Five PR Strategies to Secure Year-End Coverage and Set Up 2026 Success

With less than two months left in 2025, many executives believe it’s too late to earn meaningful coverage. In reality, year-end is one of the best times to secure stories. Reporters are preparing wrap-ups and “what’s next” features. Inclusion in these stories not only amplifies your company’s news; it also places your brand within larger narratives that extend into 2026.

Earned media builds trust, credibility, and visibility, strengthening your sales pipeline. At Engage PR, our daily interactions with reporters and editors across sectors like digital infrastructure, AI, and enterprise networking give us insight into trending conversations. This insight helps companies craft stories that resonate with the media. As mentioned in Earned Media in the AI Era, strong coverage also boosts discoverability in AI-driven searches.

Below are five strategies you can use now to secure year-end coverage and set your company up for 2026 success.

1. Connect Business Priorities to Industry Narratives

Identify your company’s 2026 priorities, like advancing AI or sustainability, and align them with broader media themes. Media stories gain traction when linking company goals to industry trends. Highlight how your organization supports network resilience, transparency, or community engagement to get media attention. Stories emphasizing community impact and operational accountability attract more interest in digital infrastructure media. Reframe your company's actions to emphasize why they matter, transforming statements like “we’re launching a new data center” into “we’re building sustainable, resilient networks that support local connectivity.” This links your objectives to industry issues and builds relevance.

2. Leverage Earned Media to Build Credibility

Earned media provides third-party validation that paid and owned channels cannot. A single well-placed article in a year-end trend feature can reinforce your credibility with decision-makers.

According to Gartner, 61 percent of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience, underscoring the importance of trusted, independent content. For digital infrastructure companies, strong earned coverage in Q4 can influence how enterprises evaluate vendors in 2026.

3. Streamline Media Relations with Urgency and Alignment

Editorial calendars fill up quickly, so outreach needs to be timely and targeted. Create a short list of reporters most likely to cover predictions or outlooks, then customize your pitches to match their interests.

Choose the right spokesperson. CEOs are ideal for thought leadership, while CTOs or product managers can clarify technical topics like AI adoption or network security. Journalists rarely turn to CMOs or PR executives for these stories.

Boost earned coverage by sharing it across owned channels like blogs, LinkedIn, and newsletters. Consistency helps build authority. According to the Muck Rack State of Journalism 2025 report, 84 percent of journalists say PR pitches inspire at least some of their stories.

4. Use Data-Driven Insights to Support Your Point of View

Reporters need proof points like customer metrics, performance data, or research to validate predictions, making stories more compelling. At Engage PR, we highlight trends like connectivity resilience and DDoS protection, then use data to build trust with target audiences. Sharing data on how enterprises strengthen networks against cyber threats offers insights into market evolution. Data on how predictive AI anticipates traffic spikes or detects anomalies before outages provide a forward-looking perspective. Success is measured by visibility, trust, and pipeline growth, not just impressions, as noted in OFC 2025: Amplifying Tech Innovation Through Impactful PR.

5. Treat Year-End Coverage as the Start of Your 2026 Story Arc

Think of year-end coverage as a launch point, not the finish line. Prediction pieces help carry momentum into Q1. If your company appears in a December “What to Watch in 2026” article, you begin the year with built-in credibility and visibility.

Work with your PR agency now to identify opportunities. Reporters are already developing their 2026 outlooks, and early participation ensures your perspective is included. Extend visibility into Q1 with case studies and thought-leadership content that reinforce your point of view.

Three Earned Media Predictions for 2026

1. Trust and authority will define value. Buyers continue to favor independent research. Companies featured in reputable outlets will hold greater credibility with decision-makers.

2. AI will amplify earned visibility. Generative AI systems increasingly rely on verified, non-paid content. Businesses with strong earned presence will gain more exposure as AI-driven research becomes standard practice.

3. Pipeline impact will drive measurement. Executives will expect PR teams to connect earned media directly to business outcomes such as lead generation and deal acceleration.

Final Thoughts

It is not too late to secure impactful year-end coverage. By linking your business priorities to industry narratives, reinforcing credibility through earned media, choosing the right spokespeople, and supporting your message with data, you can finish 2025 strong and enter 2026 with momentum.

Download our Playbook to learn how Engage PR helps B2B technology companies turn visibility into measurable business outcomes.