Niche Communities Are Becoming the New Media, and What That Means for Your PR Strategy (Expert Advice)

From private Slack groups to Substack newsletters, there’s a clear shift in how brands build trust and influence today. 

It’s no longer being built by just getting your brand featured in traditional media, but by building credibility inside niche communities.

Because people are seeking more personalized, value-driven spaces where they feel like they belong.

According to a survey by Confidant and Vytal, published by Axios:

• 88% of Americans engage in niche communities
• 45% of Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X respondents feel more connected to these communities than to mainstream culture
• And 53% say they’re likely to try a brand recommended by their community

So if you're a PR or comms pro planning strategy or campaigns for your client or employer, it’s time to consider partnering with niche communities.

But doing it well takes more than dropping into a Slack or Reddit group and making an announcement. 

That’s why today’s guest expert is Fatou B. Barry, a longtime PR pro and founder of PR Girl Manifesto, an inclusive digital community of over 40,000 members built to support PR and comms professionals through accessibility, mentorship, and fellowship.

In this interview, she talked about:

• Why niche communities are gaining more influence than traditional media
• Choosing the right communities to invest in
• Building trust without being transactional
• How to collaborate with community creators
• What PR metrics actually matter in community spaces

This one is packed with so much gold! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together. 

P.S. We’re capturing all our experts' insights via Leaps, the Expertise to Content platform. We're amplifying real human expertise and experience, and that’s what this series is about. We're sharing the raw experiences of experts in PR, brand, and marketing like Fatou.

Why niche communities are gaining more influence than traditional media

Q: Traditional media outlets have always been a key part of PR. But what changes in how people consume media have made niche communities more powerful or important for influence? Or are there any other changes that have caused this shift? And why should PR teams pay attention?

A: Traditional media still matters, but the way people consume content has fundamentally changed. Audiences today are gravitating toward spaces that feel more intimate, more aligned with their values, and more rooted in shared identity or lived experience. That’s where niche communities fill a gap.

We're seeing a shift from broad visibility to intentional relevance. In a world where trust in institutions (including mainstream media) is declining, people are turning to platforms, curators, and creators they feel a personal connection to, many of whom exist outside the traditional media ecosystem.

Whether it's a Substack newsletter, a private Slack group, a zine, or a hyper-specific digital community, these spaces hold real influence because they’re built on trust, not just reach.

For PR teams, this means the strategy has to evolve. You’re no longer just pitching headlines, you’re building relationships in spaces that may not look like newsrooms but are just as powerful.

Choosing the right communities to invest in

Q: With so many fragmented communities across platforms like Substack, Discord, and private Slack groups and newsletters, how would you advise PR teams to decide which communities are worth investing in? What criteria or signals would you say indicate high-value engagement potential?

A: With fragmentation there is a need for discernment. Not every niche community is going to make sense for every brand and that’s okay. The key here is to pursue alignment.

When evaluating which communities to invest in, PR teams should ask:

(1) Does this space reflect the values or identity of the audience we’re trying to reach?

(2) Is there a consistent two-way dialogue happening (and not just broadcast)?

(3) Who is seen as credible or influential here and do they have real trust or just followers?

(4) Is the tone of this space one we can genuinely show up in, without co-opting?

High-value communities tend to have three things: 

• trust between members and moderators/curators, 
• consistency in how they show up, and 
• cultural relevance because they’re tapped into lived experiences and not just trends.

Building trust without being transactional

Q: As brands transition to engaging with niche communities, they often face challenges in building trust and authenticity. What are some common mistakes you’ve seen, and how can PR pros avoid coming across as transactional or out of touch?

A: The biggest mistake I see is treating niche communities like marketing targets instead of ecosystems. When brands approach these spaces with a transactional mindset, they lose credibility before they even start.

At PR Girl Manifesto, we’ve spent over a decade building a platform that centers care, clarity, and community. That didn’t come from a campaign, it came from consistency. From listening first. 

From showing up even when there wasn’t a moment to chase. And that’s what brands often miss: trust isn’t built in the launch; it’s built in the in-between.

