Fifteen years ago, CIPR Communications was founded on the principle that strategic public relations can transform organizations. Today, that belief still holds true—only now, the toolkit has evolved. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer an emerging trend—it is an operational reality. And CIPR isn’t just adapting to it; we’re leading with it.
In the inaugural episode of the Digital PR podcast, CIPR Co-Founders Peter and Christina Pilarski sat down with Marketing Director Caron Kwas to reflect on CIPR’s transformation and share how AI is actively reshaping the way we approach public relations, digital marketing, and agency-client partnerships.
️Listen now: Scaling an Agency with PR & AI: Lessons from CIPR’s 15 Years
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Highlights from the Episode
- CIPR’s evolution from traditional PR to a fully AI-integrated agency.
- The strategic fusion of PR and marketing into a unified digital PR approach.
- The critical role of leadership buy-in and experimentation in adopting AI tools.
- Tangible ways AI is enhancing—not replacing—creative and strategic thinking.
- Why quarterly strategies are the new yearly plans.
The Democratization of AI and a Shift in Mindset
The public release of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022. As Peter shared, this wasn’t just a product launch—it was a catalyst.
ChatGPT introduced generative AI to the masses. From solo entrepreneurs to multinational marketing teams, access to intelligent content generation, ideation, and research became widely available. Peter emphasized that AI wasn’t just a tool for engineers anymore; it became part of the everyday marketer’s toolkit.
This accessibility created both opportunity and disruption. For agencies like CIPR, it presented a decision point: evolve and integrate—or risk obsolescence. Our choice was clear.
Accelerating Innovation During a Time of Change
During her year-long maternity leave, Caron watched from a distance as the agency transformed. Upon her return, she found a business not only changed but completely re-architected around speed, value, and AI-enhanced creativity.
Where a press release used to take a full 10 hours of team time—including research, writing, review, and pitching—it can now be produced in a fraction of that time, with more assets, deeper strategy, and stronger client outcomes. Christina highlighted a recent instance where a 10-hour content bank resulted in a press release, multiple video interviews, social posts, and SEO content—while still leaving hours available to the client.
This isn’t just efficiency. It’s reimagining what’s possible in client service and delivering even more value.
Breaking Down the Walls Between PR and Marketing
Historically, PR and marketing were treated as separate disciplines. In many agencies—and many client teams—they still are. But CIPR has long pushed against that siloed model. And now, AI is forcing integration at an accelerated pace.
The internal conversation around content innovation—once a back-of-mind aspiration—is now an essential, daily practice. The distinction between earned, owned, and paid content has blurred. Traditional PR efforts are now infused with SEO intelligence, multimedia assets, and digital storytelling. Tactics that once lived in separate departments are now part of a single content ecosystem.
That evolution has shaped how we scope projects, report on outcomes, and communicate value to our clients. Everything is connected—and everything is trackable, scalable, and strategic.
AI Is an Enhancement, Not a Replacement
There’s a misconception in the industry that AI will replace human creativity. CIPR’s perspective is the opposite: AI is a multiplier.
We use AI to increase speed, expand ideation, and amplify strategy—but never to replace human oversight. Caron emphasized that AI has helped her come back into leadership with more confidence, not less. The ability to experiment with tools, iterate on messaging, and test different strategies has made her more agile and more effective.
The number one predictor of successful AI adoption in organizations is leadership time on tools. The more leaders explore, test, and integrate AI into their workflows, the more empowered they are to guide their teams and clients through change.
Elevating Media Outreach with AI-Enhanced Personalization
One of the standout examples shared in the episode was a recent pitch to a prominent podcast in the travel and tourism space. The host had a track record of never accepting cold pitches—yet CIPR broke through.
What made the difference? It wasn’t just the client’s compelling story. It was the pitch’s structure, tone, and framing—refined using AI tools to strengthen appeal to podcast creators specifically. CIPR used generative AI to identify gaps, highlight unique angles, and adjust messaging for this unique format.
This example illustrates how AI isn’t just being used for content generation—it’s being strategically deployed to increase media acceptance, improve PR targeting, and secure placements in a highly competitive environment.
