For years, PR tried to justify itself using the same metric as advertising: Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) — a hypothetical cost of buying the same space as paid media.

Bigger article = higher “value.”

But that thinking never explained what PR actually does. An article is not an advert. It doesn’t behave like one, convert like one, or influence people in the same way.

In fact, the Barcelona Principles — the globally recognised PR measurement framework — explicitly reject AVE, stating that advertising value equivalents are not the value of communications. Modern PR measurement should be outcome-based, not cost proxies.

PR didn’t become unmeasurable.
We just stopped measuring the right things.

For several years, link building agencies enjoyed unusually easy access to journalists. That access translated into a steady supply of high-DA, high-authority backlinks, increasingly rebranded as “PR” or “media” links and positioned as the most valuable links available.

Between roughly 2021 and 2025, the economics worked. Newsrooms were stretched, digital output was prioritised, and contributor pipelines were often lightly policed. A steady flow of “experts”, commentary, and ready-made copy was welcomed — and links followed.

For many operators, it was a golden era.

In today’s digital-first world, visibility isn’t optional — it’s survival. Brands compete for attention not only on Google but increasingly across new AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Traditional marketing methods aren’t enough anymore.

In today’s digital-first world, visibility isn’t optional — it’s survival. Brands compete for attention not only on Google but increasingly across new AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Traditional marketing methods aren’t enough anymore.