“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” Bryant H. McGill
Darby Communications periodically sends out surveys to touch base with our media partners and discover what’s working (or not working) for them, how they’re feeling about the current media landscape, and what they need most from PR teams. This summer, we checked in again with the goal of listening and learning. The responses we received help our team better understand upcoming projects and pitching preferences, but we also use these insights to educate our brands on best practices for supporting journalism during these tumultuous times.
In recent years, we’ve all watched as the media industry has undergone seismic shifts, with shrinking newsrooms and publishing layoffs making headlines all too often. Media formats are also in flux, with many print outlets reducing the number of issues produced, moving to digital-only, or shuttering completely, as an ever-growing pool of freelancers vies for placement. On the flip side, renewed optimism surrounds a resurgence in long-form print storytelling, with magazines like Field & Stream, Garden & Gun, Trails Mag, Adventure Journal, and Mountain Gazette leading the charge.
As PR practitioners, we’re always working to adapt what we do in the current landscape to be the best partners possible to our media friends. That’s why their insight is so valuable. We are extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to complete our survey. The responses were informative and eye-opening, with topics ranging from the biggest concerns about the state of media to best outreach practices. Let’s dig in.
Media Concerns
Broadly, respondents’ concerns about the media landscape broke down into three major categories:
- AI. There is serious concern about AI and how it will affect the newsroom and the resulting quality of journalism.
“What happens when AI is ubiquitous? [That] will have unforeseen impacts beyond the obvious.”
- Budgets. It’s no secret that media budgets have been slashed, with publishers reducing on-staff writing positions and outsourcing more to freelance media personnel.
“Continued consolidation of media ownership negatively impacting the overall quality of content creation and job security.”
- The rise of affiliate-driven content. The meteoric rise of affiliate-driven round-ups is outpacing independent review opportunities as outlets look to replace dwindling ad revenue with affiliate kickbacks.
“I’m concerned about the degradation of quality writing and media in favor of cheap SEO grabs and gear roundups for Amazon affiliate links.”
While these concerns certainly give us pause, especially for the livelihood and sanity of our media partners, there’s also plenty of optimism among respondents. The majority of them expressed they were very busy despite these concerns. And in a world where deadlines equal dollars, they’re relying on PR pros more than ever. In fact, 90%+ of respondents described PR as being vital to what they do.
“You’re our eyes and ears! You keep us plugged into what’s happening with your clients, which we could never keep track of all on our own. How else am I going to find out about all the awesome stuff out there? When you do your research and pitch things in or adjacent to my content areas, it’s priceless.”
Most of the data on PR best practices gathered in this survey reaffirms our approach, but there is always value in hearing from the media in their own words, as preferences can shift quickly. Additionally, this information is vital for us to use when explaining our PR approach and processes to our brand partners, who often need additional education on the ins and outs of the earned media landscape.
Outreach Best Practices
If there’s a comment that sums up what media are looking for from PR representatives in a succinct all-encompassing package, we have ourselves a winner:
“Good communication, understanding the editorial process and that we are not in charge of final coverage, and treating us like people. Plus good information and easy comms.”
Let’s break down PR outreach best practices by addressing each point in this quote, starting with good communication.

Outreach Channel
Good communication starts with understanding how media prefer to be pitched. We asked them to rank their preferred methods of receiving pitches (email, phone call, text, LinkedIn DM, or Instagram DM) from PR professionals—5 being the most preferred, 1 being the least preferred.
The average rankings shown in the graphic above paint a clear picture of media’s preference for outreach, with email leading the way and the occasional phone call deemed acceptable. Instagram DM is by far the least preferred.
While email is the preferred method of communication, media personnel’s inboxes can be the Wild West. What sets great PR apart from mediocre or bad PR? It’s all in the content and the timing.
“This is never a Darby problem, but so many PR folks just blast me with emails that have nothing to do with my areas of interest…because they’ve never asked my area of interest.”
Good Information
Relevant, concise, and timely pitches help cut through the noise and provide value. Research is everything when it comes to understanding who and what to pitch. According to respondents, their current story interests lead with product features or reviews, followed closely by brand stories. Thought leadership features and sustainability stories ranked at the bottom.

Respondents were also crystal clear about the assets and info they find most valuable in a pitch, and what they can do without. Unique angles and high-res assets continue to be a must-have for media. This means when it comes to securing top-notch coverage, story development and having quality assets can make or break a brand’s chance of getting covered.
“Good linking, good images, and short descriptions — when I see a wall of text in an email I glaze over, there’s just so little time to spend searching out the gem of the pitch in an essay.”
“If the product is the best, I want to test it and share it with the readers. I can’t speak for the editors I work for, though.”
Affiliate links are another important piece of the PR pitching puzzle. Responses varied widely on affiliate requirements depending on role; many contributing writers and freelancers consider them “must-haves,” while more than half of respondents cited affiliate links as “nice-to-have” or said it depends on the placement. For those who said affiliate links are a factor in coverage decisions, sharing the network or retailer was by far the most critical piece of information to include in a pitch (62.5%), followed by a specific commission rate (37.5%).

Understanding the Process
Last but definitely not least, media shared that they want to work with PR teams and brands who grasp the editorial process, from understanding lead times to maintaining realistic expectations of coverage to being a good partner when coverage does (or doesn’t) come through.
“I think having an understanding of both sides from the brand/PR side and the media journalist side helps [everyone] see the bigger picture as both sides need and rely on each other.”
“PR is earned, nothing is ever a promise. If I test your product/take your trip/etc. and don’t love it, then that’s the end of the road. If I do love it, I will go to bat. I’ve covered brands a year after a testing experience because I finally found the right angle and an amenable editor.”
“Share on social — make it a big deal. Help drive traffic — be as excited about the coverage *after* the story as you were before it.”
“Please share your feedback, share our work on social channels, and keep us in mind for next time, too!”
As PR pros, it’s our job to know the process inside and out so that we’re the best possible partners to media and to our brands. Surveys like this give us invaluable insight that informs our strategy throughout the year, but they also give us the opportunity to simply listen to some of our favorite people. We’ll wrap it up with this feedback that says it best.
“It’s a tough and hectic job, but it’s better than just about everything. Brands, media, and PR should collectively take one another less seriously (and more humanly) to create the best stories and experiences possible.”
Want to learn more about the media survey or share your experience? Let’s talk!