Why social search is reshaping the future of PR
There was a clear theme at the Digital PR Summit this year: Search has already changed.
That shift was brought to life in a standout talk by the brilliant Isa Lavahun, who unpacked how TikTok and social search are reshaping brand discovery.
The way people discover, research and decide is no longer centred around Google. It’s fragmented, social-first and happening across multiple platforms.
Because social isn’t just for scrolling anymore – it’s where we search.
Social search isn’t a trend, it’s already a behaviour
- 24% of internet users now primarily use social media as their search engine
- 31% use social media to find answers to their questions
- Around 78 % of users use social media platforms for product and brand research.
That’s not niche behaviour. That’s a fundamental shift in how people discover, evaluate and buy.
We’re now in a multi-channel search era
Search isn’t a single moment anymore; it’s a journey.
We’ve moved into a multi-channel search era, where users bounce between platforms depending on what they need:
- Discovery → TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
- Reviews → TikTok, YouTube, Reddit
- Consideration → Reddit threads, comparison content, creator reviews
- Recommendation → Community conversations, comments, influencers
- Purchase → Social commerce or direct
Users aren’t following a straight line anymore, they’re moving fluidly between platforms, formats and voices.
And social search underpins the entire journey.
It’s not just Gen Z – and it’s definitely not just dancing teens
There’s still a tendency to dismiss platforms like TikTok as Gen Z territory.
That’s outdated thinking.
Yes, younger audiences are leading the charge, but the fastest growth is coming from older demographics, particularly the 30–50 age group.
This isn’t a youth trend anymore. It’s mainstream behaviour.
TikTok is shaping real-world decisions
If you needed proof that this goes beyond digital:
77% of Gen Z users go to TikTok when looking for a place to eat.
Not Google Maps. Not TripAdvisor.
TikTok.
They’re searching for:
- “Best brunch in Manchester”
- “Places to eat in London”
- “Italian restaurants near me”
And making decisions based on creators, visuals and real experiences.
The entire media landscape is shifting, too
This isn’t just about audiences. The media and journalists are already adapting. Publishers are going all in on video-first, social-first strategies. According to Reuters, publishers expect search traffic to drop by over 40% in the next three years.
Over three-quarters of news executives are investing in video and actively hiring ‘creator journalist’ roles to produce platform-native content. Traditional media giants like Daily Mail (15M followers) and Sky News (11M followers) are building massive TikTok audiences.
Platforms like TikTok are quickly becoming: A discovery engine, a news source and a distribution channel – all in one.
The rise of “searchable content”
Content is now being created for search within platforms, not just for Google.
Content fills our feeds like:
- “Best X for Y” TikToks
- “Things you need to know before…” videos
- Reddit threads answering niche questions
- Instagram carousels breaking down advice
What this means for Digital PR
The traditional Digital PR model covering campaigns, coverage, and backlinks just doesn’t cut it anymore. Here’s what needs to change:
1. Social insight needs to be baked into the brief
Social insight shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should shape the entire campaign. Because it surfaces:
- Real-time interests
- Audience sentiment
- Early signals of emerging trends
And this is where both reactive stories and big campaign ideas should come from.
2. Think in search ecosystems, not channels
Your audience isn’t just searching Google. Your campaigns need to show up across platforms where discovery actually happens.
3. Build ideas that travel
A campaign shouldn’t stop at coverage. It should spark:
- TikTok content
- Creator conversations
- Reddit threads
- Instagram saves
4. Optimise for real language
Social search is conversational – your content should be too, be aware of what people are searching for on social and make sure your content feeds it.
5. Creators are part of the search results
They’re not just amplification, they are discovery now. Baking creator partnerships and content into your campaign ideas is essential.
6. Measure what actually matters
Backlinks still matter, but they’re no longer the full picture. Look at brand mentions, views, engagement, impressions – there should be a full measurement framework in place that considers more than just link placements.
Social coverage isn’t a “nice to have” anymore; it’s the objective
Social isn’t just amplification anymore, it’s influence. It:
- Shapes what gets discovered next
- Drives conversations journalists pick up on
- Extends the life of your coverage beyond the initial hit
- Builds visibility in the places people now search
- Aligns with where media is investing and growing
This is the shift that needs to take place:
From “how do we amplify coverage?
To “how do we create ideas that are inherently social-first?”
Journalists are already doing this; PR needs to catch up
Journalists are already scanning TikTok for emerging trends, pulling stories from viral moments and using social conversations as proof points.
Your idea now needs to:
- Work as a headline and a TikTok
- Have a visual hook
- Be easy to share and remix
- Spark conversation beyond the article
TikTok is perfect for:
- Reactive press office
- Newsjacking
- Early trend spotting
- Profiling expert voices on video
If you’re not using it regularly, you’re already behind.
And then of course… there’s AI
With AI changing how information is surfaced. Visibility now comes from a mix of:
- Coverage
- Backlinks
- Brand mentions
- Social visibility
- Search demand
Which means your off-page SEO strategy needs to evolve. It now needs to build a ‘multi-channel’ presence across media, social and search.
The main takeaway
Search is no longer one platform. The brands that win won’t just rank. They’ll be:
- Discovered in feeds
- Discussed in communities
- Surfaced in search
- And recommended by AI
The question isn’t whether Digital PR should adapt. It’s how quickly you can catch up. PR and social can’t operate in silos anymore. The lines between them have blurred, and the most effective campaigns are built to work across both from day one.
That’s exactly why our PR and organic social teams sit within the same department – not as a nice-to-have, but as a strategic decision. It means we’re:
- Building multi-channel campaign ideas from the outset
- Using social insight to shape PR narratives
- Creating stories that work as coverage and content
- And making sure everything is designed to travel across platforms
Because in a world where search happens everywhere… your strategy needs to reflect it too.
Sources for stats quoted in this article:
- Marketing LTB, 2025
- Emarketer, 2026
- Fortune, 2025
- Social Rails, 2026
- Media Bistro, 2025
- Reuteurs, 2026
