2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service, which has been connecting PR & comms teams seeking media coverage with journalists and broadcasters in need of sources since its launch in 2001.
To meet the changing needs of the media community, the service is now integrated into Vuelio, providing the thousands of PR and comms teams using the platform daily with another way to reach the press.
Whether you’re looking for expert commentary, supporting statistics, products for review, or filming locations, our connected network helps you share relevant responses with influential media contacts.
Here are just some of the benefits of a fully-connected media suite:
Jump on opportunities, without losing the strategic view
Part of managing a busy press office is balancing the short-term urgency of media deadlines with the longer-term planning often required for a successful comms campaign. PR professionals spend hours building targeted media lists, studying forward features lists, and conceptualising campaigns for future roll-out. But breaking news doesn’t stop for strategic planning.
When short-turnaround editorial opportunities arise, disjointed workflows and platforms can mean missing windows of opportunity. By combining real-time journalist requests with a comprehensive Media Database in one place, communication teams can keep an eye on a stream of editorial asks directly from the workspace where they are already designing their outreach campaigns.
While you are proactively identifying long-lead opportunities or constructing media lists for a future launch, you are presented with an instant view of what reporters are investigating.
Because media professionals frequently operate under intense time constraints, often requiring commentary, case studies, or information within a matter of hours, having these urgent alerts integrated into your main platform ensures your entire team can respond quickly.
Fulfill a writer’s immediate request without losing momentum on your broader campaign strategy, or juggling multiple browser tabs and separate software programs. Secure high-value placements that might otherwise have slipped away.
The ability to connect relevant spokespeople with the right media
Securing impactful media coverage means providing the precise expertise a writer or broadcaster needs to complete their story.
The integration of the Journalist Enquiry Service within the Vuelio platform makes matching internal corporate talent or client spokespeople with these precise needs straightforward. Rather than researching which topics are currently front-of-mind for various media outlets, PR professionals receive verified requests that outline exactly what kind of expert opinion is required.
The platform’s filtering framework, spanning industry sectors including healthcare, finance, consumer technology, and retail, enables PRs to filter incoming requests down to the specific categories that matter most to their organisation or client base. Instead of scrambling to find an angle, immediately identify an exact match between a journalist’s requirement and your spokesperson’s specialised knowledge.
Deeper insight, for longer relationships
If you ask media professionals about their biggest frustrations when dealing with the public relations industry, the answer is almost unanimous: irrelevant, untargeted pitches. To stand out in the clutter of a packed inbox or voicemail, a pitch must be hyper-relevant. But achieving that level of personalisation and targeting requires deep contextual knowledge.
This is where an embedded Media Database is essential. When a request from the Journalist Enquiry Service arrives within the platform, it is linked to a wealth of intelligence regarding the individual who sent it, and the publications they work for. With a click, PR professionals can find a comprehensive profile of the journalist, offering detailed insights compiled by our in-house research team.
Patch, past coverage history, preferred communication methods, and even career history can be invaluable, particularly when a journalist’s initial enquiry is brief or ambiguous. By analysing their specific beat and recent articles, read between the lines of a vague request to understand the angle they are pursuing. Tailor your response to align with their editorial style and the demographic of their media outlet: providing a tailored, highly specific contribution significantly increases the likelihood of your content being picked up. More importantly, it demonstrates to the journalist that you respect their time and understand their audience, laying the vital foundation for a trusting, ongoing media relationship that extends far beyond a single news cycle.
Closer connections with the media, via a connected platform
The future of successful public relations relies on breaking down the barriers between different communication workflows as much as it does on connecting the myriad of platforms that make up the modern media landscape. Moving away from separated software systems and adopting a unified ecosystem allows communication professionals to work with greater speed, accuracy, and strategic insight.
By integrating the real-time opportunities of the Journalist Enquiry Service into the extensive data suite of the Vuelio Media Database, PR professionals are given a complete toolkit for modern media engagement. React to urgent newsroom demands without sacrificing long-term campaign planning, match expertise with active editorial needs, and utilise deep media intelligence to construct your pitches, and build connections.
Find out more about the Journalist Enquiry Service here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Media-requests-embedded-into-Vuelio.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-05-28 09:47:142026-05-28 09:53:07Perfect pitch: Maximising media coverage with Vuelio’s connected platform
There is a new frontier where public perception is shaped: Large Language Models. Right now, LLMs are answering critical questions about your organisation. What are they saying? And more importantly, which sources are shaping those answers?
To navigate this landscape, public relations professionals don’t need generic tools, but rather technology that speaks their language, and addresses the realities of a changed media and informational landscape.
That is why we’re unveiling Lumina AI View, the latest addition to our intelligent suite of AI tools from Vuelio. Trained specifically on the workflows and challenges of modern PR & communications, Lumina AI View helps you understand exactly what AI knows about you, and how it learned it.
A new standard for AI visibility
AI View tracks your citation strength and source quality alongside those of your competitors, giving you a clear view of where you hold authority and where you have gaps.
Lumina AI View maps your AI reputation from the ground up, allowing you to:
See which sources matter: When tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini discuss your organisation, which outlets do they cite? Track your source footprint over time and view the impact of key target media on how you’re discussed. We measure your citation strength and source quality alongside those of competitors, giving you a clear view of where you have authority and where you have gaps.
Gain industry-specific insight: Your competitors get cited from Financial Times and Bloomberg. You get cited on Reddit. Each brings opportunity – and risk. Discover how you measure up against industry standards, and target the sources that actually influence how AI represents you.
Catch narrative shifts early: AI responses change when new sources appear, sentiment shifts, or old controversies resurface. Get alerts when citation patterns change suddenly, before they impact the way you’re perceived by stakeholders.
Measure your progress: From media monitoring to full media intelligence
Lumina AI View is built on the principle that insights get stronger with repeated measurement. To help you maintain a clear view of your reputation, our proprietary scoring system provides regular updates that show you:
Evolving trends in how sources cite your organisation
Competitive standing and benchmark metrics
Where models differ in information presented, and sources cited
Whether you run it weekly, on-demand, or whenever you need a check-in, patterns will emerge, trends will become clear, and you will build a baseline that makes any sudden narrative changes both comprehensible and the prerequisite to action.
Lumina AI View is part of Lumina AI, a comprehensive suite of AI tools built specifically for communicators. Our Lumina suite evolves traditional media monitoring into narrative intelligence, enabling you to truly understand how perceptions form, evolve, and impact your reputation.
Get in touch to register your interest and see what Lumina AI View can do for you.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Lumina-AI-View-launch.jpg430761Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-05-21 09:27:112026-05-26 09:48:42Introducing Lumina AI View: AI Visibility Built for PR & Comms
Artificial intelligence has evolved from an experimental tech-stack tool to become a vital part of the fabric of daily reality for public relations. Alongside pitching stories for human-made editorial calendars, comms practitioners are navigating a deeply fragmented media ecosystem where generative engines like Large Language Models (LLMs) fundamentally alter how information is created, distributed, and consumed.
For years, the PR industry measured success by the strength of a clipping or the positioning of a link on a Google Search results page. Today, the interface between brands and audiences has changed. The fast rise of agentic browsers and AI companions that summarise the web has boosted media intelligence from a supporting function to a mission-critical part of the comms infrastructure.
To survive in this new reality, communication teams must understand the new role of earned media; the primary fuel powering the AI answer engines that shape brand reputation.
How generative engines are rewriting the search playbook
The traditional digital marketing funnel is facing an existential crunch. According to Nic Newman’s ‘Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2026‘ report for the Reuters Institute, publishers expect traffic from search engines to decline by 43% over the next three years. This sharp downturn follows recent dramatic declines in referrals from social media platforms. The culprit at the centre of this disruption? Google’s AI Overviews.
Now appearing at the top of roughly 10% of search results in the United States and rolling out globally, these AI summaries have driven a massive surge in zero-click searches — scenarios where users get their answers directly on the search page without ever clicking through to a corporate website or news source.
This shift is heavily driven by changing consumer behaviours. Data from a January 2026 study ‘Navigating the Shift: A Comparative Analysis of Web Search and Generative AI Response Generation‘ highlights that Google’s AI Overviews now reach 2 billion monthly users across 200 countries, with referral traffic from AI platforms growing by 357% year-over-year. Crucially, the way people search has evolved: 57.9% of searches triggering AI Overviews are now phrased as full questions, and queries of eight words or longer have a 57% probability of generating an AI-synthesised response rather than a traditional list of blue links.
These platforms do not return ranked document lists but synthesise answers, reason over retrieved evidence, and selectively cite sources they judge to be authoritative. And what these engines consider authoritative is, increasingly, earned media.
A 2025 Semrush AI Overviews Study revealed that while Google attempts a balanced sourcing approach (41% earned, 34% social, and 26% brand content), standalone AI engines lean overwhelmingly on earned content. Anthropic’s Claude concentrates most heavily on earned media at 65% (and a mere 1% on social), followed by OpenAI’s GPT-4o at 57% earned media.
To highlight this trend further, Gartner’s ‘Top Predictions to Inform 2026 Comms Strategies‘ and Purposeful Relations’ ‘The Impact of Generative Relations and Communications‘ reports both validate that AI search engines heavily favour citing earned, shared, and organic owned content over paid channels. More than 95% of links cited within these platforms are non-paid mentions, with earned media accounting for 89% of those citations. Journalistic content alone accounts for 27% of citations, skyrocketing to 49% for queries requiring real-time, recent information.
Ultimately, LLMs rely on the credibility that traditional PR has spent decades cultivating. However, simply securing a mention is no longer enough. As Nicole Yost, Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) pointed out during Vuelio’s recent in-person event ‘How AI is changing the way we communicate‘, the challenge has evolved. Managing communications for a major healthcare charity means navigating an environment where AI is used not just to draft messaging, but to predict trends and actively counter misinformation. Nicole observes:
‘Various studies have shown that AI is using earned media for its content. But how do you differentiate and cut through the noise, is the question. Earned media is having a moment. I was talking to some colleagues earlier, and they’re saying it’s everywhere, all over LinkedIn, it’s “PRs’ time” and all that. But, only if you can cut through the noise, be really trusted and credible, are you going to have an impact on your brand.’
Making your earned media count for LLMs
While the data paints a glowing picture for the resurgence of PR, communications teams must avoid treating these statistics as a one-size-fits-all victory. Context, nuance, and strategy matter more than raw volume.
Stuart Bruce, PR Futurist and Co-founder of Purposeful Relations — a management consultancy specialising in advising in-house comms teams, international bodies like the OECD, and charities on AI adoption — urges a grounded perspective.
Reflecting on the sudden flood of vendor reports, Stuart notes:
‘All these reports that have been coming out say that LLMs favour earned media in terms of where they get information from, and where they put their citations. That’s partially true.
‘Our white paper analysed the multitude of reports that have been published throughout the year (anybody that’s selling an LLM tool published a report to justify them to marketing). One said that 95% of LLM citations are from earned media. Another one said 43%. And yes, the importance of earned media is absolutely on the rise, but it’s really important to realise it’s not the only one, and it is very different between different sectors.’
To make earned media truly count within AI summaries, communications strategies must move past old-school broad message distribution. The focus must pivot toward building earned proof, shaping the credible, factual raw material that both human audiences and intelligent machine agents use to determine who is genuinely trustworthy.
A strategic roadmap for modern PR: Treating AI as a stakeholder
If LLMs are actively mediating how the public understands your organisation or your clients, you can no longer treat them as neutral tech tools; they are actually a brand-new audience. Stuart suggests a distinct shift in how teams approach Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), breaking it down into three flexible, strategic pillars tailored to organisational needs:
1. Build an AI Stakeholder Map
‘The first thing you need to do is to actually understand the space,’ Stuart advises. ‘We describe AI as a stakeholder, because we wouldn’t start trying to influence stakeholders until we fully understand them.
‘Do you have your stakeholder map? Trying to create that is actually really difficult when it comes to LLMs, because there are several of them, and then they’re all going to be saying different things.’
Comms teams must map which models their audiences use and audit how their brand currently surfaces across different engines.
2. Constant recency and the power of niche media
LLMs possess vast amounts of historical data within their static models, but when a user asks a time-sensitive question, the engine must look outward for real-time information. ‘So, if you want to influence what’s not in the model, they’re going to be looking for really up-to-date, recent information — you’re constantly feeding the beast and making sure that your information out there is recent,’ says Stuart.
This will markedly change media targeting strategy:
‘The second thing to consider is, what does that mean? Does that include your website? That might mean just refreshing a page, updating a page, but also things like labelling if a page has out-of-date information. AI needs to be taught that. It needs to understand relevance, and that’s basically where earned media comes in. It’s not necessarily going to be your tier-one titles. It could actually be small, niche titles. It could be trade press. It could be expert blogs. And that’s because LLMs know that’s a specialist source, this is going to be where to find reliable information.’
3. Establish multiple touchpoints for reputation
An isolated piece of coverage will no longer be effective on its own. AI models look for cross-referenced consistency across the web to validate a claim. Stuart provides a practical example:
‘You might have a spokesperson featured in the Daily Mail, but if that’s the only reference to them, AI is not necessarily going to consider them a credible spokesperson. If they were available on your website, if their LinkedIn profile constantly talks about the same thing, if they’ve spoken at conferences, if they’re in earned media, they instantly become a credible source. You’ve got to have those multiple touchpoints.’
Shifting trust: When audiences believe AI over brands
The urgency of this strategic pivot becomes clearer when considering how rapidly public trust is transitioning. During a recent Vuelio webinar ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder‘, Dr Anne Gregory — Professor Emeritus of Corporate Communication at the University of Huddersfield and a leading international researcher who has directed the Global Capability Framework — highlighted how deeply this machine mediation influences public perception:
‘AI is much more than just an assistant; it is a powerful actor in the information ecosystem.
‘It mediates our engagement with organisations and individuals, and evidence is emerging that AI is often believed more than other traditional sources.’
This observation is backed by hard data. Purposeful Relations’ report, in partnership with 72Point, surveyed 5,000 UK adults to uncover modern attitudes toward media, news, and generative tech. The findings regarding trust were eye-opening: While scientists and technical experts predictably ranked highest at 80%, AI answers achieved a 44% trust rating.
