PR Ghosting and the Broken Pitching Playbook
Why Public Relations Needs a Rethink
At its core, public relations (PR) is about building relationships. But in today’s crowded media landscape, it’s a challenge to forge those connections as outreach is more often than not met with silence. The once-reliable media pitch is losing its impact, and a new approach is overdue.
Reasons Why Virtual Influencers are a Game-Changer for Brands
Inboxes are flooded. Newsrooms are shrinking. Beat reporters are juggling more with less.
According to Muck Rack’s The State of Journalism 2025 report, the numbers underscore the challenge:
• 55% of journalists receive more than five PR pitches per day.
• 17% receive 11-20 pitches per day, a notable increase from 11% in 2024.
• 54% say they seldom or never respond to pitches, while only 6% say they always do.
Meanwhile, Propel’s Media Barometer shows journalist response rates holding steady between just 2.5% and 3.5% per quarter.
It’s Not Personal… It’s Bandwidth.
The deeper issue is a broken outreach system.
Spray-and-pray email blasts, generic press releases, and misaligned story angles have created an environment where even the best pitches struggle to land.
Muck Rack’s 2025 survey highlights just how disconnected PR outreach has become:
• Only 3% of journalists say pitches are always relevant to their beat; 47% say they seldom or never are.
• 69% will only engage with a pitch if it’s clearly tailored to their beat.
• 71% ignore anything that feels overly promotional.
• 86% immediately delete pitches irrelevant to their coverage.
The result? Most pitches are gone before they’re even read, wasting the time and energy of everyone involved.
Why this Matters for Brands
When your pitch gets ghosted, your story doesn’t just disappear — it stalls brand momentum, drains resources, and erodes relationships. In sectors like tech, healthcare, finance, and more, that can mean missed opportunities at crucial growth stages.
But more importantly, ghosting reflects a larger cultural shift: journalists are now prioritizing relevance, trust, and relationships over volume.
What Forward-Thinking PR Looks Like
It’s time to reimagine PR not as a numbers game, but as a trust strategy. Here’s how:
1. Pitch Less, Research More
Stop blasting and start curating. One meaningful pitch that aligns with a journalist’s beat and audience is more powerful than 50 cold eblasts.
2. Add Value before You Ask
Comment on their work. Share their stories. Build familiarity before the pitch. Real PR pros are always ready to play the game.
3. Tell a Bigger Story
Pitches need more than just stats and product updates. They need cultural context, human stakes and narrative tension. The best pitches don’t sell — they inform.
4. Give Journalists What They Actually Need
A clear angle. Compelling visuals. A real spokesperson. Avoid jargon. Respect deadlines. Follow up, but don’t spam. These are the basics of relationship-building.
5. Shift from Transaction to Relationship
PR is a dialogue, not a drive-by. The goal is ongoing connection and long-term partnerships, not just coverage.
Where We Go From Here
PR doesn’t need to get louder — it needs to get smarter.
In a world where brand trust becomes harder to earn and easier to lose, media coverage is no longer just a vanity metric — it’s a credibility engine. But that engine only works if fueled by authenticity, relevance, and respect for the journalists on the receiving end.
At Zenergy, we believe it’s time to retire broken playbooks. Let’s build a media strategy rooted in story, not spam; a game plan anchored in resonance, not just reach.
Want to future-proof your PR? Let’s talk about a smarter way to pitch.
Zenergy Communications
info@zenergycom.com
