1、The State of PR 2022How PR teams connect with journalists,allocate budget,measure success and moreA STUDY BY2What are the top challenges and priorities for PR pros?1What tech and tools do PR teams use to do their jobs?2How do PR pros connect with journalists?3How do PR teams measure success?6Which s

2、ocial platforms do PR pros value most?4How do PR teams allocate budgets and what do PR salaries look like?5What is the future of PR?7In this report,we seek to answer:3 3Research partnersAbout this surveyWE SURVEYED 1,887 PR PROS FROM APRIL 12TH to MAY 3RD,2022.Company type:55%agencies31%brands12%non

3、profits3%government4Location:82%US6%UK5%Canada4%Europe(outside of UK)3%Asia2%Africa1%India1%South AmericaPR team size:Solo:12%2-10:41%11-100:31%101-1,000:11%1,000+5%Industry:Technology:16%Entertainment,media&publishing:15%Consumer products:9%Healthcare/biotechnology:6%Nonprofit:6%Education:6%Consume

4、r services:6%Financial services:6%Ecommerce&retail:5%Food&beverage:4%Travel&tourism:3%Government:3%Automotive:2%Primary audience:31%B2B30%B2C35%B2B and B2CSee extended audience breakdown in the appendix.A look at whats insideMore than half of PR pros say their top challenge is getting responses from

5、 journalists,with agencies(59%)more challenged than brands(43%)More than half of PR pros(53%)work 40+hours/week and work after business hours at least once a week41%of PR pros earn between$70K-$150K.52%of PR pros at agencies make less than$100K annually vs.39%of PR pros at brandsMost PR pros pitch 4

6、 or more media typesthe most popular are online/digital publications,newspapers,magazines and TVLast year,PR pros said LinkedIn was the most valuable social platform.This year,Twitter takes the lead:77%PR pros say Twitter is the most important platform for their comms strategy,followed by LinkedIn(7

7、3%)and Facebook(69%)5How PR pros work:challenges and priorities 61Biggest PR challenges:Getting journalist responses and budget,measuring impactWhich of the following challenges does your PR/communications team face?(select all that apply)52%Getting responses from journalistsMeasuring business impac

8、t38%Lack of quantifiable measurement29%Budget limitations45%37%Discovering relevant journalistsCollaborating with other departments34%Recruiting/retaining talent22%23%Identifying the right tech14%Training our team20%Collaborating with my team12%Finding an executive sponsor8Agencies are more challeng

9、ed with getting responses from journalists:59%vs.43%of brands.Agencies are also more challenged by measuring business impact(40%vs.35%of brands)and keeping up with new media(37%vs.29%of brands).Brands are more challenged with collaborating with other departments(44%)than agencies(23%).Which of the f

10、ollowing challenges does your PR/communications team face?0%20%40%60%Crisis management39%70%Media relations29%Diversity,Equality and Inclusion(DEI)47%Corporate communications47%Thought leadership45%Media measurement and reporting39%Events/Activations38%Executive communications21%Internal communicati

11、ons30%Influencer relations25%Corporate social responsibility21%Environmental,social,and corporate governance(ESG)The average PR pro focuses on 4.5 areas at once What is your focus as a PR professional?(Select all that apply)80%10More PR pros at agencies focus on thought leadership(53%)vs.brands(39%)

12、.More PR pros at brands focus on crisis management(42%)vs.agencies(36%).Those at brands are also more likely to focus on corporate comms(56%)vs.agencies(44%).What is your focus as a PR professional?0%10%20%30%40%Very important54%83%say DEI is somewhat important or very important at their company50%S

13、omewhat important29%Neutral12%Low importance3%Not at all important1%How important is Diversity,Equity and Inclusion(DEI)at your company?50%Less than 250%10%20%30%4%26-4041-5040%44%40%BrandsAgencies51+10%8%41%48%More than half of all PR pros work 40+hours per week 4%How many hours do you work on aver