To avoid coming across as out of touch, PR pros should:

1. Do your homework: understand the language, values, and nuances of the space.

2. Share power: co-create, don’t dictate. Uplift existing voices instead of trying to become the voice.

3. Be human: communities can tell when a brand is showing up with real intention versus performative optics.

Ultimately, if the work isn’t rooted in alignment, communities will see right through it. But when brands take the time to build trust, the impact is lasting and mutual.

How to collaborate with community creators

Q: As niche communities gain influence, the role of community moderators, creators, and micro-influencers has become more critical in shaping narratives. How can PR professionals ethically and effectively collaborate with these individuals without disrupting the organic nature of the space or compromising credibility?

A: The people who moderate, create, and cultivate niche communities aren’t just influencers, they’re trust holders.

They set the tone, shape the narrative, and often carry a cultural fluency that outsiders don’t. That’s why ethical collaboration starts with respect for their role, not extraction of their reach.

PR pros should approach these individuals not as transactional amplifiers, but as creative and strategic partners.

1. Start with relationships, not an ask: Don’t lead with a pitch. Lead with curiosity, support, and consistency.

2. Understand the ecosystem: Each niche community has its own values, inside language, and unspoken rules. Respecting those dynamics is key to not disrupting them.

3. Compensate thoughtfully: Just because someone built something out of passion doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable labor. Equity starts with fair pay and clear expectations.

4. Co-create, don’t commandeer: Let creators shape the storytelling. Offer frameworks, not scripts. Their voice is what makes the message resonate.

At PR Girl Manifesto, we’ve been on both sides, collaborating with brands and cultivating our own community. 

The most successful partnerships are the ones where alignment comes first, and authentic engagement is the baseline.

What PR metrics actually matter in community spaces

Q: The metrics for success in traditional media have usually revolved around reach and impressions mainly. What new KPIs or success indicators become more meaningful when your PR efforts are focused on niche communities, and how should teams track these effectively?

A: When working with niche communities, the reach and impressions only tell a part of the story. KPIs should focus on the quality of engagement more than quantity of exposure.

This could look like:

1. Engagement depth: Comments, conversations, shares with added context, these show that your message didn’t just land, it resonated.

2. Community sentiment: What’s the tone of the response? Are people co-signing your message or critiquing it?

3. Collaborator impact: Track the performance of posts or conversations led by trusted community members (e.g., moderators, creators).

I think it’s a mix of combining traditional tools with social listening, audience feedback loops, and post-campaign debriefs with collaborators. 

Numbers still matter, but context and community alignment should matter more.

If you’re going to engage with communities, keep this in mind

Q: Anything else you'd like to add to advise PR teams shifting to a community-first strategy?

A: Listening is strategy: your insights should come from the people you want to serve, not just personas, so prioritize listening before pitching.

Contribution > extraction: ask not just what a community can do for your brand, but what your brand can genuinely offer in return.

Shared values as the brief: before entering any space, ask if your values align. Relevance without resonance is short-lived.

Community isn’t a marketing trend, it's a cultural constant. And I think the most effective PR teams don’t just tap into communities, but help them thrive as well.

As the media landscape continues to decentralize, the brands that will stand out aren’t the ones chasing the loudest headlines. They’re the ones listening deeply, showing up consistently, and building with, not just for, the communities that matter.

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Here’s what stuck with me most from this conversation with Fatou: communities aren’t just a new channel or media type. They’re a different mindset. 

If you try to apply old-school PR tactics to these spaces, it’s going to backfire. These are trust-based communities. That means relationships first, not campaigns. And this is something I’m also learning as well as we’ve been building strategic partnerships for Leaps.

So if you’re a PR pro trying to build visibility in today’s media world, remember it's no longer just about where you show up, but how you show up.

Related:

— Inclusive PR in 2025: How to Go Beyond Optics and Drive Real Inclusion in PR Efforts

— How Shahni Ben-Haim Pitches Stories That Get Media Coverage