In an increasingly performance-driven media landscape, PR is evolving from a channel focused on visibility to one directly tied to measurable business outcomes. We asked performance PR experts how strategies are evolving in real time, from the growing influence of AI on brand discovery to the integration of creator, affiliate, and earned media into accountable ecosystems. The takeaway is clear: today’s most effective PR programs are built not just to tell stories, but to drive sustained, measurable impact.

From Visibility to Accountability | Lauren Kleinman, Founder & CEO, Dreamday

“AI is accelerating the shift in performance PR from visibility to accountability right now.

“GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) has become one of the most important topics we're discussing both internally and with clients. AI platforms pull from credible, third-party sources, meaning earned media now directly influences how brands appear in AI-generated answers, not just search rankings. As clickless search becomes the default mode of discovery, the brands with authoritative third-party coverage have a serious advantage. A sound, integrated PR, affiliate, and influencer strategy has never mattered more for how brands show up in LLMs.

“Creator partnerships have also matured, or they should. We just launched a dedicated Influencer Division at Dreamday, because we kept seeing the same challenge: brands spending on talent with no real accountability and zero integration with their PR or affiliate strategy. When influencer is built into the same performance infrastructure, you can actually measure what it drives.

“At the same time, consumer PR finally has real measurement. Pairing coverage with affiliate platforms means we can connect a placement in a major outlet to actual traffic, conversion, and revenue, what we call Performance PR. It sounds simple, but most agencies still aren't truly operating this way. The brands that do have completely changed how they think about PR's role in the business.

“The combination of GEO, creator accountability, and real attribution has fundamentally shifted what PR is. It's no longer adjacent to revenue; it's directly tied to it.”

Storytelling Meets Scale | Adrienne Longhurst, VP, Nine Point Agency

“Performance PR is taking more of a front seat in Canada in 2026 as the media industry continues to rapidly change and brands, more than ever, try to balance the need for social proof and storytelling with data-driven metrics. We’re seeing a more diversified media strategy that incorporates traditional and new media (hello Substack!) to meet consumers where they are, and creator performance marketing evolve into a full-funnel growth engine with conversions playing a more significant role in success metrics (vs. vanity metrics). A good example of this is Nine Point’s ‘World’s Biggest Hike' campaign for outdoor brand Kathmandu where we tightly tied together paid, earned, shared and owned media, driving 24M+ impressions, 8,000+ clicks, 4,000 event RSVPs, and $30k in fundraising totals.”

Credibility and Conversion | Kayla Lee, VP Growth Marketing, Autumn Communications

“We’re seeing the most measurable impact right now where organic creator partnerships and performance PR intersect – the spot in which credibility and conversion work together rather than in silos. The shift has been away from one-off paid influencer moments and toward always-on creator ecosystems that are more intentionally integrated into affiliate infrastructure and broader PR storytelling.

“A big driver of success is how brands are operationalizing creator relationships across platforms like ShopMy and LTK, not just as distribution channels, but as evergreen performance engines. By pairing evergreen gifting with thoughtful CPA optimization and prioritizing high-affinity creators, brands are able to generate a steady stream of content that continues to convert well beyond the initial campaign window.

“For example, with De’Longhi, we implemented an organic creator network strategy layered into their existing performance PR program. This included launching across affiliate-driven platforms, increasing commission incentives for top-tier creators, and maintaining consistent product seeding to fuel ongoing content. Since launching, the approach has driven over $10.7K in revenue and 10K clicks, with standout content from creators like Maitoyokawa and Danielle Carolan. More importantly, many of those creators have continued posting organically month over month—reinforcing the long-tail value of authentic advocacy versus one-time activations.

“Similarly, for Sockerbit, we’ve embedded organic creator partnerships directly into a commerce-first PR strategy, where affiliate and influencer efforts now account for 40% of total program revenue. By aligning creator gifting with seasonal PR moments and partnering with both editorial voices and ShopMy creators, we’ve been able to scale both reach and conversion. The program has driven exposure to more than 1.46M consumers and generated 34 pieces of organic social content, with creators like Alessandra Brontsema and Nicole Pellegrino playing a key role in sustained performance.

“The broader trend is pretty clear: the most effective performance PR strategies today are the ones that build value over time. When brands invest in creator relationships designed for longevity, optimized for conversion and integrated across PR and affiliate, they’re seeing stronger, more sustainable business impact.” 

Optimizing for Discovery | Kristin Flohr, Performance PR Director, Content Commerce, eAccountable

“The Performance PR landscape is changing due to the new AI and LLM search landscape. Brands are optimizing for AI discovery, not just traditional search. This means brands need to understand how they are cited within large language models, not just how they show up on Google.

“We’re seeing that specific small sets of publishers influence what LLMs cite depending on a brand’s industry, making intentional and strategic placements important in your PR strategy. Both organic and paid coverage can shape AI responses. Your PR strategy should revolve around providing models with useful and aggregated content such as reviews and brand comparisons. You also want your brand’s messaging to be consistent across earned, owned, and paid channels, so that it doesn’t matter where the LLM picks up the information, it will support your brand’s goals. The most effective strategies blend PR, content, and data to create stories that work for AI models but resonate with human audiences.” 

Tracking Influence | Maria Kennedy, Vice President, Performance PR, Moxie Communications Group

“As AI-generated answers increasingly shape purchase consideration, brands need to prioritize placements in high-ranking 'best of' and review content that surfaces across both Google and LLMs. Performance PR now requires AI tracking tools like Gumshoe and Peak AI to understand where brands appear in AI-driven environments and optimize accordingly.”