand. Something real. The return of long-form Video content is shifting beyond the typical 15 or 30-second length, with creators and brands getting...

Have you ever paid a hairdresser instead of cutting your own hair? Have you ordered a takeaway even though you had food at home? Have you hired a cleaner even though you can clean? Have you used a decorator instead of painting a room yourself? Have you paid for a gym...

This week at Briscoe PR… Charlie has been deep in content mode, creating a full suite of assets for client content calendars, including reels, graphics and imagery. She’s also been busy drafting a press release for Ideal Collection, helping shape clear, impactful...

Everyone loves to talk about their favourite social media trends. But let’s be honest, 2025 certainly had its ups and downs, so here are the PR trends from 2025 that desperately need to stay in 2025… 

Scroll through social media feeds, and it’s impossible to ignore it. The mid-2010s are quietly taking over 2026. From throwback posts showing how people looked in 2016 to the return of familiar filters, this isn’t accidental. It’s cultural muscle memory resurfacing in...

If you believe the headlines, you’d think direct mail had gone the way of the fax machine. Everything is digital, attention spans are short, and “no one reads post anymore”, right?

Not quite.

This Week at Briscoe PR… Bella and Charlie headed out to Westlands Farm Shop for their monthly meeting, digging into strategy and plans for the months ahead. While they were there, they also captured fresh content from the Wickham and Winchester shops so February’s...

For years, B2B social media was an absolute snooze-fest. Corporate jargon, stock photos and enough buzzwords to make your eyes glaze over. LinkedIn, in particular, felt like the digital equivalent of a networking event where everyone's desperately trying to look...

You can’t market what isn’t worth marketing. In PR, we can shape narratives, build campaigns, and create attention, but there’s a truth that sits underneath every PR win, and it’s one many businesses overlook: you can only market something of genuine value.

There's a character on LinkedIn who complains about printer issues and generally embodies every unglamorous aspect of corporate life. His name is Greg, he works at Monzo, and he is a brilliantly creative PR strategy. Most people scrolling past Greg's posts probably...

This Week at Briscoe PR Kevin swapped the office for scrubs recently, heading into the operating theatre for a photography and video opportunity with a new client. PR isn’t just about words, it’s also about telling important stories visually and responsibly! This week...

So you’ve reached the end of the year, looked up from your inbox, and realised your 2026 PR strategy is… nonexistent. Here’s how to create a lean-but-effective 2026 PR plan:

This week at Briscoe PR… Last Friday, the Briscoe PR team headed to Giggling Squid in Portsmouth for our Christmas meal. Delicious Thai food, Secret Santa gifts and plenty of laughs made it the perfect way to celebrate another busy year together. On Monday, the...

As Christmas draws closer, attention becomes increasingly fragmented. In the days just before the 25th, inboxes are quieter, but focus has dramatically declined, newsrooms are running thin on things to report, and audiences are already mentally switching off. For many brands, this creates the temptation to stop activity altogether and wait for January.

This week at Briscoe PR… Charlie and Kevin headed to Westlands Farm Shop for their monthly meeting, focusing on 2026 strategy and forward-thinking ideas to keep momentum strong for the year ahead. Becca supported Arena’s latest Lunch & Learn at Grosvenor House in...

Most people still think PR is press releases, a bit of media outreach and some social posts. But after 30-plus years in journalism, corporate comms and running Briscoe PR, let me tell you - it isn't.PR is about shaping how people understand your business. And that...

Influencers have become one of the strongest forces shaping how a brand shows up online. They can build credibility quicker than any polished advert or big-budget campaign, but only if the right person is speaking for you. Not every creator with a big follower count...

Competitor analysis sounds like one of those jobs you'll "get to when things are quieter". In reality, you can get a clear, actionable picture of your competitive landscape in 30 minutes – enough to sharpen your messaging, guide PR activity and spot quick wins before...

Experiential marketing, once considered a "nice-to-have" addition to traditional PR strategies, has become essential for brands that want to create genuine connections with increasingly isolated, digitally-fatigued audiences. As we head into 2026, the brands that will...

Thought leadership on LinkedIn has become the difference between being noticed and being known. The leaders who stand out are experts in their fields, but they are also visible, memorable and part of the conversations shaping their industries. They aren’t just posting...

The advancement of technology over the past two years, particularly in artificial intelligence, has created a sense of constant acceleration.

Film PR used to be simple. Cut a trailer, book some press, plaster billboards everywhere. Job done. But in 2025, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Today's theatrical releases compete not just with other films but with TikTok, YouTube, gaming and endless...

Shops are becoming experience-led showrooms, and that shift really matters. People genuinely want to spend time in them, and for those of us in PR, that makes them a powerful storytelling platform we can’t afford to overlook. A shop now acts as a living, breathing expression of a brand.

Creator communities have become powerful spaces where trust, influence, and loyalty are built from the ground up, rather than being pushed out through traditional marketing campaigns.

For years follower count has been the vanity metric everyone chases. It’s the number people drop in conversations to prove their influence and supposedly validate their brand or business. The uncomfortable truth is that follower count means absolutely nothing if your content gets no engagement.

You spend hours writing the perfect blog post. You hit publish, share it once on social media, maybe send it in your newsletter. And then it disappears. One and done. Most brands do exactly this. They create content, use it once, and move on to the next thing. But...

I’ve worked with hundreds of organisations over the years - in aviation, tourism, education, manufacturing, professional services, retail, hospitality, local government and more. So I have learned why businesses should use PR and the difference that will make. The...

Over time I’ve learned that the relationship is what enables you to get the most out of working with your PR agency.

“Kevin, how do we know PR is working?” I’ve heard this question on measuring PR more times than I can count. And it’s a fair one - PR shouldn’t be a vague, hopeful exercise. It should deliver real value you can see, feel and measure. But here’s the reality most people...

Ambition is essential for growth, but in PR and communications, strategy only works when it starts from what is, not what could be.

Over the years, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with business owners who are thinking about hiring a PR agency. Some know exactly what they need. Others have been burned before. Many are unsure what PR even is these days. So here’s my honest take, based on decades...

The shift from Halloween to Christmas happens overnight between the 31st of October and the 1st of November, and today’s most successful brands understand how to play the seasonal game without missing a beat.

Social media moves fast. One minute a post grabs attention, the next it’s buried under a flood of new content. Most of it barely gets noticed, let alone remembered. An inbox, on the other hand, is different. It’s personal. It’s where people handle their lives, ...

In marketing, it’s easy to fall into the trap of writing copy about features – what your product is, what it does, or the services you offer. But here’s the truth: your audience doesn’t buy products or services. They buy improved outcomes, solutions to their problems, and a better life.

Microtrends might seem minor at first glance, but their influence can be enormous. These short-lived, hyper-specific cultural movements spread quickly through online communities and can reshape how audiences connect with brands. For PR agencies and businesses alike,...

I recently attended the Parallel Music Conference in Southampton for a talk about Marketing & Visual Branding for Artists, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. While the session focused specifically on the music industry, I kept having lightbulb moments...

Awards are a powerful way to raise visibility, strengthen credibility and celebrate success. Whether for a business, campaign or individual, they highlight excellence and help build trust with clients, partners and audiences.

Consumers aren’t drawn to glossy press releases or perfectly polished campaigns anymore. They want brands with personality, relatability and a human voice that they can understand and connect with. This is where parasocial marketing comes in.