If there’s one thing that’s constant in public relations, it’s that the industry is constantly changing. Brands and companies are continually finding new ways to get mentioned in the media and use that coverage to grow their presence and reputation. With each passing year, we can learn more from the past year’s successes (and failures). Leverage that information to build on your strategy in the coming months.
Use our ultimate list of PR statistics in 2024 to jumpstart your strategy for the new year. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents:
What Pros Should Know about PR Statistics in 2024
General Industry PR Statistics
Content and Planning PR Statistics
PR Pitching Statistics
PR Tools Statistics
PR Budgeting Stats
PR Metrics and Impact Stats
Key Takeaways from a PR Statistical Overview
Make 2024 a Stellar Year for Your PR Practice
What Pros Should Know about PR Statistics in 2024
Professional media relations officers and marketers can learn a lot from PR statistics. They give you a clearer idea of what’s happening in the industry. You can better anticipate challenges that might affect your PR efforts. Most importantly, knowing current PR statistics can help you see the value that a well-planned PR campaign can bring to your brand.
Combining PR data with media relations tools and services like the Meltwater media relations suite allows you to execute stronger initiatives. When you see what’s worked well for other brands, some of the hard part is already done for you. Your main objective is to adapt your strategy to fit the current landscape.
For example, during the early days of the pandemic, many companies adopted the common theme of “being in this together.” PR campaigns focused on the compassionate side of a brand, leaving any semblance of sales information far behind.
Fast forward to 2024, where compassion has given way to digital convenience and customer-centric experiences. Consumers have exhibited less tolerance for friction in their shopping experiences. Many have even gone as far as tossing brand loyalty to the curb. With supply chains turned upside down and general certainty out the window, consumer habits remain in constant flux.
What will the upcoming year bring? Let’s explore our new collection of PR statistics in 2024.
General Industry PR Statistics
First, let's start with some general PR statistics about the industry itself.
1. The global PR market is expected to grow to more than $133 billion by 2027.
It increased by 6.6 from 2022 to 2023.
2. Demand for PR specialists is predicted to grow by about 6% by 2032.
At least in the United States. Globally, experts point to the growing need for competitive advantages and the rising importance of reputation as a main driver of PR market growth.
Source: USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations
3. PR professionals believe that AI is one of the top five skills their companies will need to focus on over the next five years.
Other top skills include media relations, strategic planning, data and analytics, and multimedia.
Content and Planning PR Statistics
4. 7 in 10 struggle with creating effective content.
More than half also struggle to effectively distribute the content they do create.
5. About half also say that converting data into actionable insights is a top challenge.
Aligning metrics to revenue and over-reliance on media impressions were other key concerns.
6. 44% of PR professionals plan to spend more time on internal communications.
PR experts have a wider range of tasks than ever before, and more are adding internal comms to their lists.
Tip: Learn how to make your internal communications shine with these best practices.
PR Pitching Statistics
7. More than half of journalists don't care what day they are pitched stories.
At the same time, about one in five prefer to get pitches on Mondays.
8. 55% of journalists get at least a quarter of the stories they publish from pitches.
This is important for PR professionals to know because it underscores the importance of pitching. About 67% prefer to get pitches that are less than 200 words long.
9. About 90% of PR professionals prefer to pitch through 1:1 emails.
This allows for a personal introduction, good communication tracking, and easy file sharing.
10. 81% prefer to send pitches by noon.
Many journalists check email first thing in the morning before the chaos of the day sets in.
Need pitching help? Check out our handy pitching guide and learn how to pitch your press release to journalists.
PR Tools Statistics
11. More than half of PR professionals who use AI do so to craft pitches.
Writing and research are the top reasons they use generative AI tools.
12. 51% of PR professionals believe that social listening is one of the most effective ways to measure and assess reputation.
Another 46% also count media coverage analysis as a top method. Public relations can benefit from social listening and media coverage analysis in a number of ways, including identifying best-fit media outlets, making the right contacts, and monitoring brand mentions. They also help lighten the workload of PR pros by automatically collecting data on mentions, analyzing responses, and providing the next-best action recommendations.
13. About a third of PR professionals use social listening tools daily.
Another third uses them on a case-by-case basis.
14. 64% use dedicated PR software to store their media lists.
Budgets and lack of knowledge about available PR technologies can contribute to the absence of tools.
Tip: Explore our overview of the best PR apps and tools.
PR Budgeting Stats
15. About 45% of PR professionals think their budgets will remain the same in 2024.
Meanwhile, 33% of brands and 39% of agencies think their budgets will increase.
16. 53% of PR agencies feel optimistic about business in 2024.
That number is down from 66% last year.
17. About 42% think they will see the biggest revenue growth from earned media.
Only 10% expect to see growth from paid media.
Tip: Learn how to hire a PR firm and how to hire a marketing agency.
PR Metrics and Impact Stats
18. About 50% of PR professionals spend a quarter of their time on measurement and reporting.
More than half see producing measurable results as a key part of proving value to stakeholders.
19. PR professionals track an average of 8 metrics.
The majority track story placement and reach/impressions. Other common metrics include key message pull-through, revenue impact, website impact, and share of voice.
Here are the most important PR KPIs that teams should be tracking — all of the time.
20. 70% of PR professionals brief their leadership on measurement and reporting once a month or more.
A continuing trend is communicating the current landscape of a company’s PR efforts on an ongoing basis.
Key Takeaways from a PR Statistical Overview
These PR statistics underscore the value PR professionals bring to their organizations every day. They also reveal the importance of keeping a finger on the pulse of the industry at all times. As consumer preferences shift, finding new and better ways to connect with them via the media could be key to your company’s future.
Here’s what we’re predicting for 2024 based on our statistical PR overview:
- First and foremost, the role of the PR expert will continue to evolve and become more cross-functional. We’re already seeing it happen in terms of expanded content creation and influencer marketing. Upskilling with AI solutions and tools will become a must.
- Second, emerging channels like podcasting will enter the PR professional’s playbook as a way to connect with audiences at scale. New media formats offer new ways to instill trust and meet users wherever they are.
- Last but not least, as organizations face increased economic and competitive pressures, we expect to see PR professionals spend more time and resources on measurement and reporting. Expanded toolkits and strategies mean more metrics to measure and more options to choose from when proving the value of PR campaigns.
We’re sharing these PR statistics for 2024 because we know that knowledge is power. Use them to shape your PR strategy moving forward and get the most out of your efforts.
