70 Eye-Opening PR Statistics
Published on: 31 Aug 2023 | Author: Clara Gil
In this Industry Report:
- Global PR Statistics
- Public Relations Industry Statistics
- Statistics on PR Professionals
- PR Value Statistics
- Press Release Statistics
- How PR Managers Use Statistics
- Conclusion
PR is about delivering the right message, through the right channel, to the right people at the right time. But, what’s happening in the industry? How has it changed since the COVID pandemic? These 60 PR statistics will help you understand how technology is forcing PR professionals to upskill and become more effective.
We are talking about a field that is dominated by women, but filled with constant obstacles that make the job harder. Budget cuts, tight deadlines, unreasonable clients, and an ever-changing landscape are just a few of the threats that make this one of the most stressful fields.
Global PR Statistics
$129 b
By 2025, the global PR market is expected to be worth more than $129 billion
5,226
PR organizations registered in Europe and 8,500 in the U.S.A.
Edelman
is the largest PR firm in the United States with more than 5,100 employees
- The global PR market is worth more than $105.5 billion this year. It’s expected to surpass $129 billion by 2025. (Statista)
- The global public relations market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% from 2022 to 2023. (DDIY)
- In Europe, there are 5,226 registered PR organizations, while in the U.S., the number is more than 8,500. (Crunchbase)
- The UK public relations and communications industry revenue is projected to reach $4,442.59 million by 2025. (Gitnux)
- Edelman is the largest PR firm in the United States with a growth rate of 4% and over 5,100 employees. It surpasses its competitors Real Chemistry and APCO Worldwide. (Gitnux)
- The top 10 PR firms are independently owned. 7 are in the US, 1 in Japan, 1 in the UK, and 1 in France. (Provoke Media)
- In 2021 and 2022, 60.05% of online businesses will outsource their digital PR efforts. (uSERP State of Backlinks Report)
- PR agencies have grown 30% in the last five years as more companies outsource their efforts. (USC Annenberg)
- Only 18% of PR firms are tightly integrated with their respective marketing teams. (Cision)
- 60% of PR leaders believe that leveraging social media influencers will continue to be key to PR success in 2023 and beyond. (USC Annenberg)
Public Relations Industry Statistics
Marketing
60% of PR teams work with an organization’s marketing departments
13%
In-house PR budgets have decreased by 13% at the top 100 communicating companies
COVID
Despite the contraction seen during the COVID pandemic, the global PR industry grew 10.2% in 2021
- Internal PR teams do not work alone. They usually work with other departments in the company:
- Marketing: 60%
- Internal Communications: 60%
- Human Resources: 38%
- Investor Relations: 20%
- Other: 12% (Ragan Communications)
- Since 2019, in-house PR budgets have decreased by 13% at the top 100 communicating companies. (Provoke Media)
- Only 24% of CMOs at the top 100 communicating corporations manage budgets of more than $100 million. (Provoke Media)
- 59% of PR professionals believe technology will be a key driver of change in the PR industry. (USC Center for Public Relations, 2019)
- Public relations industry statistics show that most billion-dollar companies spend between $250,000 and $25 million on PR each year. (Axia Public Relations)
- By 2030, the industry can add 31,000 jobs and experience annually. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- About 73% of PR professionals believe the field won’t be the same in 5 years. It’s expected to continue to evolve thanks to technology. (Plotlights)
- Despite the contraction seen during the COVID pandemic, the global PR industry grew by 10.2% in 2021. (The Business Search Company)
- Agencies account for the highest PR spend, followed by media bases. (Muck Track)
- 10. 51% of PR professionals believe that PR and marketing will become much more integrated in the next 5 years. (USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations)
Statistics on PR Jobs
72.8%
of PR managers are female
Stressful
PR is one of the top 10 most stressful jobs
$62,800
is the median annual salary for a PR professional in the U.S.A.
- 72.8% of PR managers are female, while they make up 63.9% of the field overall. (Muck Rack)
- PR is one of the top 10 most stressful jobs. (PR Newswire)
- 9 out of 10 PR professionals struggle to create content. The most common reasons include turnaround time, lack of resources, and lack of skills. (PR Newswire)
- Only 10% of PR professionals use CRM systems, while 60% continue to use spreadsheets. (Muck Rack)
- The median annual salary for a PR professional is:
- United States: $62,800
- Germany: $52,609
- Netherlands: $54,666
- Spain: $28,668 (Salary)
- 46% of journalists prefer not to be pitched on any social media network. (Cision)
- The most important skills for public relations specialists to get ahead are:
- Storytelling: 72%
- Social media: 61%
- Internal communications: 52%
- Video: 50%
- Digital: 58%
- Writing: 60% (Ragan Communications)
- The main challenges that PR professionals face on a daily basis are:
- Getting answers from journalists: 59%
- Budget: 49%
- Measuring business impact: 46%
- Lack of quantifiable measurement: 37% (Muck Rack)
- Public relations professionals consider LinkedIn and Twitter to be the best social media platforms for following and engaging with journalists. (Muck Rack)
- 10. 45% of PR professionals report to the CMO, but 33% report directly to the CEO. (Sword and the Script Report)
Importance of PR Statistics
46%
understand the importance of public relations and use it in their business strategies.