14、age per week?13Overall,55%of PR pros work 41+hours per week.46%work 41-50 hours and 9%work 51+hours.40%work 26-40 hours per week.PR pros at agencies say they work more hours than PR pros at brands:56%at agencies work 40+hours per week vs.51%at brands.How many hours do you work on average per week?53

15、%work after business hours or on weekends once a week or moreDaily/Weekly0%10%20%30%20%Once or twice a weekA few times a month40%31%33%BrandsAgenciesA few times a year12%12%33%28%21%Never3%6%How often do you work after business hours or on weekends?15Overall,32%of PR pros work after hours once or tw

16、ice a week and 21%do so daily.Only 12%do so a few times a year and 9%never work after hours or on weekends.54%of PR pros at agencies work after hours or on weekends weekly or more vs.51%of PR pros at brands.How often do you work after business hours or on weekends?0%20%40%60%80%Online programming67%

17、To stay current about their profession,most PR pros rely on social media,followed by online programming Socialmedia52%Conferences/events48%Trade publications46%Professional associations40%Certifications20%How do you stay current about the profession?82%say their org regards their comms function as b

18、eing close to a strategic partnerOn a scale of 1 to 10,with 1 being purely transactional and 10 being full strategic partner,how would you rate the way your communications function is currentlyregarded by business leaders in your organization?0%5%10%15%20%341%1%2%5%10%219%19%22%567813%919%10Only 19%

19、of PR pros rank the way their organization regards their communications function as a 5 or lower,meaning that they believe the PR function is treated closer to purely transactional in their organization.0%20%40%60%ImprovinginternalcommunicationsBetter definingthe role ofPR/CommunicationsImplementing

20、 bettertechnologySourcing morecoverage and/ormedia relationshipsProducing measurable resultsTying PR activities to key business initiativesMitigating negative publicityDeliveringcreative solutionsBrands Agencies41%28%44%25%31%26%44%50%45%49%41%44%24%16%46%41%Sourcing more coverage and producing meas

21、urable results are the top ways PR pros say they can increase value inside their organizationHow can PR increase its value inside your organization?19About half of all PR pros say sourcing more coverage(49%)and producing measurable results(49%)are ways they can increase value within their organizati

22、on.Tying PR activities to key business initiatives(43%)and delivering creative solutions(42%)were also among the top ways to increase value.More PR pros at brands say better defining the role of PR/communications(44%vs.25%of agencies)and improving internal communications(41%vs.28%of agencies)can hel

23、p them increase value.How can PR increase its value inside your organization?Brands My organizations PR is managed by:An in-house team+agency0%10%20%30%40%52%Only in-house PR teamOnly a PR/comms agencyPR is rolled into other functions37%7%3%50%60%More than half of brands say their PR is managed by b

24、oth an in-house team and an agencyThe majority of brands(89%)have an in-house PR team and 52%have both an in-house team and an agency.68%of companies earning$1B or more annually have both an in-house team and an agency.61%of companies earning under$1M annually only have an in-house PR team.Brands Ho

25、w do you work with agencies?Work on an ongoing basis with multiple agencies0%10%20%30%40%36%We work with a single agency of recordWe assign projects to agencies on an ad hoc basisWe do not work with outside agencies28%14%21%50%78%of brands work with agenciesThe way brands work with agencies varies,b

26、ut the majority surveyed either work with multiple agencies on an ongoing basis(36%)or work with a single agency of record(28%).Tech and tools222Email(e.g.Gmail,Outlook)0%20%40%60%83%10%5%1%.5%Most use email,documents and spreadsheets dailyDailyWeeklyMonthlyYearlyNeverSpreadsheets(e.g.Microsoft Exce

27、l,Google Sheets)Documents(e.g.Microsoft Word,Google Docs)Presentations(e.g.Microsoft PowerPoint,Google Slides)78%13%6%2%1%61%24%11%2%1%29%35%27%6%2%How often do you use the following productivity tools?80%Media/journalist database(e.g.Muck Rack,Cision)0%10%20%30%40%47%29%12%3%9%12%24%36%13%15%48%25%

