Every few months a set of numbers lands that tells PR pros what they already suspected in their gut. Over a thousand PR professionals were surveyed recently, and the results read like a post-race debrief: some teams found extra pace, some are nursing damage, and everyone is talking about the same new bit of kit in the garage. AI.
Here’s OTM’s lap-by-lap breakdown.
AI takes pole, but nobody’s checked the regulations
AI has gone from the paddock’s experimental upgrade to a fixture on the car. Three in four PR pros are now using it in some capacity, and the average pro has it running five separate jobs, up from three last year. Brainstorming is the easy win, with over 80% leaning on AI for it, but it’s also drafting copy, doing research and knocking out social captions.
Fifty nine percent of PR pros reckon AI will matter even more in five years, which puts it ahead of media relations and strategic planning as a priority. That’s the equivalent of your reserve driver suddenly outqualifying the whole team.
The problem is the pit wall isn’t giving instructions. Fifty five percent of companies still have no AI use policy. That’s a lot of teams running new parts with no one checking they’re within the rules, and precisely how you end up disqualified after the flag.
Only one in five pros use AI to find journalists, and fewer still use it for imagery. Translation: it’s brilliant on the straights, useless in the technical sector. Keep the human hands on the wheel where it counts.
Earned media is stuck in the gravel trap
If AI is the shiny upgrade, earned media is the part of the car that keeps breaking down. Ninety eight percent of PR pros say it’s harder to land coverage than it used to be. Not a minor setup tweak, a full regulation change mid-championship.
Two problems are doing the damage. Journalist response rates are down, named by 72% as the biggest headache, and beats are shrinking, with 62% saying there are fewer relevant journalists to pitch in the first place. Fewer cars on the grid, fewer places to overtake.
The response from most teams has been to widen the net. Nearly half of PR pros are pitching more than 20 journalists per campaign, and almost a quarter are going past 50. Quantity is doing some of the work quality used to do alone.
But it’s not pure spray and pray. Seventy percent of pros usually or always personalise pitches, and 75% will rework a few sentences to make the message land. It’s less bespoke bodywork, more a well fitted livery. Enough tailoring to look intentional, delivered at scale.
The pitching rulebook, according to the data
The numbers point to a pretty specific race strategy for anyone chasing coverage:
- Pitch one to one, by email
- Send it on a Tuesday
- Keep it under 300 words
- Fire it off before noon
- Wait three to six days before the first follow up
- Stop after one or two follow ups
Nothing revolutionary. Just the difference between a clean lap and a spin at turn one.
LinkedIn overtakes on the outside line
The social podium has reshuffled. LinkedIn is now the platform 56% of PR pros rate as most valuable, up from 50% last year, and 87% have it built into their strategy. It’s become the paddock everyone’s actually standing in.
X has dropped hard, down to 11% from 16%, like a team that had a strong car two seasons ago and hasn’t kept up with development since. Instagram is holding a steady 16%, doing its job without much fuss.
OTM’s view from the pit wall
None of this should surprise anyone who’s spent a season managing driver profiles and press releases. AI is a useful mechanic, not a driver. Earned media takes more laps to secure than it used to, so the teams still landing it are the ones sending sharper, better targeted pitches rather than just louder ones. And LinkedIn has quietly become the platform worth building your season around.
The teams who treat this data like a setup sheet, not just a curiosity, are the ones who’ll still be on the lead lap next year.