‘So 44% of people trust that LLM answer: they’re not necessarily going to go to your website,’ Stuart noted.
This creates a reputational hazard if your infrastructure is lagging. Dr Anne issued a stark warning for teams slow to adapt to this shift:
‘Even though we know these summaries are often incomplete and biased, we tend to believe them. If we don’t regard AI as an influential stakeholder, we could be putting ourselves in jeopardy.’
The new toolkit for AI visibility
To transition from traditional communicators into central corporate strategists who manage reputation in this new climate, PR professionals need tools built specifically for their workflows. They cannot rely on legacy search engine tools designed purely for digital marketing or paid media.
‘Vuelio is launching something soon, which will be another tool that will help you to understand that,’ revealed Stuart during our latest event.
‘The tools that are coming from the PR space are a lot more useful to PR people than some of the ones that are coming from the digital marketing and the search space. They understand the pressures, the trends, the type of information that we need to know.’
This targeted innovation underpins Vuelio, providing an AI Visibility solution that’s specifically geared towards PR & Comms.
Lumina AI View helps you understand what AI knows about you, and where it learned it from. By tracking the sources that models such as Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude cite when representing you, it reveals where you stand — and how to impact this.
The battleground for brand relevance has officially shifted. By ensuring your earned media strategy is continuous, highly credible, and verified across multiple digital touchpoints, you can ensure your organisation, and the clients you work with, are not just indexed by the algorithms, but trusted by them.
Find out more about Vuelio’s Lumina solutions here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Earned-media-in-an-AI-age.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-05-18 14:01:532026-05-18 14:34:16Is earned media the solution for comms in the age of AI Answers?
In a busy and constantly changing news cycle, knowing what to pitch when can be difficult. The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service (also now part of the Vuelio platform too) gets hundreds of journalists using it each month looking for experts, case studies and more. To help with your media outreach, here is what the media were searching for in April and how you can secure coverage in May and beyond.
Summer in sight
Journalists, especially those that work on consumer and trade magazines, often look to get their content well in advance of publication and that’s why one of the main keywords for April was ‘summer’. Nearly 7% of the total requests this month contained ‘summer’, despite the change of season still being a month or so away.
It’s a pretty broad topic and requests varied from looking for luxury UK summer spa packages, to advice on how Britons can keep their gardens from drying out, as well as healthy recipes and a medical expert to speak about hay fever and summer cold symptoms. Journalists have sent requests from outlets such as Ideal Home, Capital FM, The Caterer, Newsweek, HELLO! Fashion, and The Times.
Going forward? The amount of summer-related requests will only continue to rise in May and beyond and last year over 7% of all requests included ‘summer’ in them. The focus from journalists tends to be more on topics such as gardening, travel, fashion, beauty, and food & drink but there should be plenty of opportunities to hook onto a news story.
Health & wellness experts in demand
It’s currently Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK and journalists have already been keen to not only cover ‘mental health’ but also ‘wellness’ too. ‘Mental health’ cropped up in 1.5% of all requests in April and ‘wellness’ appeared in just over 2%.
Both of these topics are regularly sought out by journalists on the service and last month wellness requests included looking for an expert in advertising/marketing in the health/wellness medical space and wellness retreats that fit into the ‘quietcation’ holiday trend. While mental health enquiries included asks for information on mental health support for retail staffers and a psychologist or therapist to talk about loneliness.
Going forward? Personal health and wellness is normally in demand around this time of year, and in May 2025, ‘wellness’ appeared in 2.5% of the total requests. This remains a priority topic for journalists this year and they tend to focus on getting experts to share their tips and advice. Make sure yours are ready to provide comment and you could feature in Psychologies, PA Media, Men’s Health, Red magazine, or Conde Nast Traveller, as they all sent enquiries last month.
Gift guide items needed for Father’s Day
It’s still over a month until Father’s Day in the UK (21 June) but journalists have already been sending in plenty of requests around the celebration. 2% of all enquiries in April were for ‘Father’s Day’ and categories like Men’s Interest and Consumer Technology performed well as a result of this.
The majority of requests are for products to feature in a gift guide but there is some variety in here with journalists looking for everything from gadgets and tech, to grooming products and food and drink. There are also several enquiries seeking experiences including travel and family days out and wine/whisky experiences. Bella, Great British Food, Travel & Retreat, woman & home, and Dadsnet all sent requests last month.
Going forward? The number of enquiries around Father’s Day will only rise this month – in May 2025, it cropped up in nearly 3% of the total requests. This is a great opportunity to get products featured in consumer media titles or share information about experiences or days out.
Other opportunities for PRs in May and beyond
The FIFA World Cup is now less than a month away from starting but journalists have already been keen to cover this football extravaganza with just over 1% of enquiries in April featuring ‘world cup’. Enquiries so far have ranged from looking into the financial situation behind the ticket prices to wanting information about the best places to watch the tournament at. If you’ve got football experts or former players, there is a good chance of media coverage in the lead up to the World Cup.
It’s not quite festival season yet but again, the media have been looking to get ahead of this and last month around 1% of the enquiries contained the keyword ‘festival’ in them. This is likely to ramp up in May (in May 2025, ‘festival’ cropped up in 2% of the total enquiries) as the first few music festivals and events take place. Journalists tend to look for products to review as festival essentials and accessories so have these ready to send out and you could get featured in a national media title.
Want to get the most out of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service? Find out how here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Media-trends-for-May-from-Journalist-Enquiry-Service.jpg430760Andrew Strutt/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngAndrew Strutt2026-05-14 11:27:572026-05-14 11:29:48Summer in focus, wellness experts and Father's Day gift ideas: How to get UK press coverage in May 2026
Welcome to the May edition of our regular deep dive into what’s happening on the Vuelio platform. Here is everything you need to know about the latest Media Database enhancements, media moves, and the editorial trends currently dominating the Journalist Enquiry Service…
Extra outreach opportunities on the Vuelio Media Database
The Vuelio Research team’s commitment to data hygiene and expansion remains the backbone of the platform. In May, we saw substantial activity across both global and domestic markets.
Global outreach at a glance
8,246 global contacts added.
2,407 UK contacts updated for total accuracy.
601 new outlet news feeds mapped.
1,195,845 total media outlets now live on the platform.
Top growing international markets
Our Researchers have been busy verifying outlets across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. If you are planning international campaigns, take note of the growth in these key territories:
United States: +1,389 outlets
Italy: +575 outlets
South Korea: +525 outlets
France: +445 outlets
Brazil: +355 outlets
UK database spotlight
Within the UK, we have created 804 new positions and updated 2,157 existing roles. This includes a healthy mix of sectors:
National Press: 195 new roles; 469 updated.
Regional/Local Press: 100 new roles; 415 updated.
Magazines: 111 new roles; 348 updated.
Broadcast: 54 new roles; 407 updated.
Freelance: 45 new specialists added.
Project spotlight: National Press enrichment
The headline news for May is the completion of a National Press enrichment project, focusing on contacts and opportunities for PRs. We know that for many of our users, the national newsrooms are the holy grail of coverage; this project was specifically designed to bolster our coverage of the UK’s most commercially significant titles, ensuring that when you search our platform, you’re met with verified, high-value journalist data.
Alongside this, we’ve continued our global maintenance to ensure your international outreach remains as precise as your local campaigns.
We have added over 180 verified journalist contacts across high-profile national outlets, including:
The Times & Sunday Times
The Guardian & Observer
Daily Mail & Daily Mail Online
The Daily Telegraph
Financial Times
The Independent
Sky News
Associated Press
This ongoing commitment to national press enrichments means the platform will reflect newsroom reshuffles, new columnists, and beat changes at pace, giving you a distinct advantage in your outreach.
What journalists want now: Trends and insights
The Journalist Enquiry Service processed around 2,000 media requests in May, with consumer media leading the charge. If you’re looking for a hook for your next pitch, these are the themes currently filling up journalists’ news and features:
1. Summer lifestyle and travel planning
Journalists are already commissioning heavily for the summer holidays. We are seeing a high volume of requests for outdoor activities, seasonal lifestyle features, and travel advice.
If you have travel clients or outdoor products, the time to pitch is now.
2. Home and spring refresh
The Home category on the Journalist Enquiry Service remains a core editorial pillar. Requests are focused on interior design, cleaning hacks, and practical home improvement.
3. AI & digital transformation
In the B2B and tech space, AI has moved beyond a niche topic to the mainstream. We are seeing constant requests for expert commentary on how AI is impacting the workplace and specific industry sectors, so get your pitches ready to send to journalists writing about this.
As the weather improves in the UK (we hope…), editorial focus has shifted toward running, seasonal health trends, and manageable wellness routines.
Industry news: People on the move in the media
Keeping track of who is sitting in the editor’s chair is vital for successful media relations. Here are some significant moves from the last month:
BBC Radio 2: Sara Cox has been announced as the host of the weekday Breakfast Show (6:30–9:30 am), launching this summer.
ASOS: Jazmin Duribe has been promoted to Senior Editorial Manager. She is particularly interested in hearing about exhibitions, films, TV, and fashion news for their culture roundups.
The Guardian: Micha Frazer-Carroll joins as Assistant Editor and writer of The Long Wave newsletter. Her focus is on international Black stories across politics, arts, and lifestyle.
Family Traveller: Harriet Mallinson is the new Editor of Familytraveller.com. She is looking for family-friendly events, products, and media stays worldwide.
Want more media moves as they happen? Sign up to our weekly Media Bulletin for updates.
Industry Challenges
On broader shifts in the media landscape, announcements of job cuts and restructures at Bauer Media Group and the BBC, and Ian Katz (Chief Content Officer at Channel 4) set to step down this autumn underlines how a live platform is more effective than static media lists. As newsrooms consolidate, knowing exactly who is still on each journalist beat is paramount.
Proactive planning: May action plan for PRs
To make the most of these updates within the platform, we recommend the following steps for your May outreach:
Refresh your National media lists: With over 180 new contacts added in the Enrichment Project, your existing lists for The Times or The Telegraph may be out of date. Re-run your searches to find new targets.
Leverage summer media request leads: Align your experts with the demand for Summer lifestyle-related contributions. If you have a spokesperson who can talk about outdoor wellbeing or seasonal travel, get them in front of the journalists currently using the Journalist Enquiry Service. Requests to PRs are now directly flowing through into the Vuelio platform, giving you more opportunities to get in touch and connect with journalists.
Explore international markets: If your brand has a presence in Italy or South Korea, now is the time to explore our expanded database in those regions.
The media landscape is moving faster than ever, but with the right intelligence, those shifts become opportunities rather than obstacles. Ensure you are utilising the latest verified data on the platform to make your next campaign your most successful yet.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/PR-opportunities-on-the-Vuelio-Media-Database.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-05-13 14:17:492026-05-13 14:22:34PR opportunities for media outreach: Updates on Vuelio for May
Last week, the elections dominated proceedings, and this week, focus will centre on the crucial King’s Speech, a chance for Starmer to swing the seemingly insurmountable tsunami of pressure he faces currently.
As this blog is posted, more information on Catherine West MP’s challenge to the Prime Minister will develop, and May could prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back on Starmer’s tenure in the top office. Multiple takeaways can be drawn from an explosive election period which saw Labour under pressure from all sides: a resurgent Green Party, taking over key councils in London, and the poll-dominating Reform UK, who have firmly positioned themselves as a major party, controlling swathes of local government. Overall, Labour lost 1,496 councillors, with Reform UK the biggest ‘winners’ of the elections, gaining full control of 14 councils. Notably, wins in Barnsley, Sunderland, and Wakefield signal Reform UK coming for the Red Wall, while wins in Suffolk, Essex, and Havering show Reform UK usurping the right-wing vote and replacing the Conservatives. As a result, following the elections, Reform UK have proclaimed themselves as the only ‘national’ party which is competitive across the country. Meanwhile, the Greens took key wins in London, notably winning the mayoralty and council control in Hackney and Lewisham, two Labour stalwarts over recent decades.
In both Scotland and Wales, the pro-independence Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru took home the most votes. While the SNP lost 6 seats from 2021, they still emerged the dominant party with Labour and Reform UK coming joint second with 17 seats each. In Wales, Plaid Cymru surged to victory, taking 20 more seats than in 2021, considerably outperforming expectations with most polls placing them in the lower- to mid-thirties range. Meanwhile, Labour slumped, losing 35 seats, and First Minister Eluned Morgan will likely head back to the Lords after dramatically losing her seat with only 7.3% of the vote in her constituency. Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun Ap Iorwerth has said Plaid Cymru will ‘move forward as a minority government in a co-operative way’, moving away from the previous expectation of a coalition between parties. No doubt, they will need support from somewhere to move forward proposals such as the Welsh budget. Plaid Cymru’s health policy is centred around two key pledges: to recruit 100 additional salaried GPs and establish 10 new surgical hubs to tackle regional ‘postcode lotteries’. Their manifesto also presents a decentralised governance model, seeking to remove political influence by transferring responsibility, notably through a reformed NHS Executive.
The proposed health policy for the new SNP government is driven by a ‘Once for Scotland’ approach, aiming to streamline corporate activity and protect a strictly publicly owned NHS that is free at the point of delivery. A cornerstone of this vision is a £10bn investment over ten years in infrastructure and Community Health and Care Centre (CHCC) hubs, ensuring that all health budgets are spent directly on care. A defining feature of the SNP’s workforce approach is the introduction of an NHS Job Guarantee, providing all graduates in medicine, nursing, and dentistry with a guaranteed three-year contract. The manifesto also boasts a £530m investment to recruit more family doctors and a revised Golden Hellos initiative to attract specialists to rural and island communities. To tackle waiting lists, the SNP sets a strict mandate that no patient waits longer than 26 weeks for treatment, supported by a minimum annual investment of £200m to expand elective capacity. Access to healthcare will be improved through 30 new seven-day walk-in GP clinics to eliminate the ‘8am rush’ and the rollout of the MyCare.scot app for digital bookings and prescriptions.