28、13%5%10%About half use a database and news monitoring dailyWire service/newswire(e.g.PR Newswire,Business Wire)News monitoring(e.g.Muck Rack,Meltwater)DailyWeeklyMonthlyYearlyNeverHow often do you use the following PR tools?50%Email automation(e.g.Mailchimp,Constant Contact,Sendgrid)0%10%19%25%19%6%

29、Email automation and web analytics are used most frequentlyDailyWeeklyMonthlyYearlyNeverCRM(e.g.Salesforce,Microsoft Dynamics,Zoho)Marketing automation(e.g.Hubspot,Marketo,Eloqua,Pardot)Marketing Cloud(e.g.Salesforce,Adobe,Oracle)Web analytics(e.g.Google Analytics,Adobe Analytics)31%14%18%14%6%48%14

30、%17%13%5%51%14%17%15%5%50%18%24%25%11%23%20%30%40%50%How often do you use the following types of marketing software?Social media management and/or listening softwareDaily0%5%10%15%30%WeeklyMonthlyYearly26%12%4%Never28%20%25%30%56%use social media management software daily or weeklySimilar to last ye

31、ar,brands use social media tools more frequently than agencies:65%of brands use social media tools daily or weekly vs.51%of agencies that used social media tools daily or weekly.Dedicated project management software(e.g.Monday,Trello,Asana,Basecamp)0%35%20%11%3%31%Project management softwareDailyWee

32、klyMonthlyYearlyNever10%20%30%55%use project management software daily or weekly41%of brands use project management tools daily,and 24%use them weekly.On the other hand,31%of agencies use them daily and 18%use them weekly.40%40%60%80%Video conferencing(e.g.Zoom,Google Meet)0%20%PR pros say email,fol

33、lowed by direct messaging and video are everyday essentials DailyWeeklyMonthlyYearlyNever64%26%7%2%1%65%18%8%2%6%81%10%6%2%0%57%25%10%3%4%Direct messaging(e.g.Slack,Microsoft Teams)EmailPhoneHow often do you use the following types of communications tools?How do you find the right journalists to pit

34、ch?(Select all that apply)Personal contact lists0%20%40%73%Media database(e.g.Muck Rack)Google SearchSocial media60%57%33%60%80%The majority of PR pros rely on a media database to find relevant journalists to pitchMost PR pros use a combination of methods to find relevant journalists:most turn to a

35、media database,and more than half also use personal contact lists and/or Google.More agencies use media databases(80%vs.66%of brands).75%Where do you and your team store media lists?(Select all that apply)Spreadsheets(e.g.Microsoft Excel,Google Sheets)0%15%30%45%69%Sales CRM(e.g.Salesforce,Microsoft

36、 Dynamics,Zoho)Dedicated PR software(e.g.Muck Rack)Marketing automation software(e.g.Hubspot,Marketo)56%18%18%Not sure(I do not engage with media)5%60%More than half of PR pros store media lists in spreadsheets,use PR software or a combination of the two 73%of agencies use spreadsheets vs.67%of bran

37、ds.56%of both brands and agencies use PR software to store media lists.Connecting with journalists313Which of the following components do youbelieve is the most important in a pitch?34%Subject relevantto the journalist5%Quotes from a company spokesperson22%Customization/Personalization To journalist

38、s5%Timeliness10%Contains image/video/infographic6%Contains data/statistics in the headline14%Catchy subject line4%Short in lengthMost agree that subject relevance followed by personalization are most important in a pitchCompared to last year,more PR pros say a catchy subject line is important:14%thi

39、s year vs.4%last year.More PR pros also say visual pitches are important:10%this year vs.1%last year.Fewer say that timeliness is important:5%this year vs.14%last year.33In addition to ensuring that a pitchs subject matter is relevant to a journalists beat and personalizing pitches to individual jou

