Digital PR Ideation Techniques to Test in 2025

Coming up with fresh digital PR campaign ideas that align with your brand is getting trickier, but it’s important than ever with journalists' inboxes overflowing with PR emails, standing out is key.

The solution: hosting engaging, interactive brainstorm sessions to ensure you or your team bring creativity ideas to the table every time.

6 Steps to a Creative Brainstorming Session

1. Move your work environment as a change of scenery can stimulate creativity.
2. Step away from your laptop and use pen and paper to jot down ideas manually, which can often provide a different perspective.
3. Mute any notifications to minimise any distractions.
4. Align your brainstorming with your client's industry, audience and services/products to ensure ideas resonate.
5. Explore successful campaigns by following digital PR accounts or researching competitors' strategies.
6. Look at the types of articles your target publications put out, to understand their key themes to align your ideas with what resonates most with their audience.

Use a Random Word Generator to Spark Ideas

Using a random word generator can help you spark new ideas of unexpected connections. These tools provide random words or phrases that break your usual thought patterns and provide inspiration.

You can then use these random words as prompts to explore how each word might relate to your client’s industry then brainstorm concepts based on these new associations. This simple yet effective method is a great way to think outside the box.

Try the tool here: https://randomwordgenerator.com/

Split Your Client into a Breakdown of Key Themes

Using a tool such as Miro, map out 4-5 key themes for your client and then assign each team member a key theme before the session that is related to your client niche. Before the brainstorming session, ask each team member to add one initial idea beneath their assigned theme on the board. 

During the session, go through each idea and then see what other ideas can bounce off them with the aim to fill every sticky note with contributions. Refine and expand upon these ideas collaboratively during the brainstorming session.

For Visual Thinkers, Use the Picture Association Technique

Similar to the random word generator, picture association uses visuals to inspire creative ideas. This method is especially beneficial for visual thinkers.

• Use images related to the client’s key themes or random images to inspire creativity.
• Brainstorm ideas based on the emotions, concepts, or narratives the images evoke.

Try the random image generator tool here: https://randomwordgenerator.com/picture.php 

Tap into the Digital PR Community for Inspiration

When it comes to ideating it’s also worth utilising the Digital PR community to see what type of campaigns and ideas are performing well.

Many DPR’s regularly share monthly link roundups and coverage they gain on X or LinkedIn which can help spark ideas. The Digital PR community is an invaluable resource for ideation. Here’s how to make the most of it:

• Follow DPR professionals on platforms like X. Many share monthly link roundups and successful campaign insights.
• Subscribe and read DPR newsletters and resources for inspiration.
• Analyse the campaigns generating buzz to identify trends and strategies that could work for your clients.

Key Takeaways

• Prepare in advance: Include all relevant details in the meeting invitation, including the format (e.g. image association, key themes) to help the team prepare.
• Document everything: In brainstorming, remember that no idea is a bad idea. Make sure to write down all suggestions as they may be helpful for future brainstorms.
• Prioritise relevance: Focus on quantity during the session, then take a vote to ensure that the final ideas are aligned with the client's goals and audience.
• Reflect and improve: Regularly review which methods worked best and provide constructive feedback on ideas that weren't selected.
• Revisit past ideations: Keep all old brainstorming boards and revisit them regularly to uncover ideas that could be reused.

By adopting these strategies and tools, your brainstorming sessions in 2025 will be more productive, creative and aligned with client needs. Let your good ideas flow!

Read more about how we can support your 2025 strategy with our Digital PR and Brand PR services.