The SNP’s manifesto also places an emphasis on drug and alcohol harms, providing 1,000 residential rehab beds and new Alcohol Care Teams in hospitals. There is also reference towards new health MOT ‘one-stop shops’ to tackle poor health indicators, and a range of testing, screening, and diagnostic initiatives to drive early detection. Women’s Health is elevated strongly in the manifesto, including through a £13bn National Plan for Gynaecology and a commitment to recognise endometriosis as a chronic condition. Palliative care is also addressed, with NHS pay parity for hospice staff and a ‘Molly’s Suite’ for paediatric care. Furthermore, by legislating a legal right to breaks for unpaid carers and introducing a strengthened Power of Attorney system, the SNP aims to ensure a stronger and fairer social care service.
It is expected that the Government will use the King’s Speech to formally announce the legislation to abolish NHS England and merge some of its functions into the Department of Health and Social Care. The move has a deadline of April 2027, and was potentially a surprise omission from the first parliamentary session, given its magnitude. The move will look to improve productivity and efficiency, reduce bureaucracy, and cut running costs, most notably through a large reduction in overall headcount of both NHSE and DHSC by 50%. Importantly, not all functions will be merged into DHSC, with key responsibilities, including specialty and strategic commissioning, being reformed in the process.
The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, lays out key measures which will also require legislation. This includes the merger of the Health Services Safety Investigation Board into the Care Quality Commission and the abolition of Healthwatch, two decisions that have been proposed by the Government to simplify the regulatory landscape, but criticised for reducing transparency and accountability. Legislation to set the parameters and requirements of the Single Patient Record, which will place a duty on every health and care provider to make the information they record about a patient available to that patient, and changes to the patient safety landscape, including a patient safety commissioner, are also expected. Labour are likely to go heavy on policy in an attempt to push back on political pressure and convey a working Government committed to a stronger and fairer country and pushing forward progress amidst the political chaos.
In the previous King’s Speech, and as outlined in their 2024 manifesto, Labour committed to ensuring ‘the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes’. This led to the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which passed at the end of the last parliamentary session, an emulated version of Rishi Sunak’s attempt at the legislation just prior to the ousting of his Government. As such, this policy was no surprise in the 2024 King’s Speech, and was widely supported by many health charities including the Smokefree Action Coalition, which is a group of over 300 organisations across the UK committed to ending smoking.
The Act is set on the backdrop of a strong push from charities for further smoking restrictions and prevention techniques, backed by scientific evidence. It is widely understood that tobacco is strongly correlated with worse health outcomes, with smoking remaining the most preventable cause of ill health, disability, and death in the UK. These harms have a detrimental impact on the NHS, costing the country an estimated £43.7bn a year in England. Tobacco use is also scientifically considered to cause ill health for non-consumers through secondhand smoke. This is particularly dangerous for medically vulnerable people like children, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing conditions. On top of the immediate health risk, smoking is also strongly linked to exacerbated geographic inequalities, poverty, and poor mental health. Vaping, whiledeemed a successful route out of smoking, has seen a sharp rise in prevalence among children. In 2025, 20% of children (11-17-year-olds) had tried vaping, up from 11% in 2021. Rates of children currently vaping have also risen from 3% in 2021 to 7% in 2025. In addition, vapes, particularly single-use, are an environmental hazard and a health risk, with toxic components such as propylene glycol and glycerine carrying health risks upon consumption. A previous call for evidence found that display and packaging of vapes was enticing for children and a strong factor in youth consumption and wider evidence shows that increased youth vaping is strongly caused by marketing strategies, as well as the attraction of sweet and fruit flavours, alongside exotic names and descriptors.
Previous Acts, Orders, and Regulations have amended legislation to increase: the age of sale of tobacco and vaping products, requirements around age verification and vaping ingredients, control measures relating to public spaces, packaging, display of products, advertising restrictions, and restrictions on smoking around children. Despite these changes, and in reaction to increased pressure, in 2022, Dr Javed Khan OBE undertook a significant independent review into smoking and came to four ‘critical’ recommendations: increase investment into stop smoking services, increase the age of sale from 18 by one year every year, promote vaping (as an effective tool to help people to quit smoking tobacco), and improve prevention through direct advice via healthcare services such as pharmacies, GPs, and hospitals. The 2022 Khan review also recommended banning cartoons or imagery on vape packaging. Public consensus over vaping and smoking restrictions is also overwhelming. A poll conducted by Action on Smoking and Health in 2025 found 68% of the public supported the ‘smokefree generation’ policy to ban the sale of tobacco for anyone born after 2009. The poll also found 65% of people want to live in a country where no one smokes, and 45% believe the Government is not doing enough on the issue.
The Act, while extensive in its number of clauses, is centred around Clause 1 which creates a ‘generational’ age of sale restriction for tobacco products, herbal smoking products, and cigarette papers to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. Tobacco products include any product consisting wholly or partly of tobacco intended to be smoked, sniffed, sucked, chewed, or consumed in any other way. The Act also sets sale restrictions of vaping and nicotine products to under 18s, as well as granting powers to the Secretary of State, and devolved ministers, to introduce licensing schemes for the sale or possession of relevant tobacco products.
The Secretary of State can also legislate, following consultation, to set standards on relevant products, including on: appearance, information, texture, colour, images, shape, physical appearance, technological features, ingredients or flavourings, substances released into the body, and emissions. The Secretary of State is also granted powers to label any public space or workplace as ‘smoke-free’ which removes the existing threshold of a place needing to be at ‘significant risk’. The Act also clarifies restrictions on advertising and sponsorship of relevant products, replacing the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. This excludes the promotion of vapes and nicotine products where agreed for public health purposes with a public authority.
While reforms to tobacco and vaping regulations have been lobbied against strongly by tobacco companies, the overwhelming pressure, led by science, and pushed by a wide array of health charities has been firm in moving these reforms forward. Despite this, some policy experts have criticised the implementation of the Act, including the ‘generational age’ element where in decades’ time 50-year-olds may be turned away from buying cigarettes, whilst 51-year-olds can smoke freely. This raises the question of fairness, appropriateness, and logistical implementation. The argument also points back to the ongoing debate on individual responsibility and the ‘nanny state’. Nevertheless, the ‘nanny state’ debate is not one that multiple Governments have been shy to act on, with the UK ranking 7th in the 2025 Nanny State Index. This Government is no different and measures on new junk food restrictions, energy drinks, and alcohol pricing compound this. Whilst tobacco has been tackled progressively over many decades, recent scientific discoveries, increased public use, and business innovation has placed vaping firmly under the microscope. As such, the Tobacco and Vapes Act represents the wider cultural shift against tobacco and vaping, tackling both in tandem. In doing so, the Act symbolises the power of public health prevention and the role the state can play in supporting people to live healthier lives.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Health-in-Focus-Tobacco-vaping-devolved-elections.jpg430760Aidan Stansbury/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngAidan Stansbury2026-05-12 10:49:472026-05-12 10:50:45Health in Focus: Tobacco and Vapes Act & Devolved Elections
This is a guest post from Jane Hunt, a digital PR expert, published author and CEO of JBH, an award-winning digital PR and SEO agency.
Much of the current conversation around AI in communications has focused on misinformation and disinformation, and rightly so. However, there is a quieter risk emerging for PR professionals, one that is less about falsehoods and more about absence. AI systems spread narratives, but also determine which narratives are visible in the first place.
Tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are becoming the first step in discovery. In doing so, they filter brands based on how clearly and consistently they are understood across the web.
This creates a new risk: not being misrepresented or criticised but being omitted entirely. If a brand’s narrative is weak, fragmented or difficult to understand, AI systems may simply bypass it in favour of brands who have a very clear positioning.
How AI systems construct (and distort) brand narratives
Large language models (LLMs) do not assess brands in the same way as traditional search engines. Rather than ranking pages based on keywords or backlinks alone, they synthesise patterns across vast datasets that include media coverage, blogs, reviews, forums, and structured content.
Google has indicated that its AI-generated responses prioritise high-quality information drawn from multiple authoritative sources, while OpenAI has stated that models favour information that is consistently represented across trusted data.
In practice, this means repetition becomes a proxy for credibility, consistency signals authority and clarity signals usefulness.
The three narrative risks: ignored, miscast or diluted
The first and most overlooked risk is invisibility: When a brand lacks a consistently reinforced narrative across credible sources, including the press, AI systems can struggle to categorise it. This makes it far less likely to appear in AI-generated answers. Evidence of this can already be seen in Google’s AI Overviews, where only a small subset of brands are cited even in highly competitive categories.
A 2024 study by Seer Interactive found that visibility in AI-generated results is influenced by more than just rankings, with factors like content quality, PR, and strategic positioning playing a growing role. This indicates a shift from volume-driven SEO and PR to more coherent, authoritative brand narratives.
The second risk is distortion: When the dominant signals around a brand are negative, inconsistent or unclear, AI systems will still include that brand, but often in a reframed or simplified way. Because LLMs reflect aggregate sentiment, a small number of high-profile criticisms can outweigh a larger body of neutral coverage. Similarly, a complex repositioning may be reduced to a perception of confusion, or a short-term crisis may become a defining narrative, one that AI overviews may reference in the answer if they do feature the brand.
Once this pattern is established, it is reinforced at scale across summaries, comparisons, and recommendations.
The third risk is dilution: Brands with generic, indistinct messaging often fail to surface in AI outputs because they lack memorability. If a brand’s positioning is very similar to competitors, it becomes harder for AI systems to choose it as an example. This aligns with well-established research in cognitive psychology, which shows that distinctiveness improves recall.
Why traditional PR metrics fall short
Traditional PR metrics such as media coverage, impressions, and backlinks still have value, but they are not sufficient indicators of visibility in an AI-driven environment. These metrics measure reach, but they do not capture how a brand is interpreted or summarised by AI systems.
What matters more is whether a brand’s narrative is consistent across sources, whether third parties can clearly articulate what the brand does, and whether it appears in content that explains, educates or solves problems. As a result, PR should be shifting from a focus on visibility metrics to a focus on interpretability i.e. how easily a brand can be understood and featured in an answer.
What comms teams should do now
For comms teams, this shift requires a more disciplined and strategic approach to message and narrative development. Consistency must be treated not just as a branding exercise, but as a form of risk management. Fragmented messaging weakens the signals that AI systems rely on to classify and recall a brand.
Narratives must also be designed to stand independently of the organisation. If journalists, analysts or customers cannot easily explain what a brand does, AI systems will face the same challenge. Clarity and simplicity are essential.
In addition, PR efforts should prioritise high-trust, high-context publications. Thought leadership, expert commentary and educational content are far more likely to be used by AI systems than purely promotional announcements. These formats provide the explanatory depth that LLMs depend on.
Finally, narrative shaping must be proactive. By the time a narrative becomes visible in AI-generated outputs, it has already been reinforced across multiple sources. This leaves little room for reactive correction. PR teams must focus on seeding and reinforcing clear narratives early, before alternative or negative interpretations gain traction.
For more advice on updating your comms strategy for the impacts of AI and LLMs, check out key insight from Vuelio’s latest webinar, ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder‘.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AI-and-brand-recognition.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-05-08 10:10:192026-05-08 10:10:19Brand narratives in the age of AI: The new comms risk PR teams can’t afford to ignore
The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service celebrates a special milestone this year as it’s 25 years since its launch. The service has been there to assist thousands of journalists over this period, and give PRs the opportunity to secure media coverage for their experts, case studies, press releases and more.
Here is a look back at some of the biggest events and stories the Journalist Enquiry Service was able to help amplify across the UK over the last 20 years, and what’s happening in our 25th year.
Global economic events
Talking about big economic events from the last 20 years, 2008 would stand out for many of us in the UK and Europe – certainly comms and journalists tasked with covering the business and personal finance beat at the time.
Personal Finance-related media requests from journalists and broadcasters surged in the midst of the crisis, reflecting the immediate need for consumer information about what this meant for the public’s finances. And UK PR and comms people were there to help, offering advice from key experts and case studies from those impacted.
But that wasn’t the end of wide-spread financial woes, with the Cost of Living Crisis continuing to rumble on. First catching significant media attention towards the end of 2021, the Journalist Enquiry Service’s Personal Finance category saw a significant and sustained spike, increasing by nearly 70% from 1,926 in 2020 to a peak of 3,254 in 2022. Journalists needed practical, consumer-focused advice on budgeting, inflation, and debt, and turned to the UK PR users of the Journalist Enquiry Service for support. In 2022, Business & Finance media requests peaked again, (6,339) this time with asks for corporate strategy and the broader economic outlook.
What does this mean for PRs now?
If you want to reach out to a journalist covering Business & Finance in 2026, the focus should be on thought leadership and forward-looking analysis. Go beyond simple reporting when responding to requests and offer expert commentary on long-term economic forecasts, sector-specific performance in challenging environments, and strategic advice for businesses navigating the current climate.
Trying to get coverage with Personal Finance journalists? The big increase in the number of requests during times of crisis over the last 20 years suggests that the media is looking for immediate, practical advice on topics like saving, managing utility bills, mortgages, debt management, and more. For these significant events that will affect consumers due to high inflation and economic volatility, have experts ready to provide clear, non-jargon solutions.
Infrastructure and construction
While the Construction & Property and Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy categories on the Journalist Enquiry Service are traditionally less busy than others – primarily serving niche trade publications – related requests grew significantly between 2005 and 2008 – peaks coinciding with the planning and initial heavy construction phases of projects like the Elizabeth Line and the Battersea Power Station redevelopment – both having driven high media interest in the sector’s activity and scale.
Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy requests from the media have surged again recently – indicating the media’s increased focus on the industrial and supply-chain aspects of large-scale infrastructure, and perhaps the growing focus on energy transition, too.
What does this mean for PRs now?
When it comes to Construction & Property-focused media, general construction activity is less newsworthy than project milestones. If you want to get media coverage in this sector, focus on major project announcements, planning approvals, and any impactful delays. There is also a chance to cover innovative engineering if you can explain how it is done, the final launch, and what impact this is going to have on the sector and the local community.
Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy has seen major growth as a category recently and will most likely continue due to major projects like HS2 still on-going and recent ones like Thames Tideway only recently completed. The focus for PRs needs to be on technical innovations, UK manufacturing successes, and the energy implications of infrastructure. Stories and experts to talk about the materials used, the engineering feats, and the green energy solutions will resonate strongly with journalists covering this sector.
