Earning media coverage has grown increasingly competitive in recent years between proliferating fake news, public distrust of mainstream outlets, and newsrooms shrinking due to layoffs and budget cuts. For brands looking to secure earned media wins in 2023, carefully optimizing pitching strategy according to the latest data-backed insights is crucial.
Propel Media recently released its Q2 2023 Media Barometer Report, providing an invaluable glimpse into the current state of media relations based on a robust analysis of over 485,000 pitches. Let’s dig into the key learnings concerning journalist engagement rates, optimal timing, topical hooks, and more that communicators can apply to finally break through.
Engagement Rates Remain Low Amid a Flood of Pitches
On average, 49.14% of pitches received a click in Q2 as journalists rapidly sorted through overflowing inboxes. This high open rate likely stems from 51% of opens occurring within the first hour in journalists’ frantic triaging processes.
However, despite the initial skims, journalists’ actual responses to pitches fell below 3% for the third straight quarter. Just 2.99% of Q2 pitches received a reply, whether a rejection or offer to cover. For context, back in early 2020, before “newsroom Armageddon” truly upended the industry, the quarterly response rate typically exceeded 7%.
This downward trend highlights the heightened difficulty of capturing journalists’ attention and time amid declining resources. Growing workloads mean reporters()[:-1] eyes glance over more emails than ever in hopes something immediately compelling catches their eye.
Brands must fine-tune targeting relevancy when pitching to resonate within overflowing inboxes. Relying on volume blasting rather than precision outreach becomes even less effective over time. Still, a bright spot emerges in podcasting, where responses jumped to 16.59% as the medium matures and hosts escape some newsroom volatility.
Perfect Pitch Timing: Open and Respond on Tuesdays
Beyond generally low response rates, the Media Barometer Report revealed particular days and times associated with higher open and response rates. Tuesday dominated as the prime day for sending, opening, and replying to pitches.
Specifically, PR pros sent over 27% of Q2 pitches on Tuesdays. Aligning perfectly, journalists also opened and responded to more emails on Tuesdays than other days, with 26.53% of opens and 27.73% of replies.
This insight should directly inform communicators’ weekly PR planning. Mapping outreach calendars around Tuesdays to capitalize on journalists’ enhanced engagement that day is an actionable way to boost results.
Similarly, the first few hours after sending prove critical for visibility. While 51% of opens occur within 60 minutes, 59% of responses come within 240 minutes. So expect quick replies or none at all, as inboxes constantly refill.
Lagging News Cycles Showcase Challenges of Understaffed Newsrooms
The report also revealed insightful publishing timeline trends, specifically an overall slowdown from previous quarters. In Q1 2023, nearly 60% of journalist-approved stories went live within three days of the initial pitch. However, in Q2, only 50% published that rapidly.
Now the majority take shape by the seven-day mark rather than 72 hours previously. This showcases the real-world ripple effects from recent mass media layoffs and budget cuts. With fewer journalists balancing higher workloads, news cycles drag despite communicators’ best efforts.
For time-sensitive pitches, checking back respectfully after a couple of days without a response makes sense. But for evergreen stories with more flexible publishing timelines, publicists must also demonstrate extra patience with busy journalist contacts.
Nurturing these relationships for long-term success means avoiding overloading already overwhelmed reporters who now operate on accelerated hamster wheels to keep up.
Content Hooks and Topics Resonating Now
While structural industry forces largely drive worrying engagement trends, PR pros can still tailor pitches to spark interest by leveraging specific content hooks. For example, real estate and housing themes captivated journalists amid widespread economic anxiety.
Pitches explicitly calling out housing as a main angle garnered a 5% response rate—67% higher than average. Similarly, those highlighting mortgages saw a 3.2% response rate. Tapping into surging concerns around affordability and financial uncertainty clearly resonated.
On the flip side, overused hooks like LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations demonstrated the perils of topic fatigue. Despite pride pitches flooding inboxes in June, rates plunged below 2% as unimaginative angles blended together.
Keeping a finger on the pulse of broader societal conversations, controversies, and pain points allows communicators to spot emerging hooks to integrate. Ideally, these align authentically with a brand’s positioning rather than straining for forced associations.
Rising Podcast Response Rates Reveal Growing Medium
While most communication mediums endure extreme clutter these days, podcasting retains its luster in journalists’ eyes as the space matures. Podcast pitches scored a 16.59% response rate in Q2 2023, over 5X higher than the overall average.
Despite some consolidation through mergers like Spotify combining its two internal podcast companies, the industry still feels “white hot” for both creators and PR strategists. Flagging relevant podcast tie-in ideas should populate all outreach.
For context, podcasters opened a staggering 73% of Q2 pitches they received, barely declining from Q1’s breakneck figures. Compare that to 49% overall. This momentum certainly supports podcast guest appearance opportunities and audio-first partnerships if brands can avoid overexploiting the wave.
Key Takeaways for Media Relations Success in 2024
By synthesizing insights from Propel’s exhaustive Q2 2023 Media Barometer Report, communicators gain several advantages in navigating today’s turbulent earned media landscape riddled with low engagement rates. Focus on fine-tuning these core aspects of PR strategy:
- Precision targeting: Only pitch journalists highly relevant stories rather than blasting the masses.
- Optimal timing: Send Tuesday early morning, follow up by Friday.
- Patience: Understand understaffed newsrooms juggle more with less now.
- Hook resonance: Spot societal pain points like housing anxiety to tap into.
- Emerging mediums: Prioritize booming podcast pitches before opportunities are oversaturated.
- Armed with these actionable best practices, brands willing to tailor communications to journalists’ realities can still thrive amid the “newsroom armageddon” fallout.
Combining optimized processes with tech-enabled solutions like Propel’s AI writing and media list builders further empowers success through enhanced workflows. Though earning a media win now proves harder than ever, the guidance now exists to navigate turbulent 2024 seas for those putting in the work.