1 in 5
PR specialists are involved in the development of an organization’s marketing strategy
$1,000
is the average cost of a single successful digital PR placement
- Less than 45% of PR professionals have a crisis communications plan. (Muck Rack)
- 46% of large U.S. companies (500+ employees) understand the importance of public relations and use it in their business strategies. (Statista)
- The keyword ‘digital PR’ averages only 320 searches per month. (Reboot Online)
- By 2019, only 1 in 10 PR professionals focused on digital PR. (Reboot Online)
- CEOs believe that shared media (38%) and owned media (36%) are the most valuable communications strategies for their organizations. (USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations)
- More than 50% of PR teams hold daily or weekly briefings to assess the status of their efforts. (Meltwater)
- Only 1 in 5 PR specialists is involved in the development of an organization’s marketing strategy. (Meltwater)
- 80% of business decision-makers would rather get information from articles that mention your brand than from advertising. (Content Marketing Institute)
- The average cost of a single successful digital PR placement is over $1,000. (Siege Media)
- There are no guarantees or accurate statistics for going viral. Realistically, the chances of going viral are close to zero. (Forbes)
Press Release Statistics
Thursday
is the best day to send a press release
Morning
85% of PR professionals say the morning is the best time to send a pitch
Relevance
is the most important component of a pitch
- 42% of PR specialists say press releases are the most trusted type of content, ahead of spokespeople (29%) and company websites (21%). (Cision)
- Thursday is the best day to send a press release, with an open rate of 27%. Press releases sent on Tuesday have an open rate of 19%. (Meltwater)
- The best time to send a press release is between 10 am and 2 pm, 1 out of 3 emails sent during this time is opened. Early morning is less effective. (Prowly)
- 73%+ of journalists search for press releases online. (Meltwater)
- 94% of PR pros agree that one-on-one email is the best way to pitch journalists because it allows them to track and share files. (Muck Rack)
- While PR professionals (50%) use 300 words or less to pitch to journalists, journalists prefer to read 100 words or less. (Plotlights)
- 85% of PR professionals say the morning is the best time to send a pitch, and 64% of journalists agree. (Muck Rack)
- The most important components of a pitch are:
- Relevance to the journalist: 42%
- Personalization of content: 35%
- Timeliness: 14%
- Catchy subject line: 4%
- Short length: 3%
- Graphics or elements: 1%
- Statistics in the headline: 1%. (Muck Rack)
- A single press release can cost anywhere from $400 to $2,000. Distribution companies usually charge a set amount per word. (Sword and the Script)
- Nearly half of journalists prefer not to be pitched on social media. Email is their preferred method of communication. (Cision)
Statistics on PR Campaigns
5 Metrics
is the average tracked by PR specialists
Challenge
72% of PR professionals agree that measuring business impact is their most important challenge
Sales
Less than a third of PR professionals measure the sales impact of their work
Less than a third of PR professionals measure the sales impact of their work
- The average PR specialist tracks five metrics: coverage or stories placed, audience reach, website traffic, social media shares/mentions, and social media engagement. (Muck Rack)
- 21% of Public Relations agencies cite measurement and analytics technology as the most important technology for the future. (International Communications Consultancy Organization World PR Report)
- Public Relations professionals rely on a variety of distribution methods to share reports and updates with the rest of the organization: Email: 89%, Chat: 47%, Live meeting: 46%, Internal communications hub: 13%. (Muck Track)
- 33% of PR executives say that poor analytics and campaign management tools prevent them from seeing the true value and performance of their campaigns. (Meltwater)
- 4% of executive teams are briefed at least weekly on PR and communications activities. (Muck Rack)
- 98% of Public Relations professionals measure their efforts in some way, but less than one-third look at sales impact. (Muck Rack)
- A shocking 93% of PR professionals use spreadsheets to track reporting. (Plotlights)
- 61% of PR pros report using web analytics software at least monthly. (Muck Rack)
- Only 20.7% of PR professionals say they are very comfortable using data and analytics. (CIPR)
- 72% of PR professionals agree that measuring business impact is the most important challenge facing the industry today. (Muck Rack)
Statistics on PR Agencies and Outsourcing
90%
of PR agencies also tackle digital strategy.
€1 Million
The biggest PR project posted on Sortlist.
28 People
Average PR agency size around the world.
The following all come from our “State of Public Relations Report” analysing 40,000 outsourced P.R. projects on Sortlist.
- PR is the most popular agency service on Sortlist.com with over 6,700 projects.
- France and Germany are the most active countries in requesting PR services, with 1,800 projects combined.
- 15.5% of PR projects come from the Hospitals & Healthcare industry.
- In 2021, 40% of companies increased their PR spend, only 4% decreased it.
- Average PR budget peaked at €16,000 in January 2022, 6% above the average.
- Belgium has the highest rate of PR-related searches per company.
- The USA saw 17,700 PR-related searches in 2022.
- Average budget for a US PR project is €6,600.
- Average budget for a Belgian PR project is €8,730.
- Average real price of a PR project is €41,357.
- The value of the biggest PR projects on Sortlist reaches €1 million.
- Overall value of PR projects on Sortlist since 2019 is €2.1 million.
- Most PR projects on Sortlist cost between €10,000 and €40,000.
- Average PR agency size across all markets is 28 employees.
- Saudi Arabia has the largest average PR agency size with 68 employees.
- 90% of PR agencies also specialize in digital strategy.
Conclusion
It’s safe to say that PR plays a key role in an organization’s path to success. However, with all the technological advancements and ever-evolving tools, the role of a PR professional is bound to change and become more in sync with the marketing department.
The COVID pandemic has shown that despite a year of contraction, companies are still willing to increase their PR budgets because they understand the importance of telling a great story to the right audience.
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