Lora Thornton

8 years as Head of PR · 5 years at Flaunt Digital

“If journalists know that you consistently provide credible, well-evidenced experts, you stop being just another PR in their inbox.”

Lora on LinkedIn flauntdigital.com

Key takeaways

The new reality

Fake experts have raised the verification bar

Reactive speed

Slow verification = missed placement

Credibility checklist

Headshots, bio, coverage, availability

Long-term edge

Become a go-to source, not just a name

Introduction

With eight years as a Head of PR and five at Flaunt Digital, Lora Thornton has watched the media landscape transform in ways that demand a fundamentally different approach to how PRs support their expert sources.

In an era where AI-generated commentary and unverified voices are flooding journalists' inboxes, the PR professionals who will stand out aren't just the ones with the best stories — they're the ones who make their experts impossible to ignore and effortless to trust. Here, Lora explains what that looks like in practice.

The Verification Shift

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“With the rise of AI-generated content and fake experts making their way into published articles, the bar for credibility has never been higher.”
— Lora Thornton

Including expert voices as part of a PR strategy has always been a powerful way to add authority and bring genuinely original insight to campaigns. It's the difference between generic commentary and something a journalist can't get anywhere else.

But the landscape has shifted. With the rise of AI-generated content and "fake experts" making their way into published articles, journalists and publishers are under more pressure than ever to verify who they're quoting. The result? Stricter validation processes and a much higher bar for credibility.

This is the new reality — and PRs who haven't adapted to it are leaving placements on the table.

Reactive PR & Speed

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“In reactive PR, if validating a source takes too long, the opportunity is gone.”
— Lora Thornton

This shift is especially important in reactive PR, where both you and the press need to move quickly. A journalist working to a tight deadline doesn't have time to track down credentials, verify a job title, or hunt for a photo. If validating your source takes too long, the opportunity is simply gone.

That changes what our job looks like. It's no longer just about securing a strong, relevant comment. It's about making that expert easy to trust, easy to verify, and ultimately easy to use — before a journalist even has to ask.

The PRs who consistently land reactive coverage are the ones who've already done this groundwork.

Make It Easy

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“The simpler you can make the verification process, the more likely your commentary is to get featured.”
— Lora Thornton

There are a few practical ways to reduce friction and make your experts genuinely usable. Provide high-resolution, professional headshots. Link to a clear, up-to-date meet-the-team page. Include concise bios with job titles, credentials, and relevant experience — and make sure everything is written in a way that's understandable outside of your industry.

Share links to previous media coverage, webinars, or speaking engagements. And be available — offering a quick follow-up call or interview can make all the difference when a journalist is on the fence.

None of these things are difficult. But most PRs skip them, which means the ones who don't have a genuine advantage.

Trust as Strategy

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“If journalists know you consistently provide credible, well-evidenced experts, you stop being just another PR in their inbox.”
— Lora Thornton

At its core, this is about trust.

If journalists know that you consistently provide credible, well-evidenced experts, you stop being just another PR in their inbox and start becoming a go-to source. That's a fundamentally different relationship — and it compounds over time.

The PRs who will win in this environment aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest networks or the most creative campaigns. They're the ones journalists can rely on. That's the edge worth building.

About the contributor

Lora Thornton

Head of PR · Flaunt Digital

Lora Thornton is Head of PR at Flaunt Digital, a position she has held for five years as part of an eight-year career at Head of PR level. She specialises in building credible, media-ready expert profiles and developing the kind of trusted journalist relationships that turn reactive opportunities into consistent coverage.

Lora on LinkedIn flauntdigital.com

Put these tips into practice

Find the right journalists to pitch

Lora's advice starts with building trust — and that means knowing exactly which journalists cover your beat. PressReacher gives you a searchable database of 2M+ journalists, filterable by beat, publication and more.