Media Relations Statistics & Benchmarks

Newsroom jobs eliminated in the US since 2008, a decline of roughly 50%.

Average number of pitches journalists receive daily, up from 3.2 in 2020.

Of journalists who prefer receiving pitches via email over social media or phone.

Pitches that result in published coverage, highlighting the need for quality over quantity.

Of journalists who say press releases are still their most useful source of story ideas.

Of journalists who use social media platforms (especially X/Twitter) to find sources and story ideas.

Earned media is perceived as more credible than paid advertising by consumers.

Of consumers who trust earned media (press coverage, reviews) over all other forms of advertising.

Average earned media value generated per $1 spent on media relations.

ROI multiplier for earned media compared to equivalent paid advertising spending.

Higher website traffic from PR coverage compared to paid search ads on the same topic.

Of B2B buyers who cite media coverage as a key factor in vendor selection.

Of PR professionals who use AI tools for media monitoring and outreach.

Of PR professionals who use media databases for journalist research and contact discovery.

Of PR teams that use AI to draft initial versions of press releases and pitches.

Global PR technology market size in 2025.

Time savings reported by PR professionals using AI-assisted media list building.

Of journalists who say AI-generated pitches are easy to identify and are usually deleted.