40、rnalists,more PR pros are emphasizing the importance of catchy subject lines and visuals.However,journalists say timing is still important:according to the 2022 State of Journalism,24%of journalists say they will reject a pitch based on bad timing.Lack of personalization(22%)and a confusing subject

41、line(15%)were additional reasons why they will reject a pitch.Which of the following components do you believe is most important in a pitch?0%10%Individual/1:1 email76%Which of the following channels do you find to be the most effective for pitching journalists?(Select all that apply)Twitter28%Phone

42、26%Mass email21%Newswire20%Text message18%LinkedIn15%Facebook13%Other social media4%Other(please specify)3%20%30%40%50%60%70%351:1 email is the preferred method across company types and sizes for reaching journalists.Agencies are even more likely than brands to use 1:1 email:81%of agencies vs.67%of

43、brands.More brands are picking up the phone compared to last year:28%this year vs.18%last year.Brands are also more likely to rely on Twitter:33%of brands vs.25%of agencies pitch via Twitter.Which of the following channels do you find to be the most Effective for pitching journalists?(Select all tha

44、t apply)Most PR pros pitch 4 or more media types,with online,newspapers and magazines among the most popularWhich types of media do you commonly pitch?(Select all that apply)AgenciesBrands Online/Digital0%20%40%60%80%Newspapers(print)Magazines(print)TVPodcasts100%79%52%63%51%61%42%54%46%53%Radio23%3

45、4%Blogs34%36%Newsletters30%32%Academic/ProfessionalJournals12%10%Other4%2%73%37Across company types,PR pros are pitching online/digital publications(76%),newspapers(61%),magazines(56%)and TV(51%).Podcasts continue to grow as a medium to pitch:last year,36%of brands pitched podcasts and 46%pitch them

46、 this year.Agencies are even more likely to pitch podcasts:42%last year vs.53%this year.Interestingly,fewer PR pros are pitching newsletters:61%of brands last year vs.30%this year and 66%of agencies last year vs.32%this year.Which types of media do you commonly pitch?Most PR pros monitor online,news

47、papers,and magazines,and almost half of monitor podcastsWhich types of media do you monitor on behalf of your brand/clients?(Select all that apply)AgenciesBrands Online/Digital0%20%40%60%80%Newspapers(print)Magazines(print)TVPodcasts100%81%58%61%57%65%46%51%44%51%Radio29%36%Blogs46%45%Newsletters40%

48、45%Academic/ProfessionalJournals18%17%Other5%4%74%0%10%20%30%Late morning 9am-12pmEarly afternoon 12pm-3pm3%32%45%12%6%3%When is generally the best time to send a pitch?(all times EST)Late afternoon 3pm-6pmEvening 6pm-11pmEarly morning5am-9amOvernight11pm-5am40%50%77%prefer to pitch in the morningTh

49、is aligns with the preferences of 67%of journalists who prefer to receive pitches in the morning,as reported in the State of Journalism 2022.0%10%20%30%Tuesday Wednesday4%17%43%11%6%4%On what day of the week do you most like to send pitches?ThursdayFridayMondaySunday40%50%2%Saturday12%No preferenceT

50、uesday is the most popular day to send pitchesAccording to the State of Journalism 2022,most journalists prefer to be pitched early in the week,with Monday ranked as their top choice.How long is the average pitch you send to journalists?100 words0%10%20%30%11%100-200 words201-300 words300-1000 words

51、46%33%8%1000 words+1%40%57%write pitches that are 200 words or lessCompared to last year,there is a 5%increase of PR pros who are writing pitches in the 201-300 word range.Most journalists(68%)prefer pitches 200 words or less per the State of Journalism 2022.How many follow up emails are acceptablet

