Journalists want your help, but say most pitches miss the mark
GEO has made earned media sexy again, but there’s a problem. There are fewer and fewer journalists every day to create those earned media stories. Which means their inboxes are bursting with pitches. Unfortunately, journalists report that the vast majority of these pitches aren’t helpful at all. In fact, about half (47%) of respondents to […] The post Journalists want your help, but say most pitches miss the mark appeared first on PR Daily .
In recent years, earned media has become increasingly attractive to businesses and organizations, as it leverages the credibility and reach of traditional media outlets. However, the landscape of journalism has changed significantly, with fewer journalists available to create these stories. As a result, journalists' inboxes are flooded with pitches from PR professionals seeking to generate coverage. Unfortunately, the majority of these pitches are not helpful, according to a survey conducted by Muck Rack's The State of Journalism 2026.
The survey revealed that about half (47%) of journalists surveyed found PR pitches to be seldom or never relevant to their work. This lack of relevance may explain why only a small fraction of published stories actually start with a pitch. According to the data, 51% of journalists reported that only 1-10% of their stories originated from pitches, with 14% stating that their stories never began with a pitch.
While it's natural for journalists to want to set their own agendas and not rely on PR for story ideas, the low success rate of pitches should serve as a wake-up call for PR professionals. The fact that only a tiny fraction of stories start with a pitch indicates that PR practitioners are frequently failing to provide journalists with useful, specific, and relevant story ideas. This not only limits the opportunities for PR professionals to shape narratives in the media but also relegates them to a more reactive role, responding to media requests rather than proactively inserting stories into publications.
Despite the challenges, there is a positive aspect to the relationship between PR professionals and journalists. The survey found that 73% of journalists believe PR professionals are at least moderately important to their success. This highlights the hard work PR professionals put into their roles, including issuing proactive statements, coordinating interviews, and responding to media requests.
To improve the effectiveness of pitches, PR professionals should focus on crafting relevant and specific story ideas that align with the journalists' interests and agendas. This requires a deep understanding of the journalists' work and the media outlets they contribute to. By doing so, PR professionals can increase the chances of their pitches being considered and potentially published, allowing them to better shape narratives and insert stories into publications.
In conclusion, while the relationship between PR professionals and journalists is not inherently flawed, there is room for improvement in the way pitches are crafted and delivered. By prioritizing relevance, specificity, and alignment with journalists' interests, PR professionals can enhance their ability to generate earned media and foster stronger relationships with journalists. This, in turn, will benefit both PR professionals and the media landscape, ensuring that important stories are told and received by the audiences they deserve.
