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With social media in 2025 offering diminishing returns, how else can creatives build visibility and attract clients?
The creative industry’s relationship with social media is shifting dramatically. As platforms become increasingly pay-to-play and algorithmic changes stifle organic reach, professionals are discovering that the digital megaphones they once relied upon are becoming whispers in an ever-noisier void.
Yet it’s not all bad news. In fact, if you look at it one way, it’s great news because this apparent setback is sparking a renaissance in traditional and alternative approaches to building professional visibility.
“Most brands, creators, and industry pros have built their audiences entirely on social media—but that’s a rented platform,” notes Nicolas Breuil, a full-stack marketer at design studio Koto. “Your organic reach? Three to five per cent per post for a company and 10-20% for individual users on LinkedIn. Algorithm shifts are out of your control. A TikTok ban or policy change could wipe out your entire strategy.”
This vulnerability is leading many creatives to reassess their approach. As Emily Penny, brand strategist and D&AD judge, puts it: “It’s always been about real life relationships. Social media is a distraction. Find the events and communities in the real world and make real connections.”
More broadly, argues Nathan Pollard, partner at Lore, “Creatives need to become more active marketers and promoters instead of passive ones.”
1. A return to traditional PR
In this post-social landscape, traditional PR is experiencing a powerful comeback. Josh Johnson, senior account executive at Red Setter, explains: “Earned media gives you a stamp of approval from a reputable source, which is invaluable in building or solidifying your position as an expert.”
Importantly, it’s not just about showcasing your creative work. “PR can, and should, be used as a tool to respond to current challenges that clients are facing,” Josh explains. “By recognising and—most importantly—offering solutions in well-respected publications, PR can help position you as an expert who understands the client’s problems and can help them resolve them. A good PR team can help craft these stories and get them out there.”
Such sentiments are echoed by Miriam Chumbley, account manager at Red Setter. “PR is a creative’s secret weapon for standing out,” she enthuses. “You may produce the best work among your peers, but if the right people don’t know about it, you’ll miss key opportunities. Having media publications showcase your work or dive into your creative process carries a powerful credibility beyond the self-promoting sphere of your own social channels.”
This kind of storytelling remains more powerful than ever, believes Rebecca Judah, senior communications manager at Wildstorm PR. “Whether it be deep dives into the work or understanding the thinking behind the campaign, success lies in adaptability, innovation, and forging meaningful connections.”
You don’t need to hire experts to do your PR, of course – you can do it yourself. But if you go down this route, our top tip is not to just blindly email people. Most media publications have a specific way of doing things that it’s well worth paying attention to. For instance, you can find our own submission guidelines here.
Also, think beyond text-based media in 2025. “Podcasts are an increasingly powerful medium, offering highly engaged and targeted audiences,” notes Jake Klein, founder of Jake Ryan Consulting. “Their production quality and reach have significantly improved, now constituting approximately 25-30% of my efforts, up from 10-15% five years ago.”
2. The power of owned media
Email newsletters, once considered passé, are experiencing a dramatic resurgence, and for good reason. “The only way to truly own an audience? Emails and phone numbers,” states Nicolas. “Writing and sending newsletters is more effort than social, but the payoff is a highly engaged, owned audience—one that isn’t at the mercy of shifting algorithms.”
This view is supported by Tom Meades, co-founder of Gomi Design. “For us, building a newsletter list has been super important,” he explains. “Posting new projects on Instagram is great, but reliant on Instagram actually showing it to your followers—without paying—which we’ve found sometimes only 5-10% of our followers actually see it.”
Conversely, with a newsletter, there’s no algorithm deciding whether it shows up in the inbox or not. “So we get a much higher percentage of engaged people interacting with the new projects there.”
Laura Connelly, editor-in-chief at Material Source, concurs. “I reckon newsletters have never been more powerful,” she says. “Those who allow you this opportunity are likely to be truly engaged in what you do, and so you can be sure you’re talking to exactly the right people for your expertise. The relationship is symbiotic.”
3. SEO: the long game that pays off
While social media offers instant gratification, SEO provides sustainable visibility. Alex Colley, founder of boutique branding agency Ikon London, shares his experience.
“I have never been a lover of social, so I always invested in SEO and still invest in it,” he explains. “If you do it right, ikon has had inbound leads from brands like Cartier, Bentley, Berry Bros & Rudd and Airbus, to mention a few. The problem I found with social is once you stop, leads will stop, whereas SEO has compounding effects over time. The downside is it takes time and has a much steeper learning curve.”
4. The human touch
Perhaps the most significant shift we’re seeing as a result of the decline of social media is the return to personal, direct engagement. Justin Fowler, owner of Sticker Shuttle, offers a good example of what that can look like in practice.
“I find people’s logos on their website, print stickers of them, ship them to their headquarters and write a handwritten note on how I found them and why I’d like to work with them,” he explains. “This works most of the time. I also walk door-to-door around Denver on Mondays with these custom samples. I was taught that if you want to impress someone, give them something with their logo on it, not yours.”
Some creatives have taken even bolder approaches. “I sent a life-size gravestone and an obituary to an agency, saying I’d give my life to work for them,” recalls designer Max Hofert. “I sent a size 66 Vans shoe I had to an agency with my portfolio, saying I was trying to get my foot in the door. I sent a fake severed hand—it was around Halloween—to an agency, telling them I was committed to lending them a hand. Those three stunts were used to apply to three jobs at three different stages in my career, and I got all of them.
“I’ve owned my own studio for four years now,” he adds. “And although we do a lot of stuff on social, the goal is always attention. There’s so much boring-ass shit out there. Our whole strategy is to just do really funny, weird and entertaining stuff. It works really well, and it makes me smile.”
Charlotte Read, founder of PRcentric, suggests a purpose-driven approach can be just as effective. “Creatives can showcase their skills and passions by getting involved in not-for-profit initiatives or side projects that align with them because often these organisations need volunteers to help bring campaigns to life,” she explains. “Plus, it gives an opportunity to grow your network and learn from a diverse range of people. You’ll have content for your portfolio and a wider community at the same time.”
Whatever approach you take, it’s important to get out to events. “Get a speaking gig if you can, but at the very least, buy a ticket and meet people there,” says Claire Blyth of Red Setter. “Think beyond the obvious design conferences. They’re a great start, but what are the events your potential clients are likely to be at?”
Ultimately, there’s nothing better than face-to-face time with clients and contacts to build proper relationships and friendships. “In this business, we live and die by referrals,” says Josh Matthews, marketing manager at OUTLAW.
“So creating a network of potential advocates who trust and understand your offering is one of the most important factors for the longevity of a creative business.”
Conclusion
The decline of social media’s effectiveness doesn’t signal the end of creative visibility—quite the opposite. Rather, it marks a return to more authentic, sustainable approaches to building a professional reputation.
As creative director Dionysis Livanis puts it: “Feels like we’re back to good old word-of-mouth… if it ever really went away. The best way to get noticed is by building real relationships. Stay close to your best clients, collaborate with people you admire, and actually reach out to those you’d love to work with.”
In other words, the declining effectiveness of social media is pushing creatives toward more meaningful and sustainable ways of building their profiles—ones that rely more on substance than algorithms. And so, while the tools for building visibility may change, the fundamental principles remain constant: Do exceptional work, build genuine relationships, and create value for your audience.