Political instability and change
The Public Sector, Third Sector & Legal category is another traditionally smaller category for the Journalist Enquiry Service, but it’s seen a sustained increase in requests from the media since 2015 – unsurprising, considering the political uncertainty of Brexit in 2016, calls for Scottish Independence and several different changes of Prime Minister during the recent Conservative government.
The number of requests shot up from 1367 in 2014 to 2407 in 2017 – taking in the 2015 General Election and the 2016 Brexit Referendum, reflecting the massive focus from journalists on both the legal and public implications of leaving the EU.
Requests from journalists hit an all-time high of 2907 in 2022, coinciding with the Conservative government making multiple Prime Minister changes (Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak) – journalists sought to cover the continued political instability, and the fallout around the cost-of-living crisis – something PR subscribers to the Journalist Enquiry Service were able to help with.
What does this mean for PRs now?
When political turmoil or constitutional shifts occur (like a new PM or a major policy pivot), PRs should focus on proactively pitching legal and public policy experts with clear, non-partisan analysis of how new legislation, devolved powers, or government restructuring will affect public services, the third sector, or regulatory environments. After an election or a major policy announcement (e.g. a post-Brexit trade deal, a new devolution package), the focus should shift to the mechanics and consequences of the policy. The number of journalist requests don’t just peak before a change, but also afterwards as the media covers the implementation and the ensuing legal and social challenges.
In terms of the opportunities for the Third Sector, the periods of crisis or public sector cuts ( often a consequence of political change), increase the media’s attention on charities and non-profit organisations. PRs working in this space should focus on data-driven stories demonstrating the impact of their work in filling gaps left by state services and advocating for policy change.
The social media boom and new technology
The development of technologies has been vast over the last twenty years and from 2005 until 2017, there was massive growth and journalists have made use of the Consumer Technology category with requests rocketing up from 903 to 4794. This coincided with the explosion of smartphones, social media platforms, and the app economy, and journalists were keen to cover all these changes. Since 2017, the number of requests has remained high, with the media tending to focus on general consumer gadgets and apps as they develop and evolve.
The Computing & Telecoms category has likewise seen a similar initial rise in requests from the media, hitting its peak in 2016 with 3490. This was largely driven by the development of modern communication infrastructures such as broadband, 4G, and cloud services. Another increase in journalist attention came in 2023 after the launch of the first major landmark in large language models (LLMs) – ChatGPT. AI has become one of the most consistent keywords on the Journalist Enquiry Service, but deep tech topics like quantum computing can also crop up in other categories such as Business & Finance and Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy.
What does this mean for PRs now?
Journalists that cover consumer technology, such as gadgets, are less likely to be looking for the technical specifications (which drove interest pre-2017) and are now more focused on the cultural, social, or personal impact of the technology. For instance, covering the ethics of a new social media feature, or how an app changes lifestyle, will resonate better than simply launching a new phone model.
PRs working in spaces such as AI and quantum computing may want to look beyond just the Computing & Telecoms category and also pitch to business journalists who will be looking at the commercial application, ROI, or national industrial strategy behind the technology. Most tech journalists working on trade outlets will know the technical complexity of new technologies and will instead be interested in covering the tangible, real-world benefits of what is being developed and launched.
The Journalist Enquiry Service in 2026: Even more ways to connect with the media
ResponseSource and Vuelio have always sought to support the comms and media industries with their unique challenges. This year, we’ve integrated media requests from the Journalist Enquiry Service into the Vuelio Media Database to enrich and expand opportunities for connection and collaboration.
Embedding media requests into the Vuelio Media Database directly provides PRs a peek into newsrooms now, combining with insight into what is coming up months in the future from forward features lists.
As the media and comms industry evolves with the changing times, the Journalist Enquiry Service will continue to be here to connect them, and help with the big news stories of the future.
Find out more about the Journalist Enquiry Service here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/25-years-of-the-Journalist-Enquiry-Service-1.jpg430760Andrew Strutt/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngAndrew Strutt2026-05-07 14:33:532026-05-07 15:18:0325 years of the Journalist Enquiry Service: Its impact on the biggest news stories, then and now
The UK housing debate has become heated as arguments over who we are building for and whether the current political leadership is capable of delivering on its promises abound.
Over the last month, the conversation has moved away from construction targets and toward a much messier reality involving planning gridlock, industrial supply chain failures, and a burgeoning leadership crisis in Westminster.
To understand how these narratives are moving, we analysed media data using Vuelio’s Lumina. This AI-powered tool surfaces the stories that matter, the different viewpoints within them, and the specific people and organisations driving the news. Between 5 April and 30 April 2026, we examined 17 distinct stories with competing perspectives to cut through thousands of media items and offer a definite look at where the narratives sit right now.
The results show a sector under immense pressure. From the grey belt of Kent to the rural Highlands, the debate is fragmenting. For those in public affairs and communications, staying on top of these shifts is the difference between leading the conversation and being buried by it.
Here is what the data tells us about the current state of the UK housing market…
A Perfect Storm Brings Housebuilding To A Decade Low
The most dominant story right now reflects a growing concern that the national housebuilding machine has ground to a halt. While the Labour government remains committed to its target of 1.5 million homes, the industry is describing a perfect storm that makes those numbers look more like a dream than a delivery plan.
The Home Builders Federation and major players like the Berkeley Group are leading this narrative, arguing that the entire financial model of building in the UK is becoming unviable. They point to a mix of high interest rates, rising material costs, and what they call bureaucratic ‘sludge’ in the planning system. This has led to a situation where major developers are cutting back on land purchases, with no clear path to profit.
Due to the data, this viewpoint carries a lot of weight. Construction starts in London have plummeted to levels not seen in years, and national figures for brick and block deliveries are falling. As reported by Guardian Online, these systemic delays are now being described as a ‘housing recession’, putting the Government in a difficult spot. While ministers insist their planning reforms will eventually work, the industry loudly disagrees.
The key drivers here are the industry bodies who have shifted from quiet lobbying to very public warnings. Neil Jefferson of the Home Builders Federation is a central figure, framing the crisis as a failure of policy to meet economic reality. When these organisations speak, they go beyond representing individual companies, to an entire supply chain that feels abandoned by the current fiscal environment.
The Battle Over ‘Beauty’ And Family Space In London
While the national story is about volume, the London narrative is about quality and suitability. A major divide has opened up between City Hall and its critics over what kind of homes the capital actually needs. The Deputy Mayor for Housing Tom Copley has been vocal in defending the current strategy, predicting that 2026 will be a turnaround year.
However, a growing chorus of experts and politicians disagree. The Housing Forum and the G15 group of housing associations are pushing a perspective that London is centering units over people. They argue that building thousands of small one-bedroom flats does nothing for the 75,000 households stuck in temporary accommodation, or families living in overcrowded conditions. They instead want a shift toward counting the number of people housed, rather than just the number of front doors created.
This debate has become aesthetically-focused, as well. Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly has entered the fray, attacking what he calls ‘soulless tower blocks’. He advocates for ‘mansion blocks’ and ‘intelligent density’, in some clever political positioning. With the focus on ‘beauty’ and ‘gentle density’, the Conservatives seek to win over local residents with a tendency to block new developments. Their bet: people are less likely to say no plans that are an aesthetic improvement.
According to MyLondon, this debate is a fundamental challenge to the Mayor’s strategy. If the public starts to believe that the new homes being built are the wrong homes, political support for massive development could vanish. The key drivers in this section, including Anna Clarke of The Housing Forum, are successfully reframing the crisis as one of distribution and suitability, not just supply.
Political Instability Casting A Shadow Over Policy
Perhaps a concerning trend for those in the housing sector is how much the Mandelson controversy and questions regarding Keir Starmer’s leadership are starting to take hold of the policy agenda – the work of fixing the planning system curtailed by a focus on internal dissent and scandals.
Commentators like Alex Brummer for This Is Money and reporters for the Financial Times are painting a picture of a ‘rudderless’ Britain, with power draining away from Downing Street. And this could have real-world consequences for the economy going beyond gossip, with the Bank of England maintaining a cautious approach to interest rates, and the uncertainty in Westminster making investors nervous.
When a Prime Minister is under fire, bold reforms get pushed to the back burner, and we are already seeing this play out with housing targets. Industry analysts are increasingly calling the 1.5 million aim ‘fanciful’ as the political capital needed to force planning changes through is being spent on managing party rebellions.
The key drivers here are high-profile columnists and disillusioned backbenchers, who are linking political failure directly to the housing slump. Their argument: If the government cannot manage its own party, how can it manage the biggest building programme in 50 years? This link is potentially dangerous for the Labour brand, turning a technical policy failure into a perceived character flaw of leadership.
Supply Chain Shocks And Creative Solutions
While influential players argue in London, other stories show how the crisis is hitting the ground in different ways. The GMB Union has raised a red flag regarding brick manufacturing, pointing out a ‘nonsensical’ energy policy that gives relief to mortar makers but excludes brick kilns. This has led to factories idling and stockpiles growing, even as the country begs for more homes. Charlotte Brumpton-Childs from GMB is a key driver here, aiming to protect manufacturing jobs and pointing out the disconnect in government strategy.
Concurrently, there are creative, and controversial, attempts to bypass the planning system. In Ireland, the government has approved exemptions for garden homes and modular cabins. While ministers like Micheál Martin champion this as a pragmatic solution to a national emergency, housing advocates like Threshold warn it could lead to a return to substandard ‘beds in sheds‘.
In Kent, Hallam Land is testing the new grey belt rules with a 300-home proposal in Sevenoaks. This has sparked a familiar villager versus developer trope,, with local residents calling it an ‘absolute joke’, and the developer characterising the move instead as a ‘sympathetic expansion’. This story could be a preview of the many battles that will take place across the UK as the Government attempts to reclassify green belt land.
What This Means For Comms Professionals
For PR and public affairs professionals, this data suggests that supply vs demand messaging won’t get attention from the press, or from stakeholders. Campaigns focusing on building more should make way for updates on what is being built, where it is, and who it is for:
The suitability message: The focus is shifting to family-sized homes and ‘intelligent density’. If representing a developer, lead with how projects fit the local population’s specific needs, not the contribution to a national target.
Infrastructure first: The Sevenoaks story shows that local opposition is still rooted in infrastructure fears (doctors, schools, traffic). Communicators must address these points before they talk about the houses.
Everything is political: Housing is being used as a means to criticise the current UK leadership. Any project that stalls can be framed as a failure of the Government – be prepared for your project to become a political pinball.
Supply chain transparency: The brick and energy crisis shows that the how of building is just as important as the where. There is a space for thought leadership on industrial strategy and how it supports housing.
The UK housing crisis is currently enmeshed in a collection of competing crises, with a construction crisis, a planning crisis, and a leadership crisis all happening at once. The narrative has moved from a debate about numbers to a complex argument about aesthetics, family needs, and industrial viability.
Navigating this environment requires an understanding of the perspectives that are gaining traction and the key drivers and stakeholders who are shifting public opinion. The data from Lumina shows that the winners in this debate will be those who can bridge the gap between policy ambition and the reality on the ground. By staying ahead of emerging trends in the press, communicators can help shape a more constructive conversation.
Find out more about the closer alignment between public affairs, communications, and the political press here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Housing-in-the-UK-2026.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-05-06 11:08:262026-05-06 11:11:47The UK Housing Crisis: From A Supply Problem To A Political Emergency?
The communications landscape has been transformed by the emergence of artificial intelligence, and the traditional tools of PR have had to evolve to keep up. For organisations operating in a world of fragmented media and accelerating sharing, AI must be utilised as a tool, but also treated as an influential stakeholder.
The challenge has taken PR & Comms professionals beyond traditional media monitoring, with success now also depending on whether Large Language Models (LLMs) recognise your organisation, your clients, and your messaging, and include them in their generated answers. If absent from AI summaries, your organisation risks becoming invisible to a generation of users who rely on these systems for their primary information.
AI can be a blocker, or a connector
AI is a powerful stakeholder in its own right, and like any other stakeholder, can’t be ignored.
During Vuelio webinar ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder‘, the University of Huddersfield’s Dr Anne Gregory highlighted how the growing dependence on these tools is reshaping how we practice communications.
‘AI is much more than just an assistant; it is a powerful actor in the information ecosystem.
‘It mediates our engagement with organisations and individuals, and evidence is emerging that AI is often believed more than other traditional sources.’
This shift in trust represents a significant risk for those caught unprepared. If an LLM synthesises a narrative about your client or brand that is factually flawed, or omits your perspective entirely, the speed at which that ‘truth’ takes hold is fast.
However, many PR teams still aren’t paying significant attention to this. Purposeful Relations‘ Stuart Bruce highlighted how teams currently allocate their resources as just one example.
‘If you look at where budgets and effort are currently directed, the focus remains heavily on social media influencers,’ he observed. ‘Meanwhile, far less attention is paid to AI answers, which are becoming significantly more influential and persuasive.’
‘Invisible’ organisations
Media fragmentation has made it harder than ever to maintain a coherent narrative. Between political volatility, geopolitical shifts, and the sheer volume of digital noise, the feedback loop of communications is compressing. In this environment, comms teams need to go beyond monitoring and interpreting to anticipating and ‘pre-bunking’.
Because the risk of being ignored by LLMs is a commercial one. Gartner’s recent report ‘Top Predictions to Inform 2026 Comms Strategies‘ highlighted a critical shift for Chief Communications Officers (CCO) towards Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO).
Gaining visibility in AI answers doesn’t require a skill set completely new to comms professionals, however. The shift can be simple: to be included in an AI answer, your organisation must provide enough digital touchpoints for the model to verify your information as reliable.
As Stuart Bruce puts it: ‘AI creates content in the same way a journalist or an analyst might, by synthesising countless bits of information from across the web.
‘The more touchpoints the AI finds to verify a fact, the more likely it is to include it. If we don’t create an environment where the AI can find enough evidence of our perspective, it simply won’t give it.’
Closing the gap
The secret to a successful campaign in 2026 and beyond lies in ensuring your key facts, executive commentary, and brand milestones are structured and accessible to LLMs – placing information in enough reputable digital locations (from media outlets to white papers and official statements) that an AI agent perceives your narrative as the authoritative one.
