Tech marketers are racing to win over target markets with their solutions. In this time of hyper-innovation and technology adoption, marketers have a renewed focus on igniting their marketing strategies to drive growth. Content marketing, events, SEO, and PR are all in the mix.

Marketing executives love a great B2B technology and healthcare platform PR campaign. For many, now is the time to get in front of their vertical, top business, and technology media with thought leadership and news

With the need to make all efforts as productive and high outcome as possible, there is no time to waste. That said, it’s mission-critical to avoid the pitfalls of unproductive PR. In 2025, the landscape is different than it was 10 years ago – it’s even different from two years ago. There are approaches that will go nowhere and need to be tossed out for good –

If the drive is to make every moment of the PR campaign work for you, here’s what you shouldn’t do this year.

#1 – Don’t commence a PR campaign with a press release if you want it covered. The media will not cover a press release from an unknown company. Product releases and other high-quality releases can get lost if an unknown company is issuing the release. The exception to this rule is a business release, which includes a major funding event or acquisition. To get non-transactional releases covered in a consistent manner, a thought leadership campaign where the media is reached out to one-on-one needs to come first. A thought leadership-driven initial strategy helps the reporters contextualize the news releases when they are issued, leading to more solid and meaningful coverage of the news announcement.

#2 – Don’t spam the media. Let’s say you do not have a PR firm, but you do have a list of media. Sending each person on a list the same email in BCC will accomplish nothing except perhaps getting your company on the outlet’s sh*t list. Every marketer should ask the PR firm they are considering hiring how they reach out to the media. A firm spamming on behalf of a company can still damage the company’s reputation to targeted media. Every communication to a reporter or editor, especially at the onset of a campaign, needs to be individualized and as relevant as possible to that specific reporter or editor.

#3 – Don’t expect conceptual and unvalidated ideas to get the media’s attention. At today’s technology companies there are incredible subject matter experts. They very often see powerful trends and shifts in the market; reporters love those insights. However, SMEs need their concepts filtered and supported by either internal or third-party data. In news, positions have to be validated. Going out with a concept will, more often than not, result in zero coverage.

#4 – Don’t go into a podcast interview cold. Hopping on a Zoom for a podcast or video interview can be a great way to get PR visibility –- but they look easier than they actually are to nail. Podcasts are ultra long form and sometimes the hosts have a set of questions that are a surprise or off topic. Interviewees need to prepare beyond their own talking points. They need to get trained on the art of bridging and taking control of an interview in a positive and seamless way to ensure they keep the train on the track.

#5 – Don’t wait to hop on a relevant news topic. If a new regulation is on the horizon or a news story breaks that’s related to the problem your platform solves, don’t wait. When a big event happens, there are a series of stories poised to come out that will include experts, analysis on why it happened, and coverage related to solving the problem going forward. The window to be included in those stories is short – the best plan is to immediately get in front of reporters to be on hand for ongoing analysis of the issue. Determining a week later you have something to say will very often be too late to matter.

The media environment is always changing. In 2025, there are strategies, tactics, and approaches that lead to higher outcomes in coverage. PR campaigns need to be dynamic and evolve to capture the attention of the media. Solid approaches that put thought leadership and the media’s needs first will lead to higher outcome campaigns that support marketers in their drive to raise awareness and reach prospective customers.