State of Public Relations Survey

Market Research Report Draft

January 2023

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Better data.

Better decisions.�Better strategy.

DriveResearch.com | 888-725-DATA | info@DriveResearch.com

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“Making business decisions without data is like driving with your eyes closed.”

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- Dan Zarella

Social Media Scientist at HubSpot

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Background

& Methodology

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An overview of the objectives, approach, and methodology for the market research. This section sets the stage for the key findings.

Objectives

Brandpoint partnered with Drive Research to create a State of Public Relations Survey Report. The objectives included gathering information/data to support a report created by Brandpoint (i.e., total budget, spend allocation, topics/trends, and other KPIs).

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Approach

To address the objectives at hand, Drive Research conducted an online survey. The survey took an average of 12 minutes to complete and included 29 questions. The survey received 200 responses. (Brandpoint shared a contact list to be used for the survey, but no surveys were gathered from that list.) Fieldwork for the survey began on December 9 and lasted until December 20, 2022.

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With a probabilistic sample, a total of 200 responses at the 95% confidence level offers a 7% margin of error. If the survey were conducted with another random pool of 200 respondents, the results would yield within +7% or -7% of the stated totals in the reports. The margin of error can be used as a guideline to understand the reliability of these results.

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Report

The deliverables for this project included a PowerPoint report (research summary with visuals), an infographic, online portals, a raw data file (sent via email), and a 60 minute debrief.

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Below are the interactive report links. By hovering over data in a chart, it will provide more detail. Viewers can export the results into several different formats (i.e., PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word) using the grey download button at the top right of the page. Questions and results not addressed in the summary can be accessed in these portals.

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• Overall results
• Results by employer type
• Results by organization size
• Results by market presence
• To access, use the password: Br_1800!

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“Without data you’re just another person with an opinion.”

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- W. Edwards Deming

Data Scientist

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Infographic

Note: This infographic was also shared as a separate file as part of the report delivery.

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Leadership Content

Virtually every PR professional faced a challenge with thought leadership content, supporting a need in the market. The top challenges were high quality metrics and earning high search engine rankings. (Page 14)

Key Findings

Trends and Challenges

Business changes/innovations, tool/platform improvements, and efforts related to DEIB were common PR trends. Common challenges included specific goals/metrics, issues with communication, economic issues, business challenges, and lack of talent. (Page 9)

Top Metrics for PR Campaigns

The top 5 metrics for PR campaigns were anticipated to remain consistent over the next 3 years. This included social media engagement, media placements, website engagement, engagement with content, and SEO metrics. (Page 16)

PR Tools

Google Analytics and Business Wire were the top tools/platforms for measuring PR outcomes. Also, 83% were interested in using AI to assess industry trends/intel. (Page 18)

Social Media

Social media will be an integral part of PR campaigns in 2023, with most using Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. (Page 21)

Budget

4 out of 5 PR professionals anticipate their budget will increase in 2023 and the next 3 years. (Page 23) Also, nearly half used a third-party vendor for content development, which equated to roughly one-third of the PR budget. (Page 24)

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Executive Summary

The summary of the results is focused on the interpretation of the data through a narrative story through bolded headlines and supporting text. Several pieces of the summary offer supporting graphics to showcase insights for the reader.

Respondent profile: The respondent profile outlines the screening and targeting criteria used for the survey. It highlights qualifiers as well as broader demographics to give you a full picture of survey takers.

• All confirmed PR was the primary function of their current job role.
• Roughly half worked for a PR agency (54%). The remaining were split between working on an internal PR team for a single organization (24%) or as an independent PR practitioner (22%).
• Among internal PR professionals, roughly half were on a team with 5 or fewer employees (47%), while the other half were on a team with 6 or more employees (53%).
• Public administration (23%), retail (11%), and agriculture/forestry/fishing/hunting (9%) were the top industries among internal PR professionals.
• One in three worked at an organization with less than 250 employees (34%). Two in three worked at an organization with 250 employees or more (66%).
• A mix of market presence was represented (i.e., 15% were local, 24% were regional, 44% were national, and 17% were international).

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There were common themes when asked about challenges and trends in the PR industry.

Common challenges included specific goals/metrics, issues with communication, economic issues, business challenges, and lack of talent. (Note: A few specifically mentioned content creation.) Business changes/innovations, tool/platform improvements, and efforts related to DEIB were common PR trends.