52、o send after your initial pitch?00%10%20%30%2%12337%41%12%4+8%40%78%say 1-2 follow up emails are acceptableEven though 20%of PR pros say 3 or more follow ups are acceptable,only 9%of journalists feel the same,according to the State of Journalism 2022.Social media usage434LinkedIn remains in the lead

53、,followed by Twitter,Instagram and TikTok Do you expect to spend more or less time on the following social networks this year?LinkedIn0%20%40%60%MoreNo differenceLessDo not use or plan to useTwitterInstagramYoutubeTikTokClubhouseFacebookReddit80%52%37%8%3%47%37%11%5%37%42%13%8%30%44%13%13%38%27%10%8

54、%53%16%26%24%7%16%40%25%24%43%12%32%45Overall,LinkedIn remains in the lead but slightly more PR pros plan to spend more time on Twitter in 2022:47%this year vs.43%last year.PR pros will be spending more time on TikTok too:38%this year vs.33%last year.Brands will spend more time on Twitter(51%),Faceb

55、ook(34%)and YouTube(35%).Agencies will spend more time LinkedIn(53%),Instagram(38%)and TikTok(42%).Do you expect to spend more or less time on the following social networks this year?0%25%50%75%100%Twitter77%LinkedIn73%Instagram58%YouTube42%TikTok26%Clubhouse4%Which of the following social networks

56、are important for your companys social media and communications strategy?(select all that apply)Other3%Facebook69%Reddit13%Twitter takes a slight lead over LinkedIn as the most important social platform for PR prosLast year,most PR pros said LinkedIn was most important,with Twitter coming in second

57、at 77%.Facebook is now in the top three:69%this year vs.64%last year.More brands rely on Twitter(78%)vs.agencies(75%)and Facebook(70%of brands vs.63%of agencies).Agencies say Instagram is more important:60%vs.50%of brands.Budgets,salaries and more4750%10%20%30%40%C-Level marketing34%Who is your comp

58、anys decision maker for spending on PR and earned media efforts?CEO12%C-Level PR/Communications15%VP/Director ofMarketing9%VP/Director ofPR/Communications12%C-Level Finance/Operations7%Other(please specify)7%0%5%10%15%20%Media monitoring12%Newswire6%Reporting and measurement12%Contractors and freela

59、ncers13%Agencies14%Other(please specify)12%Where do you spend the highest%of your PR budget(not including employee salary)?Mediadatabase24%Events(when events resume)7%25%Most PR teams invest in media databases,followed by agencies,contractors and freelancersMore agencies invest in media databases 28

60、%vs.18%of brands that do.Under Other PR pros listed internal comms tools,content creation and surveys.Less than$40K0%5%10%15%20%$40-$70K$70-$100K$100-$150K$150-$250K25%7%13%24%20%21%24%19%16%12%More than$250K10%7%Prefer not to answer11%11%6%AgenciesBrands 52%of PR pros at agencies make less than$100

61、K annually vs.39%of PR pros at brandsHow much do you earn a year including bonus?5161%of PR pros at brands earn$100K+vs.49%of PR pros at agencies.More than half(53%)of entry-level PR pros(associates/coordinators/specialists)earn$40K-$70K.30%of PR pros with the title manager earn$70K-$100K.27%of PR p

62、ros with the title director and above(supervisor,EVP,CXO/VP and CEO/founder/owner)earn$100K-$150K,and 27%with these titles earn$150K+.How much do you earn a year including bonus?Measuring success526PR pros predict strategic planning,media relations,and social media to remain top skills for PR succes

63、s in the next 5 yearsCoverage/stories placed0%20%40%60%73%The average PR pro tracks 5 metrics 80%Social media shares/mentions56%Social media engagement53%Website traffic51%Audience reach51%Share of voice31%Pitches replied to26%SEO metrics24%Pitches sent16%Website conversions/form submissions18%Senti

