Key Findings Include 79% of Public Relations Professionals Believe Securing Earned Media is Still a Top Challenge

Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for public relations, investor relations and marketing professionals and PRWeek, the leading publication for PR and communications professionals, announced the results of their joint Media Relations Redefined survey.

Exploring the evolving media landscape and the importance of earned coverage, the survey found that while 82% of communications professionals agree that media relations is a central function of their job, 79% also believe that it’s their top challenge. In addition, the public relations industry has broadened the ways in which media is defined. According to the survey, 72% of PR professionals consider podcast hosts to be critical targets for media outreach and engagement while more than a quarter of respondents view social media influencers as members of the media.

“Media relations has always been – and will always be – the backbone of the public relations profession,” said Gideon Fidelzeid, editorial director of custom, PRWeek. “This report truly captures how media relations is being redefined for the modern age and the future. We’ve uncovered a lot of fascinating data, gleaned from the best sources – communications professionals themselves – about key metrics, online newsrooms, channels and influencers. We’ve even found some intriguing comparative data between agency and in-house pros. It’s clear that this discipline mandates constant evolution with an adherence to certain elements that have long been true and must stay so to reach a broad range of stakeholders.”

Marketing Technology News: Introducing PromptPal: A Unique, AI-Driven Social Platform for Engaging Conversations

Additional survey findings include:

PR Technology is Critical: 90% of respondents use PR tools to help with media relations, and at least 65% use those tools for foundational media relations functions, such as managing contacts/lists, monitoring for coverage and measuring results.

Long Live the Press Release: 79% of PR pros deem press releases as a valuable part of the media mix – however, measurement has evolved. 62% say that web traffic – traditionally a marketing metric/KPI– is not very far behind media inquiries and social media activity in terms of gauging press release effectiveness.

Paid Media’s Increased Role: While earned media is a priority, PR pros are increasingly more involved in paid-media tactics than they were three years ago – including social media advertising (60%), sponsored content (40%), native advertising (29%) and sponsored podcasts (25%).

“PR professionals are juggling more responsibilities than ever before – and we’ll see more use of emerging tech like automation tools and AI-powered solutions for job functions like media monitoring, press release creation and optimization and measurement,” said Nimesh Davé, president, Notified. “While these tools cannot replace the human element of PR, they represent a step forward for communicators, empowering the way they tell their brand stories and maximize efficiency in a fast-paced, competitive environment.”

Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview with Laurie Morylak, SVP of Marketing at ReliaQuest