If you’re in the PR world, you’ve heard about the “changing media landscape”. If you haven’t, it’s something that PR pros have been grappling with for quite some time – how to navigate reporters’ preferences when bandwidth is tight, newsrooms have shrunk, and deadlines are constantly looming. The question on every communications professional’s mind is: how do we create symbiotic relationships with reporters?
Earlier this month, Muck Rack released its “State of Journalism” report, which explores what’s shaping coverage, where journalists are spending their time, how they’re using AI, and what actually makes a pitch land according to responses from more than 1,000 journalists.
The report, and subsequent live webinar read out and analysis from communications experts, answers the above question with data-backed findings and thoughtful recommendations on how PR pros and journalists can improve our “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” relationship.
Let’s get into the highlights.
How journalists see AI fitting into the picture
We’ve been shifting strategies based on how AI is impacting the public relations industry but Muck Rack’s most recent report dives into how journalists are using AI in their own work. AI adoption climbed to 82% in the last year, up from 77% in 2024, with steady increases in the usage of ChatGPT (47%, a 5% increase), Gemini (22%, a 9% increase), and Claude (12%, a 6% increase), while transcription tools held steady at 40%.
Additionally, during Muck Rack’s live webinar reviewing the results, panelists noted reporters are using AI to create soundbites for social media promotion of their work. In fact, 45% of journos said social media is very important for promoting their work.
The data tells us journalists are using AI the same way folks are across industries: for research, amplification, and question development.
Where else does social media fit into this picture?
While many journalists agreed that social media is at least slightly important to promoting their work, many recognized the pitfalls of relying on social media to do their job. Down from 33% in 2024, just 21% of journalists now say social media is very important to producing their work while 34% say it is only slightly or not important to their reporting process.
Like many who use social media in their personal or professional lives, journalists have been burned by misinformation, noted the panelists during Muck Rack’s live webinar.
However, this opens an opportunity for PR professionals. “Build relationships beyond the screen, connect with reporters face-to-face to make a real impact,” said Tara Lambropoulos, Head of Global Corporate Communications at Wayfair.
Going beyond that, the social platforms journalists are leveraging most are changing. Facebook is the most valuable platform for 28% of journalists surveyed, with LinkedIn following at 20% and X dropping to third place at 17% (down from 36% in 2024). Further, LinkedIn was noted as the platform journalists trust to treat journalistic content fairly (58%) while TikTok saw the biggest shift in the other direction – 61% view the platform as untrustworthy.
This intel gives PR professionals a better understanding of how to reach reporters where they are. Knowing LinkedIn is thought to be trustworthy, consider:
- How to leverage the tool for initial pitching or story promotion.
- Recommending your spokespeople share coverage they’re featured in (don’t forget to tag the reporter and publication!).
- Share articles you found interesting that may not feature your client but spotlight a larger industry trend or breaking news – build connection beyond pitching.
What pitches are landing…and what’s ending up in the trash bin
According to Muck Rack’s study, 40% of journalists are choosing the stories they want to write about while only 3% noted their stories are assigned by an editor. This gives PR professionals a world of opportunities to pitch meaningful, unique, and timely ideas.
And journalists see this opportunity too: 30% said PR relationships are very important to their success. Journalists understand PR people are the gatekeepers to executive spokespeople – from the biggest enterprises to startups. PR professionals are the first line of defense to get an interview scheduled, and journalists recognize this.
Treat this relationship as mutually beneficial by considering how we can help each other beyond sharing the latest product news or thought leadership angle. On the flip side, relationships alone shouldn’t be relied on to generate media placements. While 86% of journalists say at least some stories start with a PR pitch, 50% noted they seldom or never respond to pitches. Perhaps one of the most eye-opening stats included 43% of journalists saying they seldom receive pitches that match what they cover.
We must reevaluate pitching strategies.
Changing the mindset to quantity over quality will help ensure pitches are tailored to each reporter and will land better with the journalists reading them. When you take the time to clearly understand a reporter’s beat and audience, that knowledge comes across in your pitch.
Pitch exercise: consider these qualities the next time you write a pitch:
- Timeliness – what’s the angle? How does this story fit into a larger trend?
- Keep it short – can you get your point across in three to five sentences?
- Ditch the buzzwords – focus on the story and what you’re offering.
- Audience match – tie the story back to the audience that will be reading the story. Why does it matter to them?
Go forth and pitch! But don’t forget these takeaways
Like many industries, journalists are understaffed and navigating the next generation of technology and public consumption of news. Keep these takeaways in mind when you’re getting ready to hit “send” on your next pitch.
Don’t forget:
- PR professionals should foster symbiotic relationships with journalists – we do our jobs correctly to help them do theirs (and vice versa)
- Short, relevant and story-driven pitches to a select few reporters will land better than a “spray and pray” approach
- Don’t count out social media but use it correctly
To learn more, read the full report on the Muck Rack website.