Business Intelligence Group has released the inaugural 2026 Influencer Index, a data-driven ranking identifying the PR firms with the strongest digital influence on LinkedIn. Analyzing activity from across 2025, the Index recognizes Edelman as the Top Public Relations Firm, Litzky PR as the Top Boutique Firm, and JConnelly as the Top Mid-Sized Firm. With "Technology" and "AI" driving the industry conversation, this new benchmark highlights the agencies successfully converting content into measurable engagement and professional authority.
PHILADELPHIA, March 26, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Business Intelligence Group today released the 2026 Influencer Index for Public Relations, a new ranking of the top PR agencies based on LinkedIn engagement, audience growth, and digital share of voice.
Top honors in the inaugural rankings went to Edelman (Top Public Relations Firm), Litzky PR (Top Boutique Firm), JConnelly (Top Mid-Sized Firm), Adfactors PR (Most Engaging Firm), and Ketchum (Fastest Growing Firm), while "Technology" emerged as the most prominent keyword shaping Public Relations conversations online.
The Influencer Index analyzes public LinkedIn activity across calendar year 2025 to identify Public Relations firms driving engagement, share of voice, and sustained digital visibility. The rankings are built using data provided by StackRank®, a platform designed to measure professional influence and digital share of voice across LinkedIn.
StackRank analyzes public content activity, engagement signals, and amplification patterns to quantify how organizations participate in professional conversations and how their voices resonate across the platform. Business Intelligence Group then applied proprietary analytics to the StackRank dataset to identify which agencies are generating meaningful interaction rather than simply posting content.
"In today's AI-driven environment, attention is currency," said Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer of Business Intelligence Group. "The agencies on this list aren't just posting content. They are earning engagement, driving conversation, and building measurable digital authority."
Unlike traditional rankings based on size or revenue, the Influencer Index focuses on measurable influence. All agencies included in the analysis maintained at least 100 LinkedIn posts during the year, ensuring sufficient activity for reliable measurement.
Why Social Media Now Drives Business Influence
Social media has become a central engine for modern business development, particularly in B2B industries. Research consistently shows that LinkedIn is the dominant platform for professional influence and business networking, generating the majority of B2B social media leads. Industry studies indicate that approximately 80 percent of B2B social media leads originate on LinkedIn, according to widely cited marketing research and industry benchmarks.
LinkedIn has also become a primary platform for thought leadership. Research from LinkedIn and Edelman has found that 73 percent of decision-makers consider thought leadership content a more trustworthy way to evaluate a company than traditional marketing materials, highlighting the growing role of professional social media in shaping credibility and brand authority.
As a result, the conversations and engagement happening on LinkedIn increasingly influence brand reputation, media visibility, recruiting, and business pipelines.
The Influencer Index reflects this shift by identifying the Public Relations agencies generating the strongest engagement and share of voice within these professional conversations.
Seven Rankings That Define Influence
The 2026 Influencer Index for Public Relations includes seven rankings that together provide a comprehensive view of influence across the industry.
2026 Top Public Relations Firms
www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index/2026-top-75-public-relations-agencies
The flagship report ranks the Top 75 PR agencies based on the proprietary BIG Index, which analyzes share of voice, engagement quality, company size normalization, and other indicators of digital influence.
Edelman ranked #1 overall, reflecting the firm's strong engagement and consistent share of voice across LinkedIn throughout 2025. Other highly ranked agencies include Weber Shandwick, Adfactors PR, Golin, and Allison Worldwide.
2026 Top Public Relations Keywords
https://www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index/2026-top-25-public-relations-agency-buzzwords
This report highlights the top industry buzzwords shaping Public Relations conversations online. By analyzing the most frequently amplified themes appearing in posts from ranked agencies, the report reveals the topics driving industry dialogue.
In 2025, "Technology" ranked as the most prominent keyword, followed by themes such as Innovation, AI, Leadership, Sustainability, Growth, Collaboration, and Community.
2026 Top Boutique Public Relations Firms
https://www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index/2026-top-10-boutique-public-relations-agencies
Boutique agencies often demonstrate outsized influence relative to their size. This ranking identifies the Top 10 firms with fewer than 50 employees that are generating exceptional share of voice and engagement across LinkedIn.