Implications: Results showed an opportunity to position Brandpoint as a solution for PR industry concerns related to innovation, measuring the ROI of PR efforts, and being a source of on-demand talent. Research shows the two biggest talent challenges PR agencies face are hiring senior (44%) and mid-level staff (41%). This supports an opportunity to position Brandpoint as an agile solution for PR teams.

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What do you see as the biggest challenge for the public relations industry in 2023?

Note: The word cloud places emphasis on more frequently mentioned words by increasing the font size.

Responses as typed by respondents. See all responses in the online reports or raw data file.

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What do you see as the biggest challenge for the public relations industry in 2023?

I think the biggest challenge is that it's expensive to launch and difficult to create content.

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(PR agency, national)

It is difficult to calculate the return on investment in the public relations industry, and the relevant analysis tools and data quantification systems are not perfect.

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(Internal PR team, regional)

Note: Responses as typed by respondents. See all responses in the online reports or raw data file.

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What are the biggest trends you see in the public relations industry over the next 3 years?

Note: The word cloud places emphasis on more frequently mentioned words by increasing the font size.

Responses as typed by respondents. See all responses in the online reports or raw data file.

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What are the biggest trends you see in the public relations industry over the next 3 years?

I think that there will be a lot of public relations activity in the metaverse. Also, I think people are leaning more toward earned media and understanding the importance of storytelling.

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(PR agency, national)

The biggest trends in the next 3 years will be diversity, data and analytics. Improving all 3 overall.

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(Internal PR team, local)

Note: Responses as typed by respondents. See all responses in the online reports or raw data file.

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Virtually every PR professional faced a challenge with thought leadership content, supporting a need in the market.

Top thought leadership themes for PR campaigns in 2023 were workforce focused, including human resources & employer branding (61%) and DEIB (43%).

• Other common themes included sustainability/green issues (37%), COVID-related content (36%), and crisis communication (35%).
• Those with an international presence and those with 250 or more employees were even more likely to find human resources & employer branding and COVID-related content important.

The biggest challenges with thought leadership content were mixed. High quality metrics (39%) and earning high search engine rankings (37%) were the most common.

• Those on internal teams were more likely to find earning high search engine rankings challenging, independent PR practitioners were more likely to find measuring success challenging, and those with an international presence were more likely to find getting buy in from stakeholders challenging.

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Implications: When positioning Brandpoint as a solution for thought leadership content, lead with examples of how it can secure high quality metrics and earn high search engine rankings. Also, consider featuring content related to human resources and employer branding and DEIB knowing those are top themes in the PR industry. In fact, according to Glassdoor, 76% of employees and applicants report a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers.

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CBD work is trending, with nearly 9 out of 10 anticipating working with CBD brands in the next 3 years.

The vast majority of PR professionals anticipate working with CBD brands in the next 3 years (85%). Few were neutral (9%) or unlikely (6%).

• Independent PR practitioners, those with an international or national presence, and those with 250 or more employees were more likely to work with CBD brands in the next 3 years.

Note: Samples sizes by segment vary. Also, the red to green highlight shows directional differences.

Implications: Content related to best practices or assisting with PR campaigns for CBD brands are likely to resonate. Durée & Company (domain rating: 34), 5WPR (domain rating: 72), M&C Communications (domain rating: 27), Rosica (domain rating: 18), and Power Digital Marketing (domain rating: 70) were high ranking PR-related companies when searching for, "PR for CBD". While the landing pages for many focused on different types of PR services, legislation and perception were also commonly mentioned. (Also, Drive Research conducted a study with cannabis consumers on perceptions, brand preferences, and more. Learn more about the study here.)

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The top 5 metrics for PR campaigns were anticipated to remain consistent over the next 3 years.

The most important metrics for PR campaigns included social media engagement, media placements, website engagement, engagement with content, and SEO metrics.

• The metrics with the highest projected increase in importance included sales, website engagement, and engagement with content.
• Also, while social media engagement is expected to remain important to many, it is anticipated to see the largest decrease in importance in the next 3 years.
• SEO and AVE were more important to those working on an internal PR team for 2023 and the next 3 years.
• Website engagement was more important to those with 250 or more employees in the next 3 years and those with an international presence for 2023 and the next 3 years.

