As we move into 2025, amidst all the challenges facing PR, one thing remains constant. It’s our relationship with the media. This is a special sauce of PR and something no one else does. According to MuckRack data, 83% of PRs identify as their most time-consuming task. It’s also a source of frustration and burnout, which frustrates many PR professionals, clients, and journalists.
So I asked several industry leaders whether they think the relationship with the media is irreparably broken, or if things can be turned around.
Is there a “spray and pray” problem in media relations?
Bethan Williams, Senior PR Consultant at Speed Communications: “This can happen for a number of reasons, but investing time in building the media relations component of your campaigns and news alerts and helping educate your team This can be alleviated by investing in training and building relationships.”
Sean Allenmoy, head of media relations strategy at Burson, said: There are tools and platforms that take away the guesswork and wasted time. Both journalists and communications professionals are under more pressure than ever before, and they must use their time and resources wisely to deliver impactful coverage for their clients. ”
Nick Braund, Founder of Words + Pixels: “The key to improving media relations is focus. For too long, the art of media relations has been seen as a smaller form of PR behind activations and stunts. Agencies that don’t prioritize the highest quality of their pitches will fail.
What will be the role of AI in 2025?
Matt Jamieson, head of media strategy at FleischmanHillard UK, said: That being said, I truly believe that it is a disruptive force that will fundamentally recalibrate our relationship with media. AI brings both challenges and opportunities. We recommend being careful how you apply AI, especially when it comes to media relations. Now more than ever, media outlets are looking for exclusivity, unique insights, and content that sets them apart from their competitors. In other words, use AI to complement and enhance your work. Don’t use it to replace the human elements of creativity, judgment, and relationship building that are all needed in today’s media relationships. ”
Are media relations becoming too transactional?
Williams: “Relationships, interpersonal skills, and pleasantries are all still important. Every PR and journalist will have a preferred way of working, receiving data and news, and getting follow-up. Technology tools can help It helps build relationships, but it should always be used to complement your own work, expertise, and knowledge.
Dr Natasha Hill of Bottle PR said: “It’s kind of transactional, if you give journalists what they want right away, they’ll respond. You don’t have a lot of time to build personal relationships. You trust opinion-based comments from experts. Being able to work well and meet tight deadlines is a surefire way to build profitable relationships with journalists.”
Allen Moy: “Effective media relations is a combination of art and science. It’s a science where we take data and insights to identify and target the right outlets with the stories and assets to deliver coverage to our clients.”
Is there a role for a more marketplace-like approach like Rightmove to help PR, articles, and journalists find what they want and avoid being bombarded with emails?
Brown: “I couldn’t be a journalist. Going through thousands of unrelated submissions to find the story they want to write, that someone wants to read. It’s brutal. What really helps that process. It will all be a win-win.”
How to supercharge next year
Jamieson: “Be targeted and be relevant. Know what you’re selling and who you’re selling to. It may sound basic, but… It’s worrying how often PR fails in this regard, media relations, once the cornerstone of PR. Over the years, it has evolved into a true specialty. This shift is driven by the rise of digital and social, the convergence of earned, paid, and owned media, and the templating that kills relationships rather than fosters them. Some people close to me are aware of the amount of irrelevant PR pitches they receive, pitches from people who simply don’t “get it.” They candidly confide in me about the things they are experiencing. Too many public relations professionals still pitch to journalists without truly understanding their audience or agenda. This is why thoughtful, customized outreach is not an option. That’s the admission fee. ”
It’s clear that 2025 needs to be the year we say goodbye to prank emails and instead focus on a personalized PR approach powered by technology.
