The Propel Media Barometer: Q4 2021
It is now the moment we’ve all been waiting for… New data release!!
Today, we published the Q4 Propel Media Barometer. It reveals original research findings about the PR industry, based on over 1.4 million real pitches to journalists! And, it’s baseball themed. I’m sure you’re at the edge of your seat now...
These numbers can tell you all about the true relationship between PR people and journalists, today. This Barometer builds on some of the most useful, shocking data we released in the Q2 report, while also bringing many new conversations to the PR table.
Did you know that journalist response rates to media pitches are around 3% on average? And that the industry average journalist response rate for Q3 2021 is 32% lower than the Q3 2020 rate??
What is the Propel Media Barometer?
The Propel Media Barometer is a quarterly data report that we share to help PR people with their craft. Whether you are pitching journalists, managing a team, or even an agency at-large, we use our database to share original research findings about the world of media relations for all.
Because of Propel PRM’s email integration features, we are uniquely able to anonymously aggregate data about journalist open & response rates, their pitching preferences, the best (and worst) time to pitch, and so much more.
For our reports, we analyze data from over one million real pitches to journalists! From here, we find out what the media is looking to cover (or not), and what proves to be the best ways to engage with it and its people...
What can I expect from the Q4 Media Barometer?
As a PR person, I’m sure you’re wondering:
- What are some of the most popular topics that PR people pitch to journalists?
- And on the other side, which media outlets prove to be the most engaged with pitches?
- How many pitches, on average, does a PR person send each month?
- Which agencies receive the most buzz on social media?
The Q3 Propel Media Barometer has the answers to all your questions, and more.
The best part? You can use it to optimize your pitching strategy in the days to come, and to better understand the media landscape from the past three months. We hope our findings take you from striking out to one home-run after the next in the ballpark of earned media...
Here are just a few highlights from this quarter’s findings:
The Top 10 Most-Pitched Topic Categories
Journalist open & response rates significantly down from Q3 2020, indicating a decrease in pitching effectiveness
In Q3 2020, the average journalist open rate for media pitches was about 36%. This year, the rate dropped down to 28%!
And journalist response rates followed suit. In Q3 2020, the average journalist response rate to media pitches was roughly 4.62%, and in 2021, the average was 3.49%.
Therefore, we found a 1.13% percent difference between the 2020 and 2021 Q3 journalist response rates.
One percent might not sound like much, but when we’re talking 3-4% rates, this is big.
If you think about it, the 2021 Q3 response rate is essentially 32% worse than what we found in 2020. Join us on the next page to discuss this drastic change...
To read the full Q4 Media Barometer report, click here!
And to learn more about Propel PRM, book a demo with our team below…