Implications: When discussing trends related to PR metrics be sure to focus on the top 5 (see blue highlight in the chart to the right). Additionally, it may be insightful to note the metrics with the highest projected growth of importance and that while social media remains important to many, it is anticipated to see the largest decrease in importance.

Top 5 metrics

Note: The red to green highlight shows directional differences. Also, the change percentage is accurate. The percentages were rounded in the table.

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The number and quality of placements are most important when securing media placements. Clicks and engagement closely followed.

When PR professionals secure media placements, the 4 most important measurements are clear. Nearly half of PR professionals said the number of placements, quality of placements, clicks/viewership, and engagement with content were the most important.

• Those with an international presence were more likely to find AVE important.

Implications:

Implications: Knowing what is most important to PR professionals will help support future content creation. Prioritize the top 4 metrics when discussing tips/trends related to securing media placements knowing it is highly likely to resonate with PR professionals.

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Also, a post from Forbes explains the fallacy of going viral. While this is the goal for some brands (even if it’s unstated), less than 1% of content goes viral. Instead, brands should consider setting thoughtful measures of success and benchmarks for PR efforts.

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Tools are a trusted resource for PR professionals, with many interested in using AI to assess industry trends/intel.

Google Analytics and Business Wire were the top tools/platforms for measuring PR outcomes. Following this were PRWeb, Hubspot, and Newswire.

• Independent PR practitioners were more likely to select Business Wire as a favorite.
• Those with an international presence and those with 250 or more employees were more likely to select PRWeb as a favorite.
• When asked about additional tools, a variety of responses were provided. The common theme was related to enhanced tools/analytics.

Also, nearly 8 in 10 were likely to consider predictive AI in 2023 to assess industry trends/intel (83%).

Implications:

Implications: Content and services related to favorite tools/platforms will likely resonate with PR professionals. Webinars and content related to trends, tips, tricks, and common mistakes when using these tools would be valuable for the PR industry knowing there is a need for more talent/training.

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What tool(s)/service(s) are missing from the public relations industry marketplace that you would like to see offered?

Note: Responses as typed by respondents. See all responses in the online reports or raw data file.

Audience segmentation insights. Greater understanding of audiences for various outlets

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(PR agency, national)

Brand stories, for today's changing market trends without the right tools to help us develop an effective story will not attract an audience.

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(PR agency, regional)

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What tool(s)/service(s) are missing from the public relations industry marketplace that you would like to see offered?

Note: Responses as typed by respondents. See all responses in the online reports or raw data file.

Real-time marketplace demographic analytics

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(Internal PR team, regional)

There is a lack of tools to monitor broadcast data to improve the accuracy and conversion of broadcast data

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(PR agency, national)

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Social media will be an integral part of PR campaigns in 2023, with most using Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Social media will continue to be important to PR campaigns in 2023. More than half of PR professionals plan to use Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

• Those who work on an internal PR team, those with less than 250 employees, and those with a local or regional presence were more likely to find Tik Tok important.
• Those with an international presence were more likely to find Instagram and Facebook more important.

Of those who found Tik Tok important, many planned to work with influencers (60%), create organic content (50%), and use paid ads (43%).

• Those who work for a PR agency were more likely to use paid ads on TikTok.

Implications: According to the Pew Research Center, YouTube and Facebook capture the majority of U.S. adults. However, most are also using these platforms less often. Consider new trends/changes to the social media landscape as 2023 continues.

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Most of the PR budget is spent on social media tools and media databases.

C-Level PR (37%) and VP/Director of PR (34%) were the most common spending decision-makers.

• Other spending decision-makers included C-Level Marketing executives (24%) and CEOs (20%). (All others were less common.)
• Those on an internal PR team and those with an international presence were more likely to select the VP/Director of PR as a decision-maker.

Most indicated social media tools and media databases were the largest percentages of the PR budget.

• Those with 250 or more employees were more likely to select measurement/reporting and freelancers as the highest current spend.
• Those with an international audience were more likely to select media placements and freelancers as the highest current spend.

Top

metrics

Highest growth

Note: The red to green highlight shows directional differences. Also, the change percentage is accurate. The percentages were rounded in the table.

