Posted By Eileen Flynn on April 02, 2025
As PR pros, we’re among the first to recognize the rapid changes in the media landscape. To stay current with these important shifts, Tier One recently launched its Earned Media Innovation team to track emerging trends. From ongoing layoffs and restructuring at traditional media outlets to the growing popularity of platforms like Substack, Beehiiv, and Patreon, it’s this team’s job to understand the impact of these trends, and effectively counsel our clients on their media relations strategies given this new world order.
Part of keeping up? Regularly speaking with journalists on the ground, whether they’re a rising Substack star or an industry veteran. Earlier this year, we chatted with Polina Pompliano, a former CNN and Fortune reporter who today is an independent journalist and founder of "The Profile".
During our wide-ranging conversation with Polina, we discussed the rise of independent journalism, the challenges and opportunities of building a personal media brand, and how PR professionals can best engage with journalists outside of traditional media structures.
1. Building a Loyal Audience Is Critical to Independent Success
Polina spent much of her career at Fortune, but eventually transitioned to pursue an independent career with “The Profile.” While authoring Fortune’s daily newsletter, “Term Sheet,” which covers the latest news, insights, and analysis on financial deals and M&As, Polina built a loyal and engaged following. Having that established audience base gave Polina the confidence to turn “The Profile” into a full-time career.
Polina is just one success story among many former mainstream journalists leveraging platforms like Substack to build independent, personal media brands. Polina emphasized that success in independent journalism — and building a dedicated audience — is not necessarily about being the most talented writer, but rather about showing up consistently, staying persistent, and earning reader trust over time.
2. The Human Element in Writing Is More Valuable Than Ever
While Polina highlighted areas where technology has helped her as an independent journalist — whether with editing or structuring an article — she stressed that AI-generated writing lacks human emotion and that readers can absolutely tell when something was written by AI. Polina credits in-person connection and interaction as critical to her writing process.
The ability to capture nuances and observe behavior, especially in long-form personal profile journalism, is something AI cannot replicate. As automated content becomes more common, Polina believes (and we agree) that the human touch will increasingly become not just the standard in writing, but a premium.
3. PR Pros Must Point to the Data When Working With Independent Journalists
A key part of our role as PR professionals is guiding clients through the shifting media landscape and uncovering new ways to connect with their audiences. This goes beyond working with traditional media channels. As Polina shared, audience size isn’t always the most important factor. Independent journalists may have smaller followings, but their influence within highly engaged niche communities can be significant. When presenting an opportunity to work with independent journalists to a brand, Polina suggests leveraging engagement data to show clients just how impactful working with a smaller, more targeted audience can be.
The New Rules of Media Engagement
Tier One’s discussion with Polina gave us valuable insights into how the media world is evolving. For PR professionals, the key is to stay curious, flexible, and proactive. By recognizing the value of authenticity, human connection, and data-driven results, we can guide our clients toward smarter, more impactful media strategies today and into the future.
Tier One helps brands navigate the new world of earned media.
