Audiences haven't stopped caring; they've stopped looking where you've always been. From AI search that runs on earned media to podcasts that need a plan more than a studio, here are six takeaways from the 2026 Southern Public Relations Federation conference that small businesses, nonprofits, and creatives can implement now.

Business owners face a decision about whether to allow AI bots to crawl their website content. Because websites are valuable digital assets that can enhance company value, businesses should carefully weigh the opportunities and risks of exposing their data to AI models.