Happy Tuesday and welcome to this week's edition of Truth Be Told! Today I want to talk about how to use AI in PR, and specifically where we should be focusing our energy for the biggest benefits. I tapped some of the experts in my network to give us their opinions:

 

 

“The greatest potential here… is using AI’s research power to deeply understand journalists, uncover market trends, and surface compelling data points that support your narrative,” says Scott Brown, Partner and Head of Platform at Cervin Ventures. He suggests that leveraging AI's research insights can help true PR experts identify emerging themes earlier, enhance their pitches with evidence, and personalize those pitches for a particular journalist.

 

 

Andrea Collins, CMO of Hippo, has massively leaned into using AI for personalization as well, using research inquiries. “AI is making it easier than ever to connect with customers in a way that feels personal and relevant,” she says. “The name of the game is personalization and engagement. And AI is helping accelerate those opportunities!”

 

For example, she says she loves using AI to generate smart product recommendations that align with your target audience’s wants. This boosts engagement and sales without the guesswork.

 

 

“[This all happens] in a fraction of the time it used to take us to try and do this manually,” says Scott.

 

David Oro, Principal of the Oro Group and Co-Founder at the Public Sector AI Lab raves about the time-saving benefits of AI in PR, too. For example, he notes: "AI handles repeatable work like briefing docs, summarizing coverage, pulling bios, and surfacing key data in seconds. This frees up our time and budget for higher-value strategy.”

 

 

Andrea, too, encourages her team to use chatbots for research tasks, which frees them up to get strategic about more high-level tasks.

 

3. Why using AI for content isn't effective (and what might work instead).
 

David notes that AI isn't yet here to replace us. But if you aren't using AI right now, he warns: A human who can use it well might indeed replace you!

 

The truth, in my world, is that AI-driven content doesn't resonate with people yet. While it may in the future, using your human brain to strategize and create narratives is still important. “People who use AI to generate content will flood the market with mediocre narratives,” says Scott.

 

Andrea is less cut-and-try, about content and sees AI as a useful tool to help create spot-on messaging for her clients. She also notes that AI can also test segmented campaigns and turn data into next-step action points. But human beings are still central to this process, in her world. Without human input and editing, AI-created narratives can read as too surface-level or polished.

 

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If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm a big fan of testing AI use cases in my own business. And I agree with our experts that the best way we can wield AI right now is as an accompaniment to human strategy. I like to use AI to create storytelling assets after big client stories drop, for example (think: reels, LinkedIn posts, and beyond). But I don't use AI to write things like this newsletter. Humanity still matters very much in places like this, for me and my team!

 

Today, I want to offer you a free brainstorming session about how you could be using AI better in your PR and marketing efforts. Schedule a free diagnostic call and I'd be happy to talk shop!

 

Speaking of AI, Sabrina Ortiz announced that she's accepted a new role as Senior Editor of AI for ZDNET.

 

Eric Geller will also begin working as a Senior Reporter at Cybersecurity Dive this week.

 

Scott Nover is accepting pitches and introductions in his new role covering media at the Washington Post:

Jeremy Owens is the new Editor in Chief of the San Francisco Business Times. (Ping me if you need an introduction by responding to this email!)

 

Cassie McGrath of Morning Brew is seeking pitches specifically from health tech founders, related to how tariffs will impact your supply chain:

Finally, journalist Jon Swartz is open for meetings during the last week of this month at the RSAC conference, which was created as a gathering place for the cybersecurity community. Again, please contact us if you need help setting up a meeting.