As Dr Anne Gregory warned: ‘Once a narrative is set, it becomes extremely difficult to counter. This is why PR must come in early. AI agents use information to create their own sources of knowledge; if the data they collect is flawed, the consequences for the organisation are severe.’
PRs continue to be the architects of brand reputation, tasked with influencing both the human audience and the intelligent agents that interpret the world for them.
What’s next?
The organisations that will thrive in this AI-mediated world are those that earn credibility through the discoverability of their message – like the comms outreach of old, but evolved.
At Vuelio, our platform is built to support exactly this kind of purposeful communication, with our Lumina suite continuing to evolve to meet the needs of today’s comms teams. Whether you are in-house or agency, the goal remains the same: to ensure that when AI is asked a question about your sector, your organisation, or your clients, your voice is the one it uses to provide the answer.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/LLM-visibility-gap.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-04-29 11:11:472026-05-07 15:48:51The LLM visibility gap: Why PRs need to earn attention in AI answers
Artificial Intelligence impacts PR & comms in two distinct ways. It transforms how practitioners work with massive volumes of media, and at a greater degree of sophistication and personalisation. At the same time, it’s also a powerful force shaping how information is surfaced, interpreted, and acted upon across the entire communications industry. What’s changed isn’t just ‘how’ you do the work, but your reason for doing it in the first place.
Not sure if you agree? The current landscape makes clear just how important factoring in AI’s influence is. According to Gartner’s latest predictions for 2026, the mass adoption of public Large Language Models (LLMs) as a replacement for traditional search is expected to drive a significant increase in PR and earned media budgets by 2027. To add to this, BCG’s AI Radar global survey found that corporate investments in AI have doubled since last year.
From the PRCA’s recent green paper on responsible AI, to the CIPR’s focus as part of its survey for 2026, the sector is rapidly investing in this future. And with the EU AI Act deadline on the horizon, the urgency for robust governance and planning has never been higher. As Rupert Younger, Director of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, put it as long ago as 2024: ‘AI is not just a technology, it has become a stakeholder’.
To navigate this new reality, we were joined by Dr Anne Gregory, Professor Emeritus at the University of Huddersfield, and Stuart Bruce, PR Futurist and Co-founder of Purposeful Relations, for our latest webinar, ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder’.
In the session, we explored how this new stakeholder is redefining reputation, influence, and strategy.
What kind of stakeholder is AI?
While many across the comms industry still view AI as a digital assistant for finding efficiencies and speeding up elements of our daily responsibilities, Anne argues it has moved into a more active role:
‘In one sense, AI is a compliant assistant, helping us along the campaign creation trail from research to identifying and prioritising stakeholders, tracking sentiment. But even here, it’s doing that in your name and in your organisation’s name. You have to have a stake in its work, because it certainly has a stake in yours.’
‘We’re becoming increasingly dependent on these tools, and they’re shaping our practice and behavior, but AI is much more than just an assistant. It’s a powerful actor in the information ecosystem.’
While AI lacks anything approaching human intentionality (for now…) its algorithmic processes produce significant real-world consequences. It shapes organisational perceptions and mediates engagement with individuals, often presenting summaries that are believed more than traditional sources.
‘AI is becoming a very strong stakeholder,’ said Anne. ‘ I like Dr. Nici Sweaney’s definition of these agents and AI, it’s an accidental stakeholder’.
Stuart Bruce added that there is still significant confusion regarding what AI actually means for practitioners. Purposeful Relations’ research with 72Point revealed that 44% of UK consumers trust AI answers – a figure nearly double the 24% who trust social media influencers:
‘If you look at where budgets and effort goes at the moment, it’s going to social media influencers; it’s not going into what’s happening with AI answers, which are becoming a lot more influential and persuasive.
‘Anne talked about accidental stakeholders – you’ve actually also got the accidental AI users, because even those people that aren’t using AI, they’re still going to be seeing those AI overviews in search. This is where we talk about ‘zero click’, because people are often seeing those answers and going no further.
‘It’s not just about visibility, it’s actually also about accuracy – how your organisation is being portrayed, your leadership, and your people. You’re going to want your particular perspective to be coming out in AI answers.’
The dangers of underestimating AI’s role as a stakeholder
If AI is treated only as a tool or assistant, organisations face substantial reputational risks. Anne warned about the danger of underestimating AI’s power to curate and shape truth:
‘For a lot of people, it has become a source of truth. Maybe PR people are more skeptical of AI than others… but the world isn’t peopled by AI experts or public relations experts. Even though we know these summaries are often incomplete and biased, we tend to believe them. If we don’t regard AI as an influential stakeholder, we could be putting ourselves in jeopardy.’
Anne pointed out the difference with this stakeholder and stakeholders as they’re currently understood, particularly the media.
‘There’s an interesting difference here. If you’ve got a beef with a journalist and you think they’ve not represented you fairly, you can go and have a conversation with that journalist, and you can present them with a case. You can even go to the editor and get some sort of redress. You can’t do that with AI, not in the same way at all.
‘AI is a very powerful and influential stakeholder, but not one that you can necessarily influence back directly. Once a narrative is set, it becomes really, really difficult to counter it. Which is, of course, where PR comes in.’
Trouble can also come if comms practitioners fail to make full use of traditional tools in the PR kit that came way before AI: getting a story out to as many influential sources as possible.
For a practical example, Stuart shared the story of a university industrial dispute. The AI’s narrative was dominated by the trade union’s perspective, because the union had provided multiple touchpoints – website statements, social media, and media quotes. The university, in comparison, having viewed the situation as negative, only responded directly to journalists:
‘The trade union gave them half a dozen quotes – the university gave them one. It just wasn’t credible. This is what AI as a stakeholder actually means. The more touchpoints that AI can find to verify that a piece of information is a fact, the more likely it is to be included in that AI answer.’
Shifting narratives and the speed of change
Anne reflected on the speed of adoption, noting that CIPR’s AIinPR 2018 literature review could not have predicted the current reach of generative models. She admitted that while the PR industry was initially slow to adopt and adapt, it has quickly developed an ‘obsession with tools’ rather than considering the broader implications:
‘We didn’t realise that AI is a stakeholder for the whole organisation. We are only now waking up to the fact that we have an enormous role in the governance of these systems. At the end of the day, we’re talking about the legitimacy of whole organisations.’
‘If organisations aren’t doing something now, it’s too late.
‘NATO published a paper on misinformation and disinformation and one of the concepts that NATO talks about a lot is “pre-bunking” and “inoculation” – making sure that your information is out there. And that’s what you need to do with AI – it’s too late to wait, and watch, and see. You actually need to be making sure that it understands your perspective now – it’s not just as simple as dealing with a truculent journalist or an activist group. AI is influenced by a multitude of sources.’
Navigating governance and internal responsibility
With a lack of one source of truth regarding the ethical use of AI, Stuart highlighted the importance of ‘living and breathing’ internal governance and responsibility, involving continuous training and feedback loops:
‘Too often what people try to do is create an AI policy, and on its own, that’s fairly meaningless. Governance is something entirely different. The policy only means something if you’ve done some training to go with it.’
Stuart introduced the concept of a ‘social license’ for AI — gaining trust from other stakeholders, internal and external, for how an organisation embraces the technology.
‘It’s making sure that it’s not just about how you as PR people or comms people are using AI, but how the organisation is embracing it. How on earth do we get trust from all of our other stakeholders for the things that we might want to do with AI? How do we bring our employees with us? How do we make sure that we’re using it in the most sustainable way possible?
‘What are we doing to address issues around bias and inclusivity, fairness and access? The answer is going to be different for each organisation.’
What can the industry do now to work with this new stakeholder?
Both speakers offered critical advice for practitioners to follow now. Anne urged the comms industry to continue to question what AI offers and evolve their approach as the technology changes:
‘Constantly ask yourself three questions: Why are we using AI? How is it built? And who is it going to be affecting?
‘Remember, it’s not just an agent at your service; it’s an equaliser of power that takes a stake in you and your organisation as much as you use it to influence others.’
Stuart expressed concern that hype, and confusion, around terms like Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is turning a portion of comms people off of thinking about the ramifications of AI as a stakeholder:
‘There is a lot of hype, but the fundamental point remains: you must renew your communication strategy. If comms people aren’t thinking about this this year, they’re going to be in real trouble.’
Simple tips for AI-friendly outreach
When asked for tips on making media outreach more AI-friendly, Stuart was adamant: do not write for machines.
‘We should still 100% be writing for humans. However, it’s possible to write for humans in an AI-friendly way so that AI can understand and read it as well.’
He identified three factors AI prioritises:
Recency: AI likes fresh content to supplement its training data. If you have a research report, keep refreshing it with new aspects.
Relevance: AI recognises specialist niche titles and trade media. Some syndicate titles that practitioners sometimes sneer at are actually vital because AI uses them to fill data gaps.
Reputation: AI looks for ‘proof points,’ like whether a spokesperson has a matching biography on the website or a consistent LinkedIn profile.
Stuart suggested that practitioners must broaden their scope of stakeholders. While first-tier earned media remains important, much of it is hidden behind paywalls. AI will look elsewhere for information:
‘When a comms team is doing outreach, if the CEO has got a limited time to do interviews, it changes the priority of the ones we’re going to accept. When we talk about owned media – not just necessarily talking about your own owned media – often we’re talking about partners, suppliers, or customers, and what they’re publishing and sharing.
‘We are in public relations – the key word is “relations”. Sometimes we focus on two small a segment of stakeholders. We might look at the media, we might look at politicians, but it needs to be a lot broader than that.
‘We really need to understand all of the relationships that an organisation has and think about whether we can manage those relationships in a better way, but also what impact that’s going to have on AI answers, because it is going to have an impact on both.
‘Fundamentally, organisations need relationships to exist. You can’t exist in a vacuum, so it’s important that we get this right.’
And to finish on a positive note: Anne saw great opportunity for public relations’ new stakeholder in AI – bringing new ways to connect and relate:
‘That’s one positive thing that AI can help us with. Look at the spread of relationships that are going to help us get traction with a whole range of other organisations, and influential people.’
For more on how AI is speeding up the spread of information – and challenges to the comms industry – check out our previous webinar ‘AI, Disinformation and the Risks They Pose for Communicators Today‘ with Thomas Barton, Executive Director of the Council for Countering Online Disinformation and CEO of Polis Analysis.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AI-is-the-new-stakeholder-for-PR-and-comms.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-04-23 16:21:402026-04-30 13:41:34AI is the new PR & comms stakeholder
What are journalists looking to cover in April and beyond? With another big holiday now behind us in Easter, it can be tricky to know what topics might stand out for the media in among all the current affairs and trending issues. From insight via the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service (which is now also available in the Vuelio platform), we share what journalists have been looking for recently and where you can expect to get media coverage over the next month or so.
Interest in home improvements rising
The Home & Garden category is always a popular one on the Journalist Enquiry Service but recently ‘home’ has been cropping up in a lot of enquiries – in March, it appeared in 11% of the total for the month. Within this, there were also around 2% focused solely on ‘interiors’ as journalists look to get experts and comment on ways that people can make home improvements before the summer arrives.
Journalists at Your Home, Livingetc, Homebuilding & Renovating, House Beautiful, Metro, Daily Mail, and Ideal Home all sent enquiries last month relating to the home. These included looking for case studies of interior designers or influencers who have created a beautiful home, expert commentary about using vintage pieces from the 1960s in homes, home storage products to review and for information on a Spring/Summer home, garden & DIY makeover feature.
Going forward? In April last year, ‘home’ appeared in just over 8% of the total requests meaning that journalists will continue to be looking for experts, products to review and case studies for the rest of this month and likely into May as well. Interior designers are particularly popular but anything home-related will have a good chance of securing media coverage in either consumer magazines or websites.
Running and fitness experts in demand
Marathon season is very much upon us with the Brighton marathon taking place last weekend, and Manchester happening this weekend, before London on 26 April. The media has been looking for experts in this field, and ‘running’ has cropped up in 2.5% of requests in March. Journalists have also looked to cover health and fitness more generally as well and ‘fitness’ appeared in just over 2% of the enquiries last month.
The running-related requests have included the best running essentials for beginners inspired by the London Marathon, a physiotherapist specialising in running, and PTs and running experts to provide advice and tips on carbon plate trainers. Meanwhile, the fitness enquiries have seen journalists looking for diet and fitness transformations of women over 40, information on the new wave of wearable health and fitness tech you can talk to, and a physiologist or sports science expert to provide comment for a piece about cardio fitness.
Going forward? We are very much into ‘running season’ right now and the media are regularly looking for experts (running coaches, former athletes, and personal trainers) to help give advice or tips to tie in with their articles. Running appeared in 2% of the total requests in April last year, so we would expect to see similar engagement this year. Fitness more generally is a frequent keyword on the service and normally offers up more opportunities to feature case studies and products to review. If you have experts ready to give comment then they could get coverage in Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, The Times, Marie Claire, or The Independent as journalists from all these titles sent a request last month.
Gardening tips and advice wanted
With Spring now fully in bloom and better weather (slowly) returning, journalists look to cover gardening tips and tricks to share with their readers. ‘Gardening’ appeared in a little over 5% of all the requests in March with ‘plants/planting’ featuring in 1.5% as the media sought advice on what flowers and shrubs people should be looking to plant during this season.
Journalists at Country Living, Good Housekeeping, PA Media, Gardens Illustrated, and woman & home have all sent gardening-related enquiries in March. These have mainly been asking for experts to answer questions such as solving daffodil blindness, whether you should get rid of caterpillars and about self-seeding plants. There have also been a few case study requests for people who grew their own balcony garden in a city apartment, and for products to review such as lawnmowers and other gardening equipment.
Going forward? April last year saw a similar level of interest in gardening to March this year with 5% of all enquiries being around this topic, and it then increased in May 2025 to over 6%. Journalists will tend to seek out gardening experts to share their advice but there will also be the chance to get products featured and case studies as well.
Other opportunities for PRs in April and beyond
The current war in the Middle East has generated a lot of media attention and that has fed through to the Journalist Enquiry Service as well, particularly in relation to ‘energy’ which appeared in just over 3% of the requests last month. The war’s impact on gas and oil prices has been the main focus of journalists sending requests and we are likely to see more enquiries regarding energy experts and analysts to share their insight going forward over the next few weeks and months.
