What is shared
Everything about the story itself. Both need an angle a journalist wants, a relationship with the right people, and something genuinely new. Digital PR that neglects the craft produces the same result as bad traditional PR, which is nothing.
What is different
Digital PR targets publications where a link carries authority, cares whether coverage is indexed, and treats the resulting search visibility as a measurable outcome.
It also now includes whether AI assistants pick the coverage up, because a mention on a source a model trusts changes what that model says about your category.
Which you need
If you sell online and search matters to you, digital PR. If you are managing a listed company’s reputation or handling a crisis, traditional PR is a different specialism and you want someone who does that. Most consumer brands need the digital version.