What PR Agencies Must Know: 2025 State of Journalism Report from Muck Rack

The media landscape is changing rapidly, and PR professionals, marketing experts, and digital marketing agencies need to keep pace. According to Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 2025 report (published April 2025, muckrack.com), the role of journalists, their tools, and their relationships with PR pros are evolving in ways that directly impact how lifestyle, travel, wellness, and health brands can earn coverage and boost SEO, social media, and digital marketing performance.

Here’s a curated breakdown of what every PR agency should know and apply right now:

1. Relevance is Everything

According to Muck Rack, 86% of journalists will immediately disregard pitches that aren't relevant to their beat. This is a wake-up call for PR agencies working with lifestyle and wellness brands: generic, mass emails don’t work.

Tip for Agencies:

Before hitting send, ensure your pitch is:

• Hyper-tailored to the journalist’s area of interest.

• Backed with context, data, or a clear news hook.

2. Editorial Relationships Still Matter

50% of journalists say their relationships with PR professionals are important or very important to their success. In lifestyle and travel media, where storytelling is everything, maintaining personal connections can make or break a pitch.

How to Build Trust:

• Follow and engage with journalists on LinkedIn (trusted by 60%).

• Offer real value: sources, research, or exclusive insights.

• Be consistent and professional in your follow-ups.

3. AI Is Here to Stay

An impressive 77% of journalists use AI tools, with 42% using ChatGPT and 40% using transcription tools like Otter.ai. That means they’re producing content faster, with fewer resources.

Action for PR Pros:

• Match their efficiency: use AI to refine pitches, generate summaries, or prep research.

• But don’t automate too much—journalists can still spot a robotic pitch a mile away.

4. PR Pitches Drive Stories—When Done Right

84% of journalists say some of their published stories originate from PR pitches. That’s huge. But it comes with a catch: 69% say the pitch needs to be tailored to their beat.

Ideal Pitch Includes:

• Relevance to the journalist’s topic

• Interview access (62%)

• Original data or research (66%)

• Brief, clear copy (under 200 words)

5. Email Is Still King

Despite the noise, 62% of journalists still prefer to be pitched via 1:1 email, ideally before noon on a Monday. Nearly 70% also prefer pitches that are fewer than 200 words.

What to Avoid:

• Irrelevant pitches (top reason for deletion)

• Overly promotional language

• Mass emails

6. Journalists Are Burnt Out but Hopeful

While 67% say their work feels meaningful, nearly half also say it’s exhausting. Only 19% feel very confident in their long-term career prospects, yet 54% report some degree of optimism.

How PR Can Help:

• Respect their time: don’t bury the lead.

• Offer easy wins: pre-written quotes, image assets, or timely stats.

• Advocate for earned media AND paid opportunities.

7. Facebook Replaces X (Twitter)

27% of journalists now say Facebook is their most valuable platform, followed by LinkedIn and X, which dropped to 21% from 36% last year.

Channel Your Storytelling:

• Help journalists distribute stories on platforms they trust.

• Consider how your brand story might gain traction on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Final Thoughts: What This Means for Lifestyle, Travel, and Wellness PR

In a world where one-third of journalists now self-publish and more than half are inundated with irrelevant pitches, Hacker Communications can help your brand cut through the noise.

As a Vancouver, Toronto, and U.S.-based PR and digital marketing agency, we work with lifestyle, travel, wellness, and health brands to craft precise, personalized campaigns that align with what journalists actually need—delivering SEO impact, social media engagement, and earned media coverage.