5 Ways PR Agencies Can Use AI Tools for Media Relations

Written by Caroline Fassl and Ted Metzger 

This article is the second in a 5-part “AI in Practice” insights series, designed to give PR and marketing pros like you the practical advice you need to produce more efficient, strategic and creative work with the help of AI.

In today’s rapidly changing media landscape, leveraging AI tools can be a game-changer for PR professionals. However, using these technologies responsibly is crucial to maintaining our authenticity and effectiveness as expert communicators. By thoughtfully integrating AI into daily workflows, we can use it to think more creatively and work more efficiently without sacrificing the overall quality of our work. Here are five practical ways you can use AI responsibly as part of your media relations efforts:

1. Build Better, Smarter Media Lists

According to Cision’s 2024 State of the Media report, most journalists receive at least 50 pitches each week—and of those 50 pitches, fewer than 25% of them are considered relevant. This underscores what we as PR pros already know to be true: pitching the right person is just as important as the content of the pitch itself. While you can build a great media list by thoroughly researching who covers your intended topic (and this is a great way to start), several media databases have AI tools that can help you curate your contact list even more strategically. Platforms like Muck Rack and Propel PR are using AI to identify and suggest the most relevant reporters based on the content of your pitch and your existing media lists. This feature could save you hours of research time. At the same time, it’s still important to avoid adding too many names to your media list and make sure someone on your team is reviewing the journalists recommended by these new AI tools. 

2. Make Your Pitch Even More Personal with AI-generated Content 

We all know the power of personalizing a pitch based on the journalist’s interests and previous work. But what if you don’t have time to read every story written by the reporters on your media list? AI can help by giving you a quick summary of their recent work, allowing you to read through the key details of their stories and tailor your pitch in minutes instead of hours. AI summaries can also be a good way to develop a backgrounder on a specific reporter or media outlet, or to prep for an upcoming interview with that journalist. (Just be sure to double-check the summary against some of the journalist’s recent articles because some AI tools make factual errors or “hallucinate” articles not written by that journalist.) 

3. Create Catchy Subject Lines to Enhance Media Relations 

According to Cision, 87% of journalists still want pitches via email, which makes the subject line more important than ever. One way to write pithy subject lines that attract attention is to use AI tools like ChatGPT as your creative thought partner. Once you’ve written your best subject line, tell ChatGPT to rewrite the subject line 10 different ways. Use those responses as inspiration to see if there’s a better word or phrase that you can incorporate into your subject line. You can use the same process for other parts of a pitch or a press release, just make sure you’re using AI to generate fresh ideas like you would in a group brainstorming session, not replacing the hard work and time it takes to craft compelling content for the media. 

To use ChatGPT as a brainstorming tool, you might start with a detailed but concise prompt, like:

“Hello, I am writing a pitch to generate buzz for a new clean-ingredient facial moisturizer with SPF. The target audience is millennial women. I want beauty/wellness journalists to write about my new product. Here is the subject line for my pitch: “Top Skin-Care Brand Releases New SPF Moisturizer with Clean Ingredients.” Can you rewrite my subject line in 10 different ways, following best practices of the PR industry, to make it more attention-grabbing and interesting for journalists?“

4. Understand Industry Trends 

On busy workdays, it’s not always feasible to stay up to date with the latest industry trends and breaking news, especially when you serve a wide range of clients. Based on emerging media trends, AI tools can help you generate ideas for your pitches or press releases, enabling you to include timely news hooks into your content. Timeliness and alignment with current trends are often critical to landing earned media coverage, particularly in today’s media landscape when attention from readers pivots faster than ever. Be aware that some AI tools aren’t sourcing the most current news as part of their large language model (LLM), so be sure to check how current the data is before relying on the results from that query.  

5. Put Your Pitch to the Test 

Have you ever wondered if your pitch provides enough important information for a reporter to understand all the information, pull out key message points, and turn it into a full article? One way to find out is to have your favorite AI tool act like the reporter. Once you’ve written the pitch and press release, ask AI to write an article based on the information and see what it highlights. If you already know the specific publication or journalist you are targeting, you could ask the AI tool to write it in the voice of your dream publication. That way, you can spot gaps in information that need to be filled in and get a sense of how your earned-media coverage might appear online or in print. Make this a habit and you’ll find it amps up your pitch-writing in general.  

Integrating AI thoughtfully enables PR professionals to enhance our natural communication skills and ensure our media outreach remains both effective and genuinely engaging. When you are preparing your next pitch, consider bouncing ideas off of generative AI tools to see what ideas you may unlock.  

Ready to elevate your media outreach? Start experimenting with generative AI today and discover fresh, innovative ideas for your next pitch. Dive into the future of PR and see what new opportunities you can unlock!