Cision's 2024 State of the Media Report is a great resource for understanding the current media landscape and the evolving needs of journalists. Whether you're perfecting your pitch or enhancing your media relations strategy, this report provides critical insights into the workings of the media.
Cision's Report captured insights from over 3,000 journalists worldwide across 19 markets, including the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, China, and Australia.
This is the first instalment of a two-part blog delving into Cision’s report. In part one, we’ll take a hard look at journalists' needs and how they operate. At Resonance we pride ourselves on knowing the media inside-out. This is critical for effective and strategic media relations. The second blog will cover the challenges journalists face today and how PRs need to adapt and help.
The Media Landscape: Evolution and Current Trends
Fifteen years ago, social media was an emerging platform. Today, it’s central to journalism. In 2009, only 56% of journalists found social media important. Fast forward to 2024, and that number has soared to 97%. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter have evolved, and Instagram now plays a pivotal role. Despite these changes, the partnership between PR professionals and journalists remains vital.
Source: Cision 2024 State of the Media Report
Ask anyone responsible for media engagement and they’ll tell you how tricky it’s become to reach and engage journalists. There’s a smaller pool, people work from home, office numbers barely work, journalists are flooded with emails hourly. This makes media relations hard. It means persistence is key, plus finding new ways to have a conversation. And social media is one of them. Let's not forget the host of messaging platforms, from Whatsapp to Threads.
The report highlights LinkedIn. Resonance integrates LinkedIn execution with media relations. We use LinkedIn to engage with influencers and provide comments when journalists post their articles. By engaging with journalists on LinkedIn, it is possible to build deeper, more fruitful relationships for both our clients and the journalists. This engagement also enables us to stay close to the issues that matter to the journalists. We also use our clients’ LinkedIn accounts as a further medium for pushing newsjacking content.
Source: Cision 2024 State of the Media Report
Relevance is Key
Journalists emphasised the importance of relevant content. When asked to describe the “perfect” PR pitch, relevance topped the list. This means knowing your audience and tailoring your content to their interests and needs.
Source: Cision 2024 State of the Media Report
This is nothing new, it’s the basics of interacting with people politely. Resonance ensures we provide relevant content by thoroughly understanding the publication's audience, their needs, and what engages them. We place people front and centre of every activity.
It’s also our business to understand the journalist and their beat, ensuring we speak directly to their needs. We take the time to identify the most important and influential journalists to our clients, build relationships with them, understand their requirements, and deliver what they need.
Data, Data Everywhere
There are two distinct requirements of data by journalists. The first is data-driven storytelling. The second is data that measures the success of a story in the publication. The success being, “my reader cares”.
Report excerpt: "An Industry Divided on Data"
“Storytelling has always been at the heart of journalism, but data has now become an essential ingredient. The majority of journalists are relying on data to measure success and to shape their editorial strategy. For nearly 2 in 5 journalists, data will play an even larger role in how they approach their work this year. At the same time, many journalists struggle with the pressure to prioritise stories that are “popular” in terms of engagement and views; as one respondent noted, “So much of journalism has become about ‘clicks’ and ‘shares’ and those often seem to take precedence over keeping the public informed.” Source: Cision 2024 State of the Media Report
Data-Driven Storytelling: A Vital Component
Data-driven storytelling is not new, but it is certainly not going away. According to the Cision 2024 State of the Media Report, 61% of journalists value "original research, reports, trends, and market data" from PR professionals and 48 per cent want PR professionals to provide data to make pitches more relevant. Shockingly only 7% of journalists consider pitches to be relevant more than half the time, so data can really drive the relevancy a journalist needs.
Source: Cision 2024 State of the Media Report
However, a word of caution: Not all journalists prioritise original research. That’s why blending data from official sources like the ONS or anonymising proprietary data from your systems to tell a compelling story is essential.
The key is to understand your journalist and find the data that excites them. Resonance's data-driven storytelling approach – driven by our capabilities of having a data scientist on the team and with everyone being data-literate - is at the heart of our award-winning campaigns. By meticulously analysing proprietary data, big data, open data, and research data, we uncover new insights and create impactful stories that resonate with audiences.
This method has led to national coverage for our clients and earned us accolades such as the “PR Project of the Year” award. Our expertise in using data to tell impactful stories helps our clients stand out in the crowded media landscape.
Read about Resonance’s data-driven storytelling approach.
Data-driven measurement for success of the publication
Data has always been a cornerstone of journalism. Many journalists rely on data to shape their editorial strategies, with nearly 40% indicating that data will play an even larger role in their work this year. The media doesn’t operate on love alone. It needs to ensure it can make money and pay its way.
According to the Cision 2024 State of the Media Report, 79% of journalists measure the success of their content based on readership and viewership numbers. Engagement metrics such as website traffic, social media interactions, and newsletter sign-ups are critical, with 47% using these to gauge success. Additionally, 24% of journalists rely on content promoted and shared by third parties, indicating the importance of social validation and virality.
The reliance on data is essential as publications strive for financial sustainability. They can’t exist on love alone. Knowing their audience and tailoring content to their preferences is crucial for driving engagement and generating revenue. This emphasis on data is further supported by the fact that 56% of journalists are using the same amount of data as last year, while 25% are using slightly more, and 12% are using much more.
Resonance does not engage in PR for PR’s sake. We integrate our efforts with the buyer journey of our clients, ensuring that we pitch to publications read by our client's customers and prospects. We focus on stories that matter to them and speak to their drivers and motivations. This approach ensures that the stories naturally interest the target audience, generating the results that journalists need while aligning perfectly with our clients' business objectives.
Read more about our approach to the buyers journey in this blog.
Multimedia matters
Multimedia elements such as images, videos, and infographics are increasingly important. According to the Cision 2024 State of the Media Report, 72% of journalists used images in their content over the past year, followed by 34% using videos, and 29% using infographics. Including multimedia can significantly influence a journalist's decision to cover a story, with 37% of journalists stating they are more likely to pursue a pitch if it includes multimedia elements.
At Resonance, we understand the power of multimedia. We ensure our pitches include a range of high-quality images and relevant multimedia content to enhance the story's appeal. Our approach recognises that a compelling visual can be the difference between being published and being overlooked. Additionally, we tailor our strategies for different media, including broadcast, where a unique approach is required to secure coverage. This holistic strategy ensures our stories not only catch the journalist's eye but also engage the target audience effectively.
Checkout how we secure broadcast coverage in this blog here.
Source: Cision 2024 State of the Media Report
Conclusion
Cision's 2024 State of the Media Report provides key insights for navigating today's media landscape. It is critical to align PR strategies with your clients' buyer journeys, ensuring you are pitching the stories that truly matter to the journalist’s target audiences. This approach not only captures the interest of journalists but also drives meaningful engagement and results for our clients.
By leveraging data-driven storytelling and incorporating multimedia elements, you can stand out. A strategic, audience-focused approach ensures impactful media coverage supporting business goals, whether that’s growth, attracting partners, investment or a sale.