It’s becoming impossible to avoid AI. Whether it’s helping organise our lives at home or summarising reports and data at work, it’s fast becoming part of daily routines, and it’s no different in the PR industry.
AI is Here to Stay
Since starting my career over five years ago, I’ve seen AI become another tool in the roster, now embraced in many industries in day-to-day work. It can help with lots of admin-heavy tasks, from summarising reports and monitoring the news agenda to drafting personalised emails and identifying reactive media opportunities. We’re not the only ones using it too – journalists are using it, whether that’s researching stories, transcribing interviews or analysing data.
It’s definitely made parts of the job a lot quicker and more efficient, but despite all of the headlines and concerns around AI impacting certain job roles, I personally don’t think it’s changing what makes someone good at PR.
For me, one of the biggest benefits of AI is how it can take away some of the repetitive tasks and provide me with more time to focus on elements of my role that really make a difference. That might be speaking to journalists, preparing clients for media interviews, thinking more strategically or creatively about a campaign or reacting quickly when a trending news opportunity comes up that is relevant to one of our clients.
More Content, More Competition
However, one of the challenges is that AI has made it easier for everyone in the industry to produce more content. If PR professionals can use AI to write pitches faster than ever before, journalists are in turn receiving even more emails than before, meaning that simply writing a good email or press release isn’t enough to secure earned media coverage.
I’ve found that relevance is what really cuts through.
Taking the time to understand what a journalist covers, knowing what they’re interested in and only approaching them when you have something genuinely useful goes much further than sending another polished email, and this is something AI can’t help with.
Building Relationships is Key
Those relationships with journalists don’t happen overnight either. They come from being consistent, honest and reliable over time and for various clients and opportunities. If you say you’ll send something over for a deadline, make sure you meet it, and if a journalist needs information quickly, respond as soon as you can. If a story isn’t right for them, don’t try to force it and instead only follow up once to avoid annoyance on a journalist’s side. Those small interactions build trust over time and show a journalist that you can help them when needed.
Some of the most valuable media relationships I’ve built haven’t come from email exchanges alone. They’ve come from picking up the phone, meeting journalists at events or taking them for coffee to catch up or simply having conversations outside of a pitch and chatting on topics outside of work life. Those moments help you understand how someone likes to work, what’s on their radar and how you can genuinely support them.
With a lot of journalists based down near London, and the change in the past five years for working from home, this comes with its own challenges. But like a lot of us, journalists also crave that in-person interaction and will value meeting PRs in person for this very reason which is what I’ve found when I’ve taken the time to spend a prolonged period of time in the capital to meet journalists in person.
From a client’s perspective, those relationships are incredibly valuable too. It means we’re not just sending stories into a crowded inbox and hoping for the best. We’re working with journalists who know they can trust us to bring them relevant opportunities, credible spokespeople and accurate information. In return, we can secure stronger opportunities for our clients, whether that’s expert comment, feature opportunities or continuing to build those longer-term relationships with key media.
Interestingly, I think AI provides us with more opportunities to invest in those key media relationships. By reducing the time spent on administrative tasks, AI tools can create more space for the conversations that technology can’t replace, from spending more time understanding newsroom priorities across various days or working closely with clients to help them become confident, engaging spokespeople that media will truly see value in speaking with.
Moving Forwards
AI will continue to evolve, and so will PR as it has in the past five years since I began my career in the industry. I personally don’t see technology replacing the human side of our industry – if anything, I think it makes it even more important, and PRs have the personable skills to use relationships to enhance earned media results and make life easier for journalists.
When anyone can generate polished content in seconds, authenticity, trust and strong relationships become what really sets PR professionals apart. AI can certainly help us work smarter, but it’s the relationships we build with journalists and the advice we give our clients that continue to deliver the best results.
If you’re on the lookout for a PR agency that truly values relationships with journalists, thinks creatively and uses real world insight to drive results, get in touch at hello@hatch.group.
