Public Relations Global Network and Buchanan Public Relations Unveil
‘The State of Earned Media 2023’
Findings Should Prompt Brands to Ensure Their Communications Programs Include More Than Just Media Relations
PHILADELPHIA (November 21, 2023) – Generating earned media has become significantly more difficult in recent years, according to a nationwide survey of public relations professionals conducted by the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) and Buchanan Public Relations. The State of Earned Media 2023 reports on the current state of earned media in the United States and includes recommendations for brands striving to share their stories.
“Generating news coverage for our clients has required significantly more creativity, manpower and resources than it did just a few years ago,” said Anne A. Buchanan, APR, President of Buchanan Public Relations and a founding member of PRGN. “We wanted to see if other PR professionals were experiencing this and attempt to quantify it. In surveying our U.S. member agencies, it became abundantly clear that this is a serious challenge being felt among public relations professionals across the country.”
The agency designed a survey and administered it to 78 communications professionals at 18 public relations firms that belong to PRGN.
Respondents were unanimous in their assessment that generating earned media has become significantly more challenging. As one respondent said: “Earned media has become much more difficult, and we have to spend considerable time creating stories that are highly newsworthy. News stories that were of mild or moderate interest in the past are now very difficult to get placed.”
A key finding from the survey shows that public relations practitioners feel national and top-tier media has become the hardest medium in which to secure earned media. Respondents cited factors such as shrinking newsrooms and reporters’ limited bandwidths as likely reasons why securing national media has become more difficult.
Additionally, respondents found rapidly advancing technology, the post-COVID environment and declining revenue in journalism as some of the most prominent reasons why there seems to be fewer opportunities for public relations professionals to secure earned media. It’s important for brands to understand this change in the media landscape, and to expand their communications tactics and expectations.
The report is based on a September 2023 survey of the 18 U.S. PRGN member firms with a goal of understanding how easy or difficult obtaining earned media had become in recent years and what factors are contributing to the situation. The online, multiple-choice survey was completed by 78 public relations professionals who engage in media relations.
To learn more about the findings and implications on the current state of earned media, download the full report here: https://buchananpr.com/2023-state-of-earned-media
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About Buchanan Public Relations
Buchanan Public Relations is a full-service public relations, digital and crisis communications agency. Its clients include large corporations as well as leading non-profits. The firm was a founding member of the Public Relations Global Network, a consortium of nearly 50 independently owned public relations firms around the world. For more information, please visit buchananpr.com.
About Public Relations Global Network
Founded in 1992 by a group of visionary public relations leaders, PRGN is one of the world’s largest international public relations networks with more than 50 agency members and 800 employees in 43 countries in North & South America, Europe, The Middle East, Asia and Australasia. PRGN member agencies are independent, local, owner-operated public relations and marketing communications firms that share expertise and resources, while providing broad-based comprehensive communications strategies to clients worldwide.
Companies or organizations interested in the services of PRGN’s local agency network can visit its agency directory section for more information.
Independent agencies interested in joining the network can visit the member recruitment section of the PRGN website for more information.