Another topical issue is the ‘environment’ and that cropped up in 3% of all enquiries in March. With Earth Day taking place on 22 April, there is likely to be a greater focus from the media on this topic. If you have environmental experts or case studies of people that are making a difference to reduce their impact on climate change and global warming, then they could well get national or broadcast coverage.
Want to get the most out of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service? Find out how here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/How-to-get-UK-press-coverage-April-2026.jpg430760Andrew Strutt/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngAndrew Strutt2026-04-16 13:59:332026-04-16 14:06:21Home improvement advice, running coaches and gardening experts: How to get UK press coverage in April 2026
For the 15th time since March 2023, the resident doctors went on strike following the Easter break, bringing the cumulative cost of the dispute, according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, to an estimated £3bn. The strikes have developed following a breakdown in talks between the Government and the BMA. The passing of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act earlier this year, which was originally intended to be conditional on positive BMA talks, briefly hinted at a thaw in hostilities. Streeting has also spoken positively about talks, saying that he believed the Government and the BMA had ‘collectively constructed a serious, good-faith attempt to resolve this dispute’. The deal presented by the Government included a minimum pay rise of 3.5%; higher pay rises on average for the lowest paid foundation year 1 (FY1) and foundation year 2 (FY2) doctors, at 6.2% and 7.1% respectively; reform of the pay structure leading to more frequent pay rises; at least 4,000, and up to 4,500, additional specialty training posts over the next three years, with at least 1,000 of these beginning this year; reimbursement of mandatory royal college exam fees; and substantial contract reforms to locally employed doctors.
Despite these ‘constructive talks’, the BMA has accused the Government of moving the ‘goalposts’ at the last minute, moving from a two-year pay uplift to a staggered increase distributed across three years. From the Government’s perspective, the BMA’s expectations are ‘unreasonable and unrealistic’, triggering a regression into the bitter hostilities seen previously with public appearances laced with high criticism and dismay at the actions of the opposing parties, rather than the ‘collective’ reasoning and negotiation. On the picket line, Chair of the BMA Dr Jack Fletcher said that the Government is now refusing to talk with the BMA and offer a ‘credible deal’ that does not have real-term pay cuts baked in. The Government chose, through the Prime Minister, to publish an article in The Times, saying the rejection of the deal was reckless and benefited no one. At the time, Starmer issued a 48-hour ‘take it or leave it’ ultimatum which went unheeded. This ‘strongman’ approach seems to show the Government reverting to type on this issue, having responded to calls for a more collaborative and respectful approach to dealing with the BMA in the past. Since the conclusion of the strikes, Streeting has also been unequivocally sharp in his frustration and criticism with the BMA’s actions, asking them to ‘stop pretending that this government can sort out everything for everyone everywhere all at once’ and calling their claims ‘categorically untrue’ and ‘nonsensical’.
A key aspect of the Government’s ultimatum was that if the strikes went ahead, the Government would have to pull the 1,000 specialty training places put on the table for the current training round. The Government has said this was being pulled to cover the costs of the strikes, taking place in a period to cause the most ‘havoc’ to the NHS. For them, this was not a punishment nor a threat, but a logistical choice the BMA has made. This move has been criticised, including by Jeremy Corbyn MP who called the move a ‘disgrace’ that will cause patients to suffer and push doctors to leave the UK and work overseas. Once again, this highlights the irregularity of negotiations between the Government and trade unions more widely. To seek an end to a dispute there must be negotiations between the two parties involved, and where an agreement can’t be reached compromise is sought from the parties. If a compromise can’t be reached then the Government must opt to either exit negotiations or leverage themselves in the negotiation to reach a compromise. The issue arises where leverage over public sector workers, such as pulling training places, ultimately always harms the public and the Government’s objectives as well as those on strike.
This creates a paradox where the Government is forced to leverage against its own ambitions while the trade union stays, as it seems, in an uncompromising stance able to criticise this leverage as harming the public. Of course, the Government could do more and spend more to appease the concerns of the BMA, drawing money away from other key areas in the healthcare sector, or the wider public purse as a whole. But as noted by Streeting, this could cost over £30bn a year once all public sector employees are considered. Importantly, when we look at the BMA itself, its own employees have chosen to strike having been offered a 2.75% pay rise, notably below the 3.5% Government offer to doctors which the BMA has described as a ‘crushing blow’. This possible irony encompasses the complex nature of this situation and the frustration that stems from the Government. Nevertheless, the Government must square this circle to alleviate further criticisms, whether those are calls for more financial generosity and ‘backing’ of the NHS, or for an outright ban of doctors strikes. The latter, which according to the FT is reportedly under review by senior health officials, could represent a seismic shift in industrial relations.
The upcoming local and devolved national elections will prove hugely consequential for the Government with polls placing its popularity at record lows. For the Labour party, the bar for success is probably the lowest it has ever been, with no control over Scotland nor Wales being deemed a probability rather than a disaster as it once was. Reform, Plaid Cymru and the SNP, the strongest cohort of the non-traditional parties in the upcoming elections, look set to dominate both in Scotland and Wales, bolstering a wide array of proposals in the health space. It is useful to examine the likely winners and understand, specifically in the case of a probable coalition Government in Wales, what policies are the sticking points for parties. The SNP is polling strongly in Scotland, relative to what could have been a difficult election. According to a MRP poll conducted on behalf of the National Newspaper, the SNP is predicted to win a small majority, taking home above 30% of the vote. The party’s manifesto is yet to be published but will highlight the steps ahead for the health sector.
In Wales, current polling suggests a Plaid Cymru win, with Reform taking second spot, and the incumbent Welsh Labour Government falling to less than 25% of the seats, a huge drop for a long-lasting administration. Polling also suggests a possible coalition bridged between Plaid Cymru with Labour and/or the Greens. For Plaid Cymru this presents a decision to either form an alliance with the experienced Government-ready Labour Party or the fresher and arguably more ideologically-aligned Green Party to form a workable Government.
In its manifesto, Plaid Cymru sets out two key pledges to recruit 100 additional salaried GPs and establish 10 new surgical hubs to tackle regional ‘postcode lotteries’. The vision presents a decentralised governance model, seeking to remove political influence by transferring responsibility for placing boards into special measures to a reformed NHS Executive specifically tasked with managing operations set out by the Government. In its plan for the First 100 Days set out in February, Plaid Cymru said that it would also commission an independent review on the performance of the NHS in Wales and establish a health finance efficiency team to drive fiscal performance. This focus on efficiency is a key pillar throughout all manifestos, highlighting the cross-party consensus on the plethora of waste in the current slow-acting, overly bureaucratic NHS system. Plaid Cymru also pledges a Real Living Wage for social care workers and the implementation of a ‘no wrong door’ approach to mental health that bridges the gap between child and adult services. A core part of Plaid Cymru’s plan for Wales is a shift to prevention, centred around a new dedicated Minister for Public Health. Other initiatives outlined by the manifesto include greater emphasis on social prescribing and nature-based interventions, 28-day guarantees for Carer’s Needs Assessments, and a ‘young cancer travel fund’ to assist patients with the hidden costs of seeking treatment far from home.
Reform UK’s plan for Wales focuses closely on structural accountability, performance-driven management, and a return to standardised care. The proposal is a comprehensive emergency action plan to scale up planned care and eliminate corridor care through national patient flow standards. A key theme is professional rigor: an intention to tie health board leadership pay and contracts directly to performance while amending the NHS Wales Act to allow for direct ministerial intervention in cases of persistent failure. Reform also seeks a reversal of the NHS’s approach to identity and language, pledging to end the use of the term ‘birthing persons’ and strictly maintaining single-sex wards. The plan also includes modernising the NHS Wales App, standardising IT systems, and introducing targeted recruitment incentives for dentists in rural areas. It also emphasises ‘lawful resident status’ as a requirement for NHS eligibility, framing healthcare as a benefit reserved for those with legal standing.
The Green Party’s vision for Wales centres on transforming the nation into a ‘Marmot nation’ where health equity is a national mission, moving away from fragmented, disease-led models toward a system built on prevention and long-term wellbeing. This vision begins at the first 1,000 days of life, with the manifesto focusing on strong access to perinatal care and youth mental health, while enshrining the right to healthy food and regulating harmful food environments to treat obesity as a public health challenge. The manifesto also calls for a 20–30 year workforce plan, improved gender-affirming care, and a gendered approach to mental health. Through the expansion of Nature for Health programs and the retention of 20mph speed limits, the policy seeks to integrate environmental health with medical care.
Welsh Labour’s manifesto proposes a £4bn Hospitals of the Future Fund, which aims to drive new hospital builds and major developments across the country. The primary care strategy hinges on a guaranteed appointment for medical needs and a significant expansion of dental services, including a new dental school and a revised dental contract. Labour also places a heavy emphasis on specialised health plans, specifically targeting women’s health with dedicated actions for endometriosis and incontinence, alongside maternal mental health support. Their preventative agenda is notably interventionist in line with national Government proposals, seeking a ban on energy drink sales to under-16s and exploring new planning restrictions to keep takeaways away from school grounds. To ensure delivery, Welsh Labour plans to regulate NHS managers and set a strict 26-week target for all NHS appointments.
With the May elections less than a month away, polling suggests that Labour will fall short in both Wales and Scotland. The current projected winners, Plaid Cymru and SNP, will likely represent a greater push for the devolution of powers and authority in the health space, further decentralising control. Greater devolution, while reaping the benefits of care managed closer to home, could also lead to weaker cross-border healthcare and policy synchronisation across the UK, potentially exacerbating health inequalities. This is a vital consideration the aforementioned parties must take when deciding to take steps asymmetrical to the UK Government. Meanwhile, the UK Government is still attempting to wade through the miry depths of as low as 16% in polls. There is wide speculation that a catastrophic round of May elections, however that will be defined, could see the likes of Angela Rayner or Streeting come into play. The latter of whom the BMA could will be happy to see the back of as Health Secretary…
In the fast-paced world of public relations, success often comes down to timing – and precision. To help you hit the mark this month, the Vuelio research team has been busy adding new opportunities for media outreach and connection to the platform.
April has been a month of significant expansion and refinement – from forward features, to increased international data, the platform is more primed than ever to help you navigate the media landscape and share your message.
Here is a breakdown of the latest data and trends to inform your strategy for the coming months.
More contacts to leverage across the globe
Our research team has been hard at work to ensure the platform remains accurate and comprehensive for comms. This month, an extra 5,745 outlets were added to the Vuelio Media Database, bringing the total database to over 1.24 million media destinations worldwide.
Our international reach continues to broaden, so if you are managing global accounts, make the most of extra opportunities in these key markets:
United States: +980 new outlets Italy: +531 new outlets France: +325 new outlets South Korea: +220 new outlets
In the UK, we’ve added refreshed and deepened information for 2,671 media contacts, ensuring your outreach engagement rates remain high.
35,000+ forward features now live
There are now 35,684 individual opportunities to dive into for your media outreach.
Instead of reacting to the news cycle, look months ahead to see when major publications are planning features on everything from renewable energy to wedding trends.
How to use this data across sectors:
What Journalists want from PRs this month
The Journalist Enquiry Service, now accessible within the Vuelio platform, remains a vital pulse-check on what the media needs from PRs. In April, the team processed over 2,000 submissions from journalists, broadcasters, and content creators, with the Daily Mail, The i paper, and PA Media leading the charge.
If you are looking for quick wins this month, our data shows that journalists are actively searching for:
Practical Living: Beyond just interiors, there is a shift toward practical advice. Think home improvement, cost-saving tips, and sustainable living.
Broadening Tech Horizons: While AI still dominates the headlines, journalists are now seeking expert commentary on broader digital transformation and how technology impacts traditional business sectors.
Specialist Insight: We are seeing a steady rise in requests for authoritative, human voices to comment on complex health and social topics – get case studies and spokespeople primed and ready.
Best of Lists: There is an insatiable appetite for product reviews and buying guides, particularly in the home and lifestyle categories.
Expert insight: Shift from reactive to proactive
To wrap up this month’s update, we asked our Research team for their top tip for the coming weeks. The consensus? Lead with demand, not lists.
Instead of simply blasting a press release to a pre-saved media list, use Journalist Enquiry Service insights to see what journalists are actually asking for today, and then use the Forward Features tool to see what they will be asking for in three months.
When you approach a journalist with a solution to an editorial gap they’ve already identified, you stop being a pitcher and start being a partner.
Find out more about Vuelio’s suite of products for PR, comms, and public affairs professionals here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-state-of-journalism.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-04-14 14:47:262026-04-14 14:47:26PR opportunities for media outreach this month: The latest updates on the Vuelio platform
Determining the future of your communications strategy shouldn’t feel like guesswork. In 2026, the industry is moving from tactical delivery to an era of strategic value, where the most successful teams act as the architects of an organisation’s social and reputational capital.
Here are predictions that have direct implications for external PR and earned media strategy, and how Vuelio can help comms, PR, and public affairs professionals meet the challenges ahead.
The rise of earned proof in an AI-mediated world
Gartner predicts a fundamental shift in how trust is established. 60% of communications leaders are forecasted to focus their strategy on ‘Earned Proof’ – building trust based on what an organisation can demonstrably show, rather than just what it claims.
Building this proof means understanding how your stories are being interpreted. Vuelio’s Media Monitoring provides a 360-degree view of your impact across broadcast, print, online, and social media. However, in a fragmented landscape, a list of clips is no longer enough.
This is where Lumina, our AI suite built specifically for PR and comms, becomes vital. Its Stories & Perspectives module moves beyond simple alerts to cluster mentions into narratives, reflecting different media and stakeholder angles. By seeing how stories evolve and where they gain traction, you can identify the exact moment to inject authentic voices, such as employee or customer advocacy, that AI models interpret as markers of trust.
Reputation agility and the end of siloed monitoring
Gartner anticipates that the speed of the news cycle will demand ‘Reputation Agility’; an ability to detect early signals and respond before misinformation enters AI-generated summaries. This is a critical defensive measure, as Gartner predicts that 70% of communications leaders will use AI-driven tools to detect and respond to reputation-damaging content before it reaches a mainstream audience. The path a story takes today is kinetic, often striking political triggers that abruptly change its trajectory.
