5 PR Tips for Using Bluesky and RedNote
By Lindsey Bradshaw writing for PR News…
Did you know social media actually dates back to the 1970s? Long before the web, the PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations) computer system pioneered online communities with message boards, email, chat rooms and games, laying the foundation for today’s social platforms. It was followed by Bulletin Board Systems, CompuServe, and AOL, which kept Instant Messenger running until 2017. You can still sign up for an AOL email today.
Now, in 2025, we’ve fast-forwarded past Vine, Google+, and Clubhouse to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok—and now, Bluesky and RedNote. As TikTok’s future wavers and President Donald Trump tries to play its savior, China’s RedNote app has gained 700,000-plus U.S. users in two months.
For PR pros, this leaves many clients with a question: what social platforms are right for their business? I asked PR strategist Ariel Shapiro, CEO and founder at Spotlight Communications and PR veteran, this exact question, as well as several others regarding strategy in the current social media landscape.
“Several [clients] have chosen to stop using X [formerly Twitter],” Shapiro says. “They found that the engagement was no longer productive, and the platform has shifted away from being a space for open industry discussions. Given these changes, they decided it wasn’t worth investing their time in engaging on X.”
Bottom line? We’ve been here before. As history repeats itself, here are five PR tips for anyone considering a transition to Bluesky, RedNote, or any new platform.
Stop Looking for Money Signs
Most brands see social media as a cash grab, but users are there for relationships, not sales pitches. Choose the platform where you can build real engagement, and authenticity will fuel organic growth. The brands that focus on conversations, not conversions, win.
“The key factor is whether it offers meaningful engagement and ROI rather than just being the latest trend,” Shapiro says. “Most are taking a wait-and-see approach. They don’t have the bandwidth to invest in a new platform that may or may not align with their long-term business goals. Yet, if a platform gains significant traction, especially within their industry, they’re open to exploring how it could fit into their strategy.
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