Print vs Online Press: Which Actually Moves the Needle?
As a publicist, this is one of the most debated conversations in the industry — which is more impactful, online or print press? Here's where I fall:
Print defined a generation. Online press is defining the next one — and delivering results clients can actually measure.
Print remains prestigious, and we still pursue it. But as print circulation fell 7.3% in 2024 alone, and magazine audiences have declined nearly 39% since 2019, online press now delivers what print simply cannot: visibility that compounds over time.
Online coverage stays searchable for years. Backlinks boost your SEO. Placements drive warm traffic directly to your website. And increasingly, online press earns citations from AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity — a whole new layer of discoverability that print will never touch.
The ROI is real and measurable: 77% of press placements with links can boost website traffic, and 67% of CMOs say PR directly drives revenue.
Print will always carry prestige. But in today's landscape, online press delivers results you can actually see.
To read more about this topic in depth, a great frame of reference is a recent story on BOH, called Do designers still care about being published in print? Here they explore the frustration of interior designers landing print press and the benefits of online press.
An excerpt from the feature: “Given the climate, it’s understandable that some might opt to skip print placement altogether in favor of marketing strategies with a more obvious return on investment. “Digital is the new print,” says New York designer Vanessa Katzen. “It’s often the smarter play, and the reach is global, not local. A well-placed digital story can far outlast a print feature, and coverage on a strong domain is an asset that compounds over time.” That also often translates to accessibility when it comes time to make an inquiry. “When I think about the kind of client I’m trying to reach, that person is doing research online before they ever pick up the phone,” she adds. “I want to be findable in that moment.”
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