Analysing the ‘State of PR’ Report: the things your business should know

Public relations is an essential tool in any business’s toolkit. In fact, it has never been more important when it comes to building trust, shaping reputation and increasing the visibility of products, services and offerings.

However, the fast-paced nature of the current media environment means new tips and tricks continue to emerge, with industry reports such as Muck Rack’s State of PR 2025 detailing the challenges and opportunities brands face today. Here are some key takeaways from the report that could help your business grow and your employees stand out:

A changing media landscape

As covered in State of PR 2025, digital media continues to dominate workloads. For example, 92% of PR professionals now pitch to online outlets. However, what remains clear is that traditional outlets – such as physical newspapers, magazines and even television – still matter.

One digital format on the rise is podcasting, making it an extremely suitable option for developing thought leaders. The beauty of podcasts is that they can be incredibly niche and still pull in a dedicated audience: perfect for tech businesses looking to reach the right market for their solutions.

These findings highlight the importance of having a multi-channel strategy in place – and an agency that understands both their clients’ sector, and the best platforms for your business.

The war for earned coverage

As media outlets evolve, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to reach journalists. 72% of PR professionals reported low response rates to Muck Rack, while 62% reporting shrinking media lists.

As a result, targeted and personalised pitches to journalists have never been more important to ensuring your news is reaching your target audience. 75% of pitches journalists receive are not relevant or valuable to them, so working with an agency that has established relationships with the right contacts and only sends appropriate updates to them is the best way to boost your chances of coverage.

Value through measurement

Evaluating the success of campaigns is also crucial to businesses. According to the State of PR 2025 report, 67% of survey respondents now believe measurement is the best way to demonstrate value to clients.

Any campaign carried out by an agency should be backed by clear reporting, and should establish KPIs to compare against. This means going beyond base coverage to demonstrate the impact the PR work has had on brand reputation and achieving business goals. By being open with your agency regarding your plans before a campaign, appropriate benchmarks can be set and surpassed, helping to foster an environment for success.

LinkedIn leads the way

One crucial element to these campaigns may be social media. To the surprise of no one, LinkedIn remains the number one social media platform, according to 56% of the PR professionals surveyed by Muck Rack.

As one platform rises in prominence, another falls too: as we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, X has continued to decline in popularity, and the app lost 2.7 million active users within the US alone last year. However, platforms such as Threads and BlueSky have yet to offer a viable alternative when it comes to advertising, and analysts believe ad sales on X will generate $1.3 billion within the US this year – 17.5% more than in 2024. It’ll be interesting to see whether it can make a comeback in the future.

Interestingly, while Instagram and TikTok remain fruitful for B2C brands, we are also seeing greater migration of B2B companies onto these platforms and developing short-form content.

The future is AI

One new tool in the PR professional’s arsenal is Artificial Intelligence (AI). 77% of those surveyed by Muck Rack now use it in some capacity, while 59% acknowledged it as a priority within the next five years.

As I previously covered in a LinkedIn post, when it comes to the use of AI, caution is required – especially when it comes to marketing your business effectively. Amongst many things, AI is a useful research tool, but it’s essential that any sources are corroborated to ensure accuracy in your messaging. Additionally, the human touch is still required to truly enhance your campaigns and to make sure you offer a real opinion in order to add true value within your content.

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