64、ment/consumer attitudes18%Message pull through20%Pitches opened or clicked18%Journalists reached19%Sales,pipeline or revenue12%Advertising value equivalency(AVE13%Which of the following metrics does your PR/comms team use internally to measure success?(Select all that apply)54Coverage/stories placed

65、 is the most-measured metric(unchanged from last year).This year,more PR pros are measuring social media:56%are measuring social shares/mentions and 53%are monitoring social media engagement.Last year,according to the State of PR Measurement,51%measured shares/mentions and 48%measured engagement.Whi

66、ch of the following metrics does your PR/comms team use internally to measure success?How often is your executive team briefed on PR and communications activities?18%Case by case(depending on campaign)17%Monthly40%Weekly17%Daily5%Other3%Upon request57%brief their executive team weekly or more Both b

67、rands and agencies brief their executive teams with similar frequency:58%of brands and 59%of agencies do so weekly or more.The future of PR567Over the next year,my companys budget for communications/PR will:Increase0%10%20%30%49%DecreaseRemain the same47%17%12%35%41%Brands Agencies40%50%47%Most PR p

68、ros say their budgets will increase over the next year Brands will increase budgets slightly more than agencies(49%vs.47%).PRs relationship with marketing will be _ important in the next 5 years76%More17%Just as7%LessMost PR pros believe their relationship with marketing will be more important in th

69、e next 5 years Slightly more brands think the relationship will be more important:78%of brands vs.76%of agencies.PR pros predict strategic planning,media relations,and social media to remain top skills for PR success in the next 5 yearsWhich of the following skills will be important to your PR organ

70、izations success in the next 5 years?Strategic planningMedia relationsSocial mediaDiversity,equity and inclusionData and analyticsWritten communicationsLeadershipMultimedia content development68%62%56%41%51%52%52%46%Influencer marketingCrisis managementEmployee communicationsResearchVerbal communica

71、tionsBusiness literacyArtificial intelligenceEthics counseling39%39%34%32%26%21%15%15%Strategic planning,media relations and social media remain top skills for PR success in the next 5 yearsIn 5 years,the term“public relations”willAccurately describethe work Ill be doing0%20%40%60%46%Need tobe redef

72、inedNeed to be renamed39%47%55%7%7%BrandsAgenciesMore than half of PR pros believe the term“public relations”will need to be redefined in the next 5 yearsMore agencies believe that the term will need to be redefined(55%)than brands(47%).Do you think you will be securing more or less earned media in

73、the future?More0%10%20%30%59%Less23%The same19%40%50%60%More than half of PR pros say they will secure more earned media in the futureBrands say they will secure more earned media(65%)than agencies(55%).Appendix:Expanded audience breakdown62845%No55%Yes78%Public Relations/Communications11%Marketing1

74、1%CEO/FounderWhat department do you work in?0%5%10%15%20%CXO/VP16%What best describes your level in your company?CEO/Founder/Owner6%EVP5%Supervisor10%Director18%Manager23%Associate/Coordinator/Specialist19%Intern1%Other(Specify)2%25%How many people work at your company?Just me0%10%20%6%30%40%2-10 em

75、ployees16%10-49 employees20%50-99 employees14%100-499 employees20%500-4,999 employees14%5,000-9,999 employees4%10,000+employees4%How many people work at your company?30%Under$1M0%5%10%15%16%20%$1M to$9.9M19%$10M to 499M22%$500M to$999M9%$1B or more7%I dont know/prefer not to say27%What best describe

76、s your companys average annual revenue?Just me0%10%20%30%12%2-10 people11-100 people101-1000 people41%31%11%1000+people5%40%50%How large is your entire companys PR/communications team?Business to business(B2B)0%10%20%30%40%31%Business to consumer(B2C)Both(B2C and B2B)30%35%The primary audience my organization/clients sell to are:Thank you!https:/Muck Racks Public Relations Management(PRM)platform enables PR teams to find the right journalists for their stories,send customized pitches,build meaningful relationships with the media,monitor news and quantify their impact.Learn more