Miami, Aug. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fifty-nine percent of PR professionals reported that AI and automation will grow in importance over the next five years, with 77% already using tools like ChatGPT in their workflow, according to Muck Rack’s latest State of PR report.
When asked how to improve PR’s perceived value, 67% of respondents pointed to producing measurable results. Other strategies, such as creative solutions (12%) and executive visibility (11%) lagged far behind.
“For years, PR teams have struggled to prove their direct impact on business outcomes, but AI is changing that,” said Gregory Galant, cofounder and CEO of Muck Rack. “It’s not just a tool for writing faster or working smarter; it's becoming the attribution engine PR has never had. With solutions like GEO, communicators can finally connect earned media to real results. That’s a fundamental shift for the industry.”
The Battle for Earned Media
Media relations remains a core responsibility, with 84% citing it as a top job function. Yet, securing media coverage is becoming increasingly difficult. Seventy-two percent of respondents cited low journalist response rates, and 62% pointed to shrinking media lists within relevant beats.
Nearly half pitch more than 20 journalists per campaign, but 36% noted limited relationships with their contacts. While 70% say they personalize pitches to some extent, most only update a few lines to tailor the message. Just 11% say they fully customize each pitch.
Online and digital outlets are the most commonly pitched, followed by traditional formats like newspapers (71%) and magazines (64%). On average, pros pitch 4.6 different types of media.
PR pros prefer sending 1:1 emails under 300 words, ideally on Tuesday mornings before noon. Most follow up within three to six days. These insights are generally aligned with how journalists prefer to be pitched, according to Muck Rack’s 2025 State of Journalism report.
Social Media Strategy
More than half (56%) say LinkedIn is their most valuable platform for work, up from 50% last year. Nearly 90% report that LinkedIn is part of their company’s communications strategy. Instagram held steady at 16% as their most valuable platform, with 73% including it in their strategy.
On average, PR teams use 3.6 social platforms as part of their strategy, underscoring a multichannel communications approach. More than half reported not using social listening tools.
Workplace Sentiment and Diversity
Most (88%) say leadership understands what they do, but only 37% feel very valued by leadership. Agency pros reported feeling more understood and appreciated than their in-house counterparts.
Diversity at the leadership level remains limited. Forty-five percent say their teams are at least somewhat diverse, but just 39% say the same about their leadership.
Methodology
Muck Rack surveyed 1,089 PR professionals between June 5 and July 16, 2025. The survey was distributed primarily via email. After removing low-effort, duplicate, spam-generated and outlier responses, 911 qualified responses were included in the final analysis. Due to updates in question wording from prior years, direct year-over-year comparisons may not always be applicable. Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding or the exclusion of some response categories. The conservative margin of error is approximately ±3%.
About Muck Rack
Muck Rack is the leading provider of award-winning PR software built for how brands and agencies work. The only public relations software powered by intuitive technology and the most accurate, comprehensive data provided by journalists themselves, Muck Rack combines media database, traditional and social media monitoring and reporting for seamless team collaboration, pitching and measurement. Purpose-built for communications and public relations, Muck Rack helps nearly 6,000 companies worldwide analyze and report on the impact of their media relations. Thousands of journalists use Muck Rack’s free tools to showcase their portfolios, analyze news about any topic and measure the impact of their stories. Learn more at muckrack.com.
MEDIA Bailey Mark Senior Communications Manager bailey.mark@muckrack.com