Moving from Deliverables to Ecosystems
Another significant shift is how CIPR defines deliverables. A press release is no longer just a single asset. It is the seed of a broader content campaign.
Video interviews become social media clips. Transcripts become blog posts. Blog posts feed newsletters. Everything is repurposed, restructured, and redistributed with SEO and engagement in mind.
This ecosystem approach allows us to do more with less. Clients no longer need to commission separate pieces of content—they need only engage in a strategic conversation. From that, our AI-enhanced workflows build a library of assets with consistent messaging and measurable outcomes.
Transparency and Responsible Use of AI
While the team is enthusiastic about AI’s potential, we’re also realistic about its risks. Christina shared a cautionary tale: using ChatGPT to identify PR angles based on upcoming calendar dates, only to discover that the “official days” suggested didn’t exist. The client appreciated the creativity—but the team learned a valuable lesson about fact-checking.
That experience led to a key policy shift. At CIPR, AI-generated content is never published without human review. We’ve also created internal guidelines around responsible use, including training sessions and workflow standards.
Our message to clients is clear: we are AI-forward, transparency-first and always keeping the human in the loop. The technology is powerful—but only when used ethically and thoughtfully.
Changing the Structure of Strategy
With AI enabling more agile workflows, the way we structure campaigns and strategies has also changed. Instead of building rigid 12-month tactical plans, CIPR now works on quarterly strategic frameworks. These frameworks allow for faster iteration, timely pivots, and deeper data review at every stage.
This quarterly cadence provides the best of both worlds. It’s long enough to identify trends and track success, but short enough to adjust course if the market changes—or if a new tool disrupts the way we work.
From content planning to reporting, this shift has made strategies more responsive and performance-driven.
From Expertise to Execution
Many agencies position themselves as “experts,” but expertise alone is no longer a differentiator. What matters is execution—and the ability to turn strategy into outcomes, quickly and consistently.
With AI now embedded across workflows, the value conversation has shifted. Instead of detailing every deliverable line-by-line, CIPR focuses on client goals, strategic capacity, and measurable results. That means moving away from packages based on individual tactics and toward partnership models based on trust, transparency, and alignment.
This mindset has helped CIPR attract clients who are not just looking for a vendor—but for a guide, an integrator, and a team that can lead them through digital transformation.
Supporting Clients Wherever They Are
While CIPR’s internal AI fluency is high, many clients are still early in their AI journey. The podcast conversation made it clear that this is where CIPR excels: meeting clients where they are and guiding them forward.
Whether clients are using ChatGPT’s free version or deploying advanced prompting frameworks, we tailor our approach to their comfort level. We also share training and resources, lead by example, and build custom strategies that demonstrate AI’s value through outcomes.
Our approach is never condescending or prescriptive. It’s about partnership. And it’s grounded in one of our core values: empathy.
Leadership Lessons: The Power of Agency
In an age where AI can replicate intelligence, the new currency is agency.
Having access to knowledge is no longer enough. The leaders and organizations who will thrive are those who take action, make decisions, and execute with clarity and urgency. This is where CIPR’s value shines. We don’t just provide information—we drive results.
Our commitment to AI leadership is also internal. We encourage our team to experiment with tools, share their wins and lessons, and participate in the agency’s evolution. We know that top-down leadership only works when it’s backed by bottom-up empowerment.
Where We Go From Here
As generative AI continues to advance, the nature of marketing, PR, and communication will continue to shift. But CIPR isn’t reacting—we’re building. Our processes are designed for agility. Our culture is designed for learning. And our strategies are designed for long-term value.
We’ve embraced AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity to become better. Better strategists. Better partners. Better communicators.
This is the future of PR. This is the future of marketing. And this is what it means to lead in an AI-enabled world.
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Want to Learn More?
If you’re curious about how AI can enhance your marketing or Digital PR strategy, or if you’re unsure where to start, our team is here to help. Book a discovery session with our experts, and let’s explore how to evolve your communications strategy together.