Navigating this complexity requires breaking down the walls between media management and public affairs. If your platform only tracks one strand of a story, you are missing half the picture.
Vuelio offers a fully integrated platform that connects media monitoring with a comprehensive Political Database and Political Monitoring. This allows you to track a narrative as it travels from a local planning debate to the floor of the House of Commons. Our in-house Policy Research team acts as an extension of your own, flagging relevant announcements and providing the context needed to respond at pace.
‘The path a message takes in today’s multi-platform media and political landscape is often unpredictable, subject to potential rebounds and buffers,’ explains Kelly Scott, VP of Government and Stakeholder at Vuelio. ‘In this environment, it is absolutely vital to correct misinformation at pace, engage with both media and political influencers, and mobilise credible third-party voices.’
Influence intelligence and the role of the central strategist
Gartner posits that PR and comms professionals are transitioning into a central intelligence role. This shift is driven by the need to manage automated influence; Gartner predicts that by 2027, 30% of influencer-driven interactions will be managed by AI entities, requiring comms teams to monitor brand representation not just in headlines, but in the answers generated by AI systems.
Operating as a central strategist requires moving beyond counting clips and towards measuring value creation. Vuelio Insights provides AMEC-accredited analytics that allow you to track share-of-voice and key message penetration, linking coverage directly back to commercial goals.
Vuelio’s Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) is purpose-built for the nuances of comms. It serves as a corporate memory, allowing your team to log every interaction, from a call with a journalist to a meeting with a civil servant, in one searchable place. This ensures your organisation speaks with one voice, protecting your reputation across all channels.
In this evolving landscape, the PR professional is becoming the primary architect of brand reputation, tasked with influencing both human audiences and the intelligent agents that interpret what those audiences see. By aligning human trust with machine interpretation through a unified platform, you can transition from being a communicator to a strategic leader who predicts shifts and advises at the highest level.
Future proofing your strategy
The future of comms is integrated, evidence-led, and highly strategic. At Vuelio, we believe that providing the right intelligence infrastructure is the only way for organisations to operate at the speed and scale this new environment requires. Our commitment is to empower communications teams to deliver meaningful impact by turning complex data into actionable strategy.
By unifying media, political, and stakeholder intelligence into one ecosystem, we’re here to help you understand not just what is happening, but why, and what to do about it.
Want more about stakeholders strategy? Sign up to Vuelio’s upcoming webinar on an increasingly important stakeholder in 2026 – artificial intelligence. Join us for ‘AI as the New PR & Comms Stakeholder‘ on 21 April.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SRM-vs-CRM.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-04-09 14:47:342026-04-09 14:47:34What Gartner's 2026 comms predictions mean for your strategy and how the latest generation of PR tools can help
Political reporting in the UK is arguably more splintered and divided than ever before. Combine that with a significant number of younger people losing interest not only in politically-focused news, but in politics completely, the media ecosystem is a difficult one to operate in for journalists, but also for PR teams with important messages to share.
At the recent Society of Editors conference, political reporters from newspapers and broadcast media reflected on the challenges and opportunities – here is what this means for PR and comms professionals navigating the political sphere.
The importance of neutrality
While many newspapers have in the past declared their political allegiances, especially in the run-up to elections, the majority of political journalists today are striving for neutrality. This is even more important for broadcast journalists, as Sam Coates, deputy political editor at Sky News, explained:
‘When you’re a broadcast journalist, people have a different type of relationship with you than they do with journalists in print. They form a view on how you go about your job and how you present what you say. Therefore, fairness when reporting across political parties and reporting across the government system must be absolutely at the heart of your approach.’
Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent at The Times, has worked across ‘the full political spectrum’ when it comes to news organisations, having reported for HuffPost, Sky News, and now The Times. Aubrey hasn’t found it too challenging to adapt as ‘you are led by the stories and the facts that present themselves’. Integrity to the story was something that Sam also emphasised – ‘you’ve got to be respected on all sides’ to earn the trust of audiences, sources, and colleagues.
The impact on PRs: Political press releases and information should be presented as neutrally as possible. Broadcast journalists especially can’t be seen to favour a particular side and the facts need to be trustworthy and reliable for use. Some news outlets do still have more of a political stance, so always keep in mind who you are reaching out to when putting a press list together for your media outreach, and what will most likely appeal to them.
To help, the Vuelio Media Database features content details and deep intel on media covering the entire political gamut, featuring print, broadcast, podcasts, social media, and more. To receive requests directly from reporters and broadcasters covering politics in the UK and internationally, check out the Journalist Enquiry Service, now embedded into the Vuelio platform.
With politics now inextricable from the majority of media reporting, Vuelio’s integrated political suite also offers a Political Database, Political Monitoring, and more, all in one place.
Differences in national political reporting and local
The majority of national press titles will have a journalist based at Westminster making use of their lobby pass to the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, and daily briefings.
Sam believes that it’s important that there are journalists on site ‘trying to understand how political parties, government departments, Downing Street, and the operation of power actually works’ and communicating this to the public.
Aubrey echoed the importance of the lobby as ‘a really powerful force’, highlighting its role during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as journalists demanded answers from the government on issues with national significance.
Local news outlets are unlikely to have a journalist based out of Westminster and therefore have a different focus when it comes to reporting on politics. Maria Breslin, editor of the Liverpool Echo, explained:
‘We have a local democracy reporting service, which is really important in terms of reporting on what is happening on the ground with our local authorities and our councils. I think we’re in a different space than the national press. We’re thinking about how politics impact on the lives of people, and telling people’s stories, as opposed to politics for the sake of politics.’
Impact on PRs: It may sound fairly obvious, but national press journalists are looking to get political news and information that is going to impact the whole of the country. Already inside Westminster, they have the ear of government officials, so exclusive political research and information with implications on a national scale will catch their eye.
Local outlets are much more focused on their specific audience and are, naturally, covering politics closer to home. Case studies are likely to resonate well with local political reporters, or experts that can delve into how the latest political issue, controversy, or announcement will affect people directly, and what it means for their town, city, or county.
Have relevant case studies to offer journalists? Connect with local reporters via the Journalist Enquiry Service.
Meeting the audience where they are
While national and local press have different audiences that they target, both are now increasingly moving towards where their audiences are getting their news – social media. Maria remarked on the fact that there is now ‘a whole generation of people who source their news from different platforms’. This includes platforms like TikTok (a social platform increasingly employed by Reform UK in its campaigning) for big political events like party conference season.
This has been a key consideration for Sam and Sky News as well, which has a daily podcast, previewing what the day ahead looks like from a political viewpoint. It’s been put together with the audience front of mind:
‘Everything about how we do that podcast is designed to meet a very particular audience. It’s made so it’s ready for the commute of people, largely in Westminster, and it was conceived and designed because we had this audience in mind. And this is the kind of conversation and thought process that’s going on at Sky News right now.’
Impact on PRs: While political reporters and columnists are still writing for print, there is an increasing likelihood that the content will go out across various platforms including vertical video sites like TikTok. Journalists therefore no longer just need facts and stats, but may require visuals and spokespeople to work across these different mediums. If you’ve got experts who are comfortable with speaking on camera, or would be willing to make appearances on podcasts or vlogs, then this will help them to stand out and get them coverage.
To monitor which platforms to target for your upcoming campaigns, Vuelio Media Monitoring and bespoke reports from the Vuelio Insights team offer a 360-view of what is becoming an increasingly fragmented media and political landscape – harder to navigate than ever before, but filled with extra opportunity to share your story. Want more insight? Uncover narratives emerging in the press with Vuelio Lumina.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Second-television-debate.jpg430760Andrew Strutt/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngAndrew Strutt2026-04-08 14:14:332026-04-08 14:24:18How the changing landscape of political journalism impacts PR and comms professionals
Engaging the attention of audiences as the media continues to splinter into new formats is a major challenge for PRs. Operating in this world of fewer ‘gatekeeper’ titles brings opportunity (more spaces for coverage) but also confusion (where should PRs place their energies and time when reaching out to the media?).
Counter in the erosion of trust in ‘traditional’ media formats, the mass move to social for news and entertainment, and the proliferation of AI-generated content, and the challenge for PRs becomes not just being heard, but being believed.
In the midst of this noise, one medium has moved from the fringes to the heart of the media mix: the podcast. Podcasting has become a powerhouse of influence, offering a level of intimacy and engagement that print and even broadcast television can fail to match.
Here is why podcasts should be part of your campaign planning and media outreach:
The power of authentic conversation
The move towards podcasting is a shift towards greater depth and connection. For recent webinar ‘The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and government communications’, Vuelio partnered with the Institute for Government alongside former No.10 Press Secretary and The Rest is Politics Presenter Alastair Campbell, The Times Washington Editor Katy Balls, Chief Executive of Government Communications (2021 – 25) Simon Baugh, Institute for Government Programme Director Alex Thomas and Senior Fellow and moderator Jill Rutter to discuss the changing nature of how we connect with audiences.
Katy Balls highlighted the blueprint for success used across the Atlantic to engage with audiences ahead of the election:
‘When you look at the last US election, there was a podcast strategy to reach the young men who were perhaps less good at getting out to vote, a bit non-political. It was an unconventional way to get to voters. It didn’t feel as though it came up through focus groups; it feels like an authentic conversation.’
This ‘authentic conversation’ is what PR campaigns can lack when relying solely on social media soundbites or static press coverage. A podcast allows a brand, organisation, or spokesperson time to explain a complex position, humanise a leadership team, or dive into the nuances of a CSR initiative.
Breaking through the static
For Alastair Campbell, the boom in podcasting represents a healthy pushback against the attention wars of modern social media. He believes that listeners are increasingly hungry for substance:
‘I hope that the podcast world is part of a desire for a kind of deeper debate,’ Campbell said. ‘It’s part of this completely transformed landscape where you have to be heard. Connection is happening all the time. Now, that doesn’t mean you should be communicating all the time. You should be thinking about how your message is being communicated.’
This distinction is vital for campaign planning. It is no longer enough to broadcast a message and hope it sticks. PR professionals must consider the mode of connection. Because podcasts can create a one-on-one relationship between the host and the listener, leading to higher levels of trust than other mediums.
The statistics: A growing influence
The data for 2025 and 2026 confirms this fundamental shift in consumption. Global podcast listeners are projected to reach 619 million by the end of 2026, with the UK market seeing particularly robust growth.
Over 70% of the UK population aged 16+ have now consumed a podcast, with 33% listening weekly.
Research indicates that podcast listeners are more likely to trust recommendations made within an episode than those seen on social media feeds. 86% of engaged listeners can recall ads and brand mentions, a rate significantly higher than traditional digital formats.
The definition of podcasting is also evolving. With YouTube now a leading platform for ‘watched’ podcasts, the medium offers a visual component that can be easily ‘clipped’ for TikTok and Instagram, providing a multi-channel return on investment for a single piece of content.
Strategic integration and niche targeting
One of the most compelling reasons to factor podcasts into PR outreach is the ability to target micro-audiences. While a national newspaper reaches a broad demographic, a podcast like The Rest is Politics or niche industry-specific shows reach a highly self-selected, attentive group.
Vuelio’s research into the story of water pollution in the UK highlighted how podcasts can take a complex, emotive issue and sustain public interest over months, rather than the days a typical news story might last. By providing a platform for experts and campaigners to speak at length, podcasts turn news into a narrative to follow.
This is particularly useful for connecting with often ignored audiences. As Katy Balls pointed out, podcasts can reach the non-political or the disengaged by meeting them in a space that feels personal, rather than institutional or overly curated (even if it is…).
How Vuelio can help
Navigating this new landscape requires the right tools. The Vuelio Media Database has been expanded to include comprehensive data on thousands of podcasts, allowing you to identify the right hosts and producers with the same precision you would use for a national editor. You can research topic, audience reach, and even pitching tips to ensure your story resonates with the specific tone of a show.
Vuelio Media Monitoring also includes sophisticated broadcast and podcast data. We monitor thousands of hours of audio content, providing transcripts and alerts whenever your brand, client, or competitor is mentioned. This allows you to quantify the impact of your audio outreach, ensuring that authentic conversation translates into measurable PR success.
Find out more about Vuelio’s integrated services for PR, comms, and public affairs here.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Cutting-through-the-noise-with-podcasts.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-03-19 14:19:172026-03-19 14:43:47Cutting through the noise: Why podcasts should be central to 2026 campaign planning
The ability to react quickly while maintaining a long-term strategic view is what separates successful campaigns from those that falter. Vuelio has always evolved to meet the challenges of the comms industry, which is why we’ve integrated media requests from the Journalist Enquiry Service into the Vuelio Media Database.
In what can be a fragmented and increasingly disconnected media landscape, here are the benefits of an integrated platform for PRs planning media outreach and building relationships with journalists, broadcasters, podcasters, and influencers.
Full context for pitch-perfect pitching
Context is key when planning your media outreach to gain coverage for your brand or clients.
You might find the perfect journalist in your chosen media database, but have no definite read on what they are working on right now, and could need from you. Alternatively, a media request on its own lacks vital background information on the journalist it came from to help you tailor your pitch perfectly.
Embedded media enquiries from the Journalist Enquiry Service within the Vuelio Media Database grants users this wider context. A request now sits in the same platform that features a comprehensive profile of the individual behind it, including their career history and specific patches. This visibility allows you to understand their recent beats and preferred contact methods, gathered by our in-house research team, ensuring your response to a request they made will be both timely and relevant.
Real-time intelligence
Aligning your brand or client with the current news cycle is vital for gaining coverage in the media, in combination with knowledge of what editorial teams are working on for upcoming longer-lead content.
With the Journalist Enquiry Service now a core part of the Vuelio Media Database, PRs have a window into the live newsroom and foresight into what is coming up months in the future – direct from media professionals themselves.
Embedded enquiries can provide a real-time heat map of the topics journalists on your media lists are currently investigating and researching. Comms teams can be both proactive and reactive with their media outreach. Instead of guessing what might be trending, you can see the editorial needs of the UK media as they happen, allowing you to pivot your strategy to meet the immediate demand for expertise.