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4 out of 5 PR professionals anticipate their budget will increase.

Most anticipate the annual PR budget at their organization will increase in 2023 (81%) and three years from now (78%).

• Fewer selected it would stay the same (17% for 2023 and 18% for in the next 3 years) or decrease (2% for 2023 and 4% for in the next 3 years)
• Those with an international presence were slightly more likely to anticipate their budget to increase in 2023.

Implications: Explore planning to expand or innovate Brandpoint's offerings as budget outlooks prescribe short and near term growth. For example, position Brandpoint as a solution for PR needs/challenges (i.e., a source for on-demand talent, assistance with thought leadership content, PR tools/measurement).

PR Budget Change

Change for 2023

Change in next 3 years

Note: The chart above shows how the responses from the two questions above flowed to each other. Moreover, the vast majority of those who thought the budget would increase in 2023 also thought it would increase in the next 3 years.

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Nearly half used a third-party vendor for content development, which equated to roughly one-third of the PR budget.

Content development, media databases, marketing, and paid media tactics were the most commonly used third-party vendors to support PR efforts.

• Those with an international presence were more likely to use vendors for measurement/reporting.

On average, content development vendor users said 35% of the annual PR budget at their organization would go to content development in 2023.

• If used, those with a national presence were likely to spend more on marketing, and those with a local presence were likely to spend more on media databases.

Implications: Content development is the top third-party vendor used. Those who use it allocate roughly one-third of their budget. Additionally, those who use third-party vendors for marketing were likely to allocate a higher percentage of their budget.

Note: The red to green highlight shows directional differences.

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PR professionals anticipated an increased integration with marketing teams in 2023.

Among those who work for a PR agency or internal PR team, the vast majority anticipated the integration between PR and marketing teams to increase in 2023.

• Those with an international presence were slightly more likely to anticipate the integration to increase.

Most said their organization plans to attend 4 to 6 in-person PR industry events in 2023.

• Those with a local or regional presence and those with less than 250 employees were more likely to attend 1 to 3 events.

Most have a hybrid work environment. Many spend 3 or more days in the office per week (53%), while some spend 2 or fewer days (23%).

• Those with a local presence were more likely to work solely in the office.

Implications: Knowing most anticipate increased integration between PR and marketing teams, consider ways to support that change and cross-sell solutions. Also, events continue to be a major effort in the PR industry with nearly half of professionals saying their organization plans to attend 4 to 6 events in-person in 2023.

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Next Steps

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Here are 3 ideas Drive Research recommends to continue to build on the market research. Market research answers a lot of questions, but also raises others that can be answered in future studies.

Conduct the State of PR Survey in 2023

Consider conducting the State of PR Survey again in 2023 to build on the finding from the survey conducted in 2022. The findings can be used to position Brandpoint as a thought leader in the PR industry. Keeping the survey questions similar to what was asked in 2022 will allow for an additional layer of analysis to compare year over year trends. This type of longitudinal data provides an extra layer of trending analysis/insights.

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Industry Content Marketing Surveys

A similar version of this survey can be fielded with marketers in other key industries. The findings of the industry surveys can be used in a comparable manner, pinning Brandpoint as a thought-leader in each respective industry. The results can be repurposed for marketing, sales, content, and client strategy purposes. Additionally, these surveys can be conducted as a tracker study, monitoring changes over time. Conducting these repeatedly adds to the credibility and visibility of the study.

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Client Content Marketing Surveys

Drive Research can work with Brandpoint to develop survey package offerings for its clients. Each survey would be customized to address key client objectives and fielded with their target audience(s). Drive Research can be completely white-labeled or work as a partner with Brandpoint in conversations with the end client. The investment in market research will provide the client with definitive, measurable, and compelling data points/insights to feature in content marketing and public relations efforts. The research will also provide the client with insights to aid operational and strategic decision-making.

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Appendix

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This section details all of your charts and graphs. Putting all of this valuable information in the appendix is a bit of an injustice. You’ll find a lot of value in these breakdowns.

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Q3 Text Analysis

Sample Size = 200

Q3: What do you see as the biggest challenge for the public relations industry in 2023? Enter your response below.

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Q4 Text Analysis

Sample Size = 200

Q4: What are the biggest trends you see in the public relations industry over the next 3 years? Enter your response below.

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