GEO is making earned media hot again. But the media is melting down.
What PR pros can do to help.
For a while there, media relations was becoming a fading star in the PR sky. Social media and influencer relations were the cool new kids on the block. Sure, maybe media relations could be sexy again if we’re talking about a podcast or a Substack, but pitching a trade pub or TV station? That’s sooo last century.
But then media relations found an unlikely savior: AI. Not because it contributes to better pitches (though it can) or it’s being used extensively in journalism (though sometimes it is), but because earned media is a significant driver of LLM search results. According to Muck Rack’s landmark study last year, 27% of all AI answers cite journalism, though that number jumps to 49% if the question requires a recent answer.
Since then, media relations has become a new darling of the PR world again. From trades to legacy media and beyond, suddenly, people are pitching fast and furious again. Open LinkedIn, and you’ll find plenty of PR pros celebrating their recent results and how the profession is more indispensable than ever before.
Which is true. And fantastic. Media relations continues to be a critically important way to communicate with audiences in a less salesy way that can boost the overall perception of a brand.
There’s just one problem.
That media everyone wants a piece of? It’s in shambles.
The state of the media
Since 2002, there has been a 75% drop in local journalists in the United States, according to data from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News. While many counties (largely rural) have less than one local journalist per 100,000 people, even major metros have suffered: Even Los Angeles only has 3.6 local journalists per 100,000 people.
National news has also seen huge blows in recent years, with major layoffs at organizations across a range of mediums, including newspapers, television and radio.
Sure, there are bright spots as podcasts, news video channels and email newsletters rise in popularity. But many of these people occupy a far grayer area than traditional journalists did. Plenty of them produce great work … and immediately turn around and do an ad read or appear in a sponsored video. That kind of line blurring would be unthinkable for many traditional journalists.
At a time when more PR professionals than ever before are clamoring more hungrily than ever for press, there are fewer and fewer journalists to keep up with the deluge of pitches, to say nothing of actually having time to report out the stories.
And numbers aren’t the only issue at play.
Press freedom worldwide has reached its lowest point in 25 years, according to newly published data from Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Over half of all the nations in the world now have “difficult” or “very serious” environments for reporters. The United States has fallen seven places in the ranking to 64th. Only 1% of people in the world live in countries where press freedom is described as “good.”
This means it’s harder for those remaining journalists to do their work freely, honestly and without harassment from the government. It means they face additional barriers to being truthful and can sometimes face serious consequences, even death, for their work.
What PR professionals can do to help
Without credible journalists, there is no PR resurgence. There is no GEO renaissance.
So, to best foster a healthy and vibrant PR community, the journalism industry must be strengthened and protected.
Here are just a few simple ways any PR practitioner can help:
- Subscribe or donate to media outlets. No one can subscribe to all the worthy publications, of course, but in both your personal and professional life, support the outlets that you most appreciate and that matter most to you with your dollars. That’s the only way these organizations survive long-term. It’s tempting to use paywall bypass measures to get access to the content you want, but whenever possible, see if you or your employer can pay for news.
- Support press freedom. The more independent the media is, the more trust can rise. The more pressure and interference, the less trust. So, it’s in PR professionals’ best interest to support a press that is able to pursue reporting of all kinds. Some ways you can accomplish this include:
- Donate to organizations that protect and defend the press and the First Amendment, including Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, RSF and the ACLU.
- Support legislation in your state and country that shields the press from government interference.
- Respect the reporters in your orbit. We assume you’re already doing this, of course. But simply taking a moment to tell a journalist about a story you appreciated (without including a pitch!) or sending an “I’m thinking of you” note on a hard news day can make a world of difference on an interpersonal level. In 2023, 80% of journalists cited burnout as a “serious issue,” so even a small kindness can go a long way.
The PR-media ecosystem is deeply interconnected. PR alone can’t save the industry, but each individual can do a few things that might, collectively and over time, help journalism thrive just as PR does.
Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.
I continue to subscribe to publications, including my local paper, because they play an important role in the community.