This spring, ProCom's Crossing North international communications network brought together journalists, communication leaders, and PR practitioners to explore a question many international professionals struggle with: how does communication actually work in Finland?

Across four webinars covering media relations, newsroom dynamics, crisis communications, cultural expectations, and thought leadership, a remarkably consistent picture emerged.

Finland is not simply another Nordic market with a slightly different media landscape. It runs on a distinct communication culture shaped by exceptionally high societal trust, strong journalistic ethics, institutional transparency, and audiences that actively evaluate information rather than passively consume it. For international communicators, that's both a challenge and an opportunity. Many traditional PR tactics lose their force here, while credibility, expertise, and transparency carry far more weight than visibility alone.

That picture showed up in what each of the Crossing North Co-Chairs took away.

Alina Arti, Lead with the trend, not the company

I believe all sessions had incredibly useful knowledge shared. If I were to choose one, I would highlight the presentation by Paula Sonne on how the Finnish media ecosystem works and how to shape your stories when approaching journalists.

According to Paula, you should shift the focus from your company to the social trends and things that would actually be interesting for the readers. For instance, instead of pitching a story about your company launching a new PR tool, the angle that you can take is to focus on how AI adoption is transforming Finnish workplaces and offer your expert opinion on this.

For some, it could be quite obvious, but I believe it is an extremely important learning for young professionals and internationals starting to understand the landscape of Finnish media.

Jana Avdeeva, The most effective communication is the most truthful

I hope that the direction we took with the webinars spoke to the audience and gave the insights the international professionals need to start their comms career in Finland and continue building it. From the basics of communications culture in Finland to the pitching dos and don’ts, the internal kitchen of how newsrooms operate, to the different comms career paths, and working in comms in listed vs private companies.

All the sessions have something unique, useful, and practical to take away. If I were to pick one, I would go with Atte’s reflections on how the most effective communication in Finland is not the most persuasive, but the most truthful, consistent, and legally sound. So simple, yet so powerful!

Also, Atte Palomäki’s advice to take silence as time to consider and reflect on, rather than as discomfort, stood out to me, as this is so unique compared to many other markets. Mastering local culture and peculiarities is the first step to succeeding in communications.

Kim Oguilve, It all runs on trust

Hard to pick just one takeaway, since each webinar built on each other. For me the key takeaways come down to a few clear themes. Communication sits at the core of leadership, and it grows more complex as a company adds stakeholders, from investors to regulators, with each new group offering a fresh audience to engage. When it comes to media, the starting point is that outlets are businesses serving their readers, so a pitch only lands when the story genuinely serves that audience.

In Finland all of this runs through a culture built on trust and transparency. High trust in institutions and media gives coverage strong credibility, which raises the stakes, since negative stories can leave a lasting mark, and Finns are quick to spot spin, so facts and openness carry the most weight.

The common thread

Three different sessions with yet the same conclusion. In Finland, truth, relevance to the audience, and transparency beat persuasion and self-promotion every time. Get that right, and the rest follows.

Want the full breakdown of each session? We've just posted the complete guide on LinkedIn