Litzky PR ranked #1 among boutique firms, followed by agencies including The Digital Voice, Caliber Corporate Advisers, Just Drive Media, and Global Gateway Advisors.
2026 Top Mid-Sized Public Relations Firms
https://www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index/2026-top-10-mid-sized-public-relations-agencies
Mid-sized agencies often combine agility with scale. This report highlights the Top 10 firms with 51–500 employees that are effectively translating their market presence into measurable digital influence.
JConnelly ranked #1 among mid-sized agencies, with other leading firms including Bospar, The Hoffman Agency, SKDK, Kekst CNC, Brands2Life, Citizen Relations, PAN, and Antenna Group.
2026 Top Large Public Relations Firms
https://www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index/2026-top-5-large-public-relations-agencies
Large agencies bring extensive reach and resources, but influence still depends on engagement.
Edelman ranked #1 among large agencies, followed by global firms including Weber Shandwick, Adfactors PR, Golin, and Allison Worldwide.
2026 Fastest Growing Public Relations Agencies
www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index/2026-top-25-social-growth-agencies
Audience growth is a key indicator of rising influence. This report highlights the agencies with the fastest LinkedIn follower growth relative to their starting audience size.
Ketchum ranked as the fastest growing PR agency, with strong audience growth during 2025. Other fast-growing firms include Elle Communications, Crackle PR, Hokku PR, Breakaway Communications, Derris, Adfactors PR, and MikeWorldWide.
2026 Most Engaging Public Relations Firms
www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index/2026-top-25-highest-engagement-public-relations-agencies
Engagement signals—likes, comments, and reposts—are increasingly used by social platforms and AI systems to determine which content gets surfaced and amplified.
Adfactors PR ranked #1 for engagement, based on the proprietary BIG Engagement Index, which evaluates interaction signals across LinkedIn posts. Other highly engaging firms include Allison Worldwide, Edelman, Golin, Weber Shandwick, FleishmanHillard, Zeno Group, SKDK, Porter Novelli, Jackson Spalding, and Edelman Smithfield.
Agencies included in the rankings receive digital badges they can display on their websites and social media channels, highlighting their credibility and measurable industry influence. Participation in the Influencer Index is free, providing firms additional visibility based purely on performance and engagement.
A New Benchmark for Public Relations
The Influencer Index is designed as an annual program tracking how influence evolves across the Public Relations industry.
As artificial intelligence systems increasingly surface content based on engagement signals, agencies generating consistent interaction gain disproportionate visibility. The firms recognized in the Influencer Index demonstrate how measurable digital authority is becoming a critical asset for Public Relations agencies.
Full rankings and methodology are available at www.bintelligence.com/influencer-index.
© Business Intelligence Group. All rights reserved.
All rankings are based on public LinkedIn activity between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
Rankings are generated using proprietary measures developed by Business Intelligence Group utilizing data provided by StackRank®, detailing media footprint, engagement quality, company size normalization, and other publicly available indicators.
BIG Index = proprietary measures using data provided by StackRank® detailing media footprint, engagement quality, company size, and other public data.
About Business Intelligence Group
Business Intelligence Group (BIG) is an independent awards organization that has been recognizing outstanding achievement in business since 2012. Now in its 14th awards season, BIG operates 12 annual programs spanning innovation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, customer service, cloud computing, sustainability, sales and marketing, workplace culture, and women's leadership. Business award programs include the BIG Innovation Awards, AI Excellence Awards, Fortress Cyber Security Awards, Excellence in Customer Service Awards, Stratus Awards for Cloud Computing, Sustainability Awards, SAMMY Awards for Sales and Marketing, Best Places to Work Awards, Herizon Awards, We Love Tech Awards, NAA Top Employers Award, and BIG Awards for Business.
Unlike popularity contests, BIG programs use professional judging panels and objective scoring benchmarks to identify organizations, products, and individuals making real, measurable impact. Winners receive a complete promotional toolkit — including blockchain-verified credentials, press release support, social media assets, and featured placement across BIG's global community of more than one million business professionals.
For more information about BIG award programs, nomination deadlines, and judging criteria, visit bintelligence.com.
Media Contact
Russ Fordyce, Business Intelligence Group LLC, 1 9095292737, [email protected], www.bintelligence.com
SOURCE Business Intelligence Group LLC
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