Streamlining the PR path to media coverage
Managing a busy press office means finding extra efficiencies, and integrated services mean no switching between tabs and platforms.
Both sides of media opportunities (what you’re pitching, and what media professionals need now) are combined within the Vuelio platform.
Whether a media contact is looking for products for a gift guide, a comment for a breaking news story, or a guest for a podcast, PR subscribers to the integrated platform can access requests quickly. This centralisation boosts opportunities for coverage, and improves workflows for comms teams of all sizes, whatever their sector.
Balancing immediacy with longer-term strategy
PR is a blend of short-term wins and long-term authority and relationship building.
Immediate opportunities: The Journalist Enquiry Service provides a constant stream of opportunity – journalists actively seeking help for stories that could go live tomorrow.
Long-term planning: The Vuelio Media Database’s log of forward features lists allows a look months into the future, highlighting seasonal opportunities, and planned editorial specials.
Access to both tools in one platform allows for more effective balancing of daily tasks: A mix of strategy mapping for upcoming campaigns, and responses to urgent press requests, all in Vuelio’s connected solutions for PRs and media professionals.
Supporting you and your clients (current and future)
Deeper intelligence into what the media wants from PRs is here for both in-house teams and agencies.
Media requests that provide insight into opportunities agencies can pitch to new clients are now directly within the platform they utilise for current client campaigns. Prospects and clients can be catered to in one place, with accuracy.
And accurate pitching is vital. One of the most common complaints Vuelio hears when asking the journalist community about their irks is around ‘spray and pray‘ pitching; vague, irrelevant emails that don’t meet their specific needs. To help, our integrated platform provides deeper intelligence into what the media wants from PRs.
When a journalist submits a request that might seem broad (journalists can be vague, too…), the platform’s database allows you to dig deeper into their previous work and editorial deadlines. By seeing their history and the types of stories they usually cover, you can interpret their needs more accurately. This leads to higher-quality responses that provide exactly what the journalist is looking for, which in turn builds the trust necessary for long-term media relationships for you, your clients, and stakeholders.
A unified ecosystem for every PR
Whether you are a dedicated Vuelio users, a long-time subscriber to ResponseSource, or currently using a mix of different services, the transition to a fully integrated platform offers some clear advantages:
For Journalist Enquiry Service subscribers: Moving to the integrated platform provides a wealth of new data. Alongside requests, you have access to a full media intelligence suite that includes a comprehensive database of over one million outlets and influencers.
For Vuelio Media Database subscribers: A new, active stream of opportunities. Stop waiting for your pitch to be opened – respond to journalists who are explicitly asking for your help, in real-time.
For new users: The most complete PR tool on the market, combining a trusted 25-year-old media request service with a world-class media database.
The power of integration
While the media further fragments and grows, the tools the comms industry uses for its outreach need to evolve. The integration of media requests into the Vuelio Media Database is our response to the industry’s need for greater efficiency, deeper insights, and more meaningful connections.
By bringing these services together, we have removed the barriers between identifying an opportunity and acting on it. Comms professionals can now work faster, smarter, and with a level of insight that was previously impossible. Whether you are aiming for a mention in a local blog or a front-page story in a national daily, the platform provides the infrastructure to make it happen.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Journalist-Enquiry-Service-integration-into-Vuelio.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-03-17 11:33:232026-03-17 11:33:23The power of connected media intelligence: Media requests added to the Vuelio Media Database
In previous years, the Spring Statement would dominate the political discourse, acting as the sister to the Autumn Budget and providing a focal point to direct public policy and opposition criticism. However, with Chancellor Reeves’ shift to a single annual fiscal event, the Spring Forecast could instead be seen as another session of repetitive political pantomime.
The almost weekly rendition of an economic metric followed by ‘up’ or ‘down’ to rally the benches works to portray the image of a supported and backed Government. This allowed the Spring Forecast to become a moment for Reeves to celebrate the work of the Government so far. Reeves boasted about the record cash settlement for the NHS and reductions in waiting lists, which recent analysis by the Telegraph found will only meet their 18-week pledge 15 years late, and declined to include the topic of health in any of her forward planning, with focus centred on trade, investment, education, and energy.
Many in the sector will be disappointed by this speech, as it seems despite the NHS being placed at the core of the Government’s mission, the Government is not going far or fast enough to realise its potential. Most fundamentally, the value of improving and investing in the NHS is that it can release benefits and savings all across the economy. One of these areas, social care, experienced its first proper update from the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care when Baroness Casey of Blackstock, chair of the Commission, gave a speech to the Nuffield Trust Summit. Lady Casey called for a ‘sixth social giant’ to match the five set out by the 1948 Beveridge report which concerned the challenge of supporting the old and sick population. Lady Casey called for the Government to deliver the ‘creation moment’ for social care in what was ‘a moment of reckoning’, achieving progress against the backdrop of continual Government failure.
Days prior to the speech, Lady Casey wrote to the Health Secretary Wes Streeting setting out six initial recommendations, ahead of her interim report set to be published this year. The recommendations called for a designated board for adult safeguarding, an urgent review into adult safeguarding statutory duties, scaling up investment in dementia trials, faster progress on the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, a Dementia Tsar, and a fast-track ‘passport’ scheme for those with Motor Neurone Disease. These recommendations were swiftly accepted in full by Streeting, who also confirmed that an interim Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will be published by September, with the full framework by the end of this year. With the Commission holding an end date of 2028, and the repetition of the long-term ‘National Care Service’ in every social care press release, social care may be the slowest moving sector in politics. Many label this the social care political ‘taboo’ with the most prominent example being the failed reforms set out by the May Government, labelled the ‘dementia tax’ in a media and political tsunami. Rather, it would seem it can be more promptly termed the older people ‘taboo’. Recent movements from the Government, but also political parties across the spectrum, further reconcile this. A dramatic moment of political self-harm with the stripping of winter fuel payments, the refusal to touch the Triple Lock, and the inert nature of social care, all highlight that the backlash embedded in policy that impacts older people’s lives leads to impasse on improvements and policy metathesiophobia.
The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, also saw an interim report in recent weeks in which Lady Amos identified six factors which were contributing to pressure on the maternity system and impact the poor performances of many wards in regard to avoidable baby loss. Notably, the interim report took a key focus on the issue of racism and discrimination in maternity wards. This included the prevalence of stereotypes regarding ‘angry or aggressive’ Black women who could tolerate more pain, the discrimination of Muslim women based on their religion, the judgement of young couples, and insufficient accessibility for non-English speaking patients. The report also took note of significant workforce pressures, with many staff working beyond capacity, stretched to fill obstetric rotas and with poor morale, incivility and stress across clinical teams. This has been compounded by poor relationships across workforce hierarchies and inaction against poor behaviour and improper practice. The report says these pressures have accumulated into poor wraparound care, a lack of compassion, and diminished capacity and support in neonatal deaths and throughout the bereavement process.
The Rare Cancers Act gained Royal Assent on 5 March, a Private Member’s Bill by Dr Scott Arthur that has been backed by the Government since it was tabled in October 2024. The Bill was introduced to improve the Government’s focus and research on rare and less common cancers, which can be defined as cancers that affect no more than 1 in 2000 people. The current landscape means that pharmaceutical companies are disincentivised to fund rare cancer research because it appeals to smaller populations, creates weaker profits and can be logistically difficult to conduct clinical trials. The Act requires the Secretary of State to review the law on market authorisations for specialised medicines, called orphan medicinal products, considering international approaches and whether the current approach properly encourages research and investment into rare cancers. The Health Secretary is to report on this within three years of March 2026. The Act also creates a bespoke contact registry for rare cancer patients, appoints a National Specialty Lead and opens the National Disease Registration Service to help facilitate, centralise and promote rare cancer clinical trials.
The Act has been backed by many rare cancer charities including the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, as well as Blood Cancer UK and Brain Tumour Research, who have said the Bill will work to build a framework to improve survival rates for cancers where patients can benefit from a more coordinated research landscape alongside a clearer core point of accountability for the Government. A key feature of the Government’s life sciences strategy has been to try and bring pharmaceuticals companies onboard, working with NICE and the MHRA to bring down clinical trials waiting times and bureaucracy, uplifting investment through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, and most recently, through the passing of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Amendment) Regulations 2026 empowering the Secretary of State to direct NICE’s cost-effectiveness threshold as a matter of public policy. This influx of investment and ‘cosying up’ has been welcomed by the sector but also been scrutinised for a perceived choice to promote corporate profits over patient centred care. Specifically, the Liberal Democrats have been vocal in their criticism, calling for a clear impact assessment of the decision and advocating for this funding to be directed towards more hospital beds and efforts to tackle the crisis of corridor care.
As the political narrative crescendos into the May local elections and the 2024 King’s Speech, policy is expediting, with the notable passing of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act and the Rare Cancers Act, and the imminent Tobacco and Vapes Bill, rounding up the policies outlined in 2024’s King Speech. Labour will look to turn around their polling and the aftermath of the triumph of the Greens in Gorton and Denton. Since the Mandelson saga, Streeting has obscured himself back into the perimeters of the cabinet and has faced calls for his sacking in the wake of a secret plot against Starmer. Many commentators fear that a Labour wholesale reshuffle and reset is inevitable when political destruction impends in the local, Welsh, and Scottish elections in May, and Streeting may be the favourite to throw his hat in the ring for the premiership.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/10-Year-Health-plan.jpg430760Aidan Stansbury/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngAidan Stansbury2026-03-11 15:12:582026-03-11 15:12:58Health in Focus: Rare Cancers Bill, Commission into Social Care and Interim report into Maternity care
Audiences are increasingly on the lookout for trust signals before they engage with a brand or organisation, and what could be more trust-worthy, and engaging, than a high-profile CEO who is willing to speak up with honesty and regularity?
‘Creator CXOs’ – c-suite level storytellers who create content for their brand and share their takes on social media – are on the rise. Yet, despite the resulting surge in executive activity on platforms like LinkedIn, engagement is beginning to plateau or, in many cases, completely plummet.
In flooded feeds, sterile corporate-speak updates and AI-generated ‘thought leadership’ aren’t going to prevent your stakeholders from scrolling. Here’s how to stop your c-suite sparking snores on social and beyond.
Escaping ‘corporate bot’ syndrome
When corporate comms are so heavily filtered and sanitised, they lose the human element that pays off on social platforms. If leaders treat social media as a one-way megaphone rather than a telephone, the audience will switch off.
‘Instead of sharing company wins, like hitting Q3 targets, share the ‘why’ behind the decisions. When you post about a new initiative, explain the difficult trade-offs you faced or the core value that drove the decision. What was the moral compass of the decision made?’
If an executive’s content sounds like it could have been written by any CEO in any industry, it’s lost its human element. Authenticity has to be at the core of the strategy and not just an added bolt on.
Production versus perspective
Outsourcing, team rewrites, and multi-level approval rounds are part and parcel of PR to maintain consistency, quality, and brand voice. And team work or additional assistance is still useful for CXO content – as long as it’s for its production and not its perspective.
When a leader completely hands off their presence to a team without providing personal voice notes or unique takes, the resulting content can very quickly become hollow. Audiences are quick to pick up on artificially – particularly when they’re already served reams of it on LinkedIn already. To bridge this gap, comms teams can act as curators of a leader’s genuine thoughts, rather than architects of a fictional persona.
Prashant believes that the most successful leaders on social media are those who show the ‘messy’ reality of progress:
‘Perfection is intimidating, but progress is inspiring. Posting about a challenge you are currently navigating, or have recently overcome, invites empathy and engagement that a polished success story never will.’
Organisations that transform their CXOs into relatable figures signal the right values rather than just listing titles. They aren’t selling a product, or regurgitating industry talking points, but opening a conversation.
Posting and ghosting
Another pitfall for creator CXOs is the ‘post and ghost’ method – sharing a piece of thought leadership and then leaving the post with no follow-up. Rather than showing an industry expert with an unmissable point-of-view, it can signal a disengaged leader who isn’t interested in the conversation, only the business conversion.
Comments and replies sections are where to stick around to engage with audiences and other creators, and to champion your organisation. A good place to start with opening up a conversation – your own team mates.
‘Stop being the only one talking about how great your company is,’ says Prashant. ‘Elevate the voices of your employees, customers, and partners. Repost an employee’s win with your personal commentary on why you’re proud of them. It shows you are listening and that your leadership has a tangible impact on real people’.
Socially successful CXOs build a community and not just a following. A leader who listens will be more influential than one who only speaks.
Building a reputation
Ultimately, the goal for any PR team should be to help their CXO be more than someone to scroll past.
‘Encourage leaders to share real stories, lessons learned and challenges, not just achievements or announcements,’ advises Patrizia Galeota, PR Specialist & Podcast Host of PR LIKE A BOSS!
‘Posts that reveal personality, values, or a unique perspective stand out in a LinkedIn feed full of generic corporate updates.’
Reputation building means more than the occasional post with no follow-up. As the media landscape fragments and politics, policy, and public opinion become increasingly intertwined, the consistency of a leader’s voice becomes a brand’s greatest asset.
‘Reputation is a downstream outcome of an upstream habit,’ says Prashant. ‘If you want to fix your engagement, sounding like a ‘Creator CXO’ actually does a lot of harm to a personal brand. Starting to sound like a person who happens to be a CXO is better.’
The most successful comms strategies from the c-suite in 2026 will be those that break down the wall between the executive level and the audience. By embracing relatability over perfection, and interaction over broadcasting, brands can ensure their leaders aren’t just seen, but are actually heard.
‘When CXOs communicate directly, it humanises the brand and builds trust. Social updates from leadership can inspire employees, attract talent and signal thought leadership to clients and investors,’ adds Patrizia.
‘Authentic CXO content becomes a bridge between strategy and culture, showing that the organisation isn’t just a corporate entity, but a community led by visible, approachable people.’
For more on communicating with authenticity, read advice from thought leaders at brands including AirBus and FutureBricks on building a personal brand.
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/c-suite-comms.jpg430760Phoebe-Jane Boyd/uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vuelio-PR-Comms-Public-Affairs-Logo.pngPhoebe-Jane Boyd2026-03-10 15:13:212026-03-10 15:13:21C-suite comms getting hit with TL:DR? How to make CXO updates more impactful
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