The 2024 State of the Press Release report from PR Newswire reads less like serious industry research and more like a glossy, feel-good infomercial designed to reassure everyone that the humble press release is still alive, relevant, and absolutely worth paying for — especially, of course, through PR Newswire itself.
The message is crystal clear: the press release is not only alive, it’s thriving! Just don’t ask too many questions about whether it actually works.
According to PR Newswire’s glossy PDF, 74% of journalists say they still want press releases, 68% claim they’re the most useful content they get, and a heroic 93% of PR professionals plan to send even more of them this year. Cue the victory music — the press release lives on!
Except… does it?
The “Alive and Well” Narrative Is a Sales Pitch
Let’s call it what it is: this report isn’t an autopsy, it’s a sales deck. PR Newswire sells distribution services for press releases — so of course they’re going to paint them as indispensable, not outdated.
The whole thing feels like a corporate pep talk: “Don’t give up on press releases! You’re just not doing enough of them!”
It’s the marketing equivalent of a gym trying to convince you your treadmill isn’t broken — you just need to run harder.
Sure, journalists still receive press releases. But that doesn’t mean they’re reading them. Or using them. Or even remembering them five minutes later.
The report’s own data quietly admits that only one-third of PR pros ever get a follow-up from a journalist. That means two-thirds of press releases vanish into the void.
And yet somehow, the conclusion isn’t “rethink your strategy” — it’s “send more.” Because, apparently, nothing says “innovation” like doubling down on what doesn’t work.
A Legacy Tool in a TikTok World
It’s 2025. The attention span of the average internet user has been scientifically downgraded to “goldfish.”
The world runs on memes, videos, and short-form storytelling — but the industry’s solution? Another 600-word wall of text with a headline no one will click.
Even worse, 37% of PR professionals admit they never include multimedia in their releases. Never. Meanwhile, journalists in the same study said 72% of them actually use multimedia from PR sources.
The disconnect is staggering — it’s like showing up to a Formula 1 race on a bicycle and then wondering why no one noticed you.
AI Panic and Corporate Hypocrisy
Of course, the report couldn’t resist sprinkling in the buzzword of the decade: AI.
According to PR Newswire, 26% of PR pros are now using generative AI, 42% are “open to it,” and 32% are still pretending it’ll go away.
But here’s the kicker: mentions of “AI” in press releases have exploded — up 15% year-on-year, with finance and tech sectors leading the charge. The irony? Most of those AI-filled releases are probably written by AI anyway.
So the industry is now caught in a recursive loop — AI writing releases about AI to be read by no one, distributed by a system that insists everything is fine. It’s like watching a snake eat its own press kit.
The Real Problem: Comfort Over Competence
The report’s underlying message isn’t “press releases work” — it’s “press releases can work, if you were good enough to use them properly.”
It’s a classic blame-the-user strategy. Don’t question the tool, question yourself.
The average PR person is told:
- “It’s not that releases fail — you’re just not writing them right!”
- “You’re not including enough multimedia!”
- “You didn’t distribute through the right platform (hint: ours)!”
Meanwhile, no one wants to admit the truth — that in the hands of most people, press releases are dull, formulaic, and invisible. The tool itself is outdated, but instead of evolving, the industry keeps dressing it up in buzzwords and charts to justify its existence.
Australia: Wake Up and Rewrite the Rules
For Australian marketing and tech communicators, this report is your warning siren. If everyone else keeps buying the PR Newswire narrative, you’ve got the perfect opening to do the opposite.
- Stop flooding inboxes.
- Start telling stories.
- Use multimedia.
- Repurpose content intelligently.
- Write headlines a human might actually click.
- Readers want news, not promotional press releases and product launches
Because if the global PR industry keeps taking advice from the people selling the shovels, we’ll all end up buried in our own press releases.
The Press Release ROI Problem
Press release distribution has become an increasingly expensive gamble. With services charging anywhere from $200 to $5,000 per distribution, businesses are told they’re buying visibility — access to hundreds of media outlets, premium placements, and guaranteed syndication.
But when it comes to return on investment, the numbers don’t add up. Most companies can’t link these costs to measurable results — no clear uptick in sales, leads, or qualified traffic can be traced back to their distributed press releases.
The metrics offered by distribution platforms — impressions, reach, syndication counts — may look impressive on a report, but they rarely translate into revenue or genuine business outcomes.
In short, the press release remains one of marketing’s most inflated expenses, with the weakest track record for ROI.
The Bottom Line
PR Newswire’s State of the Press Release 2024 isn’t really about the state of the press release — it’s about the state of PR Newswire’s business model. The takeaway isn’t that press releases are thriving; it’s that the industry still hasn’t figured out how to let go.
The report may frame it as a success story, but read between the lines — it’s a plea for evolution. The press release isn’t dead, but most of them deserve to be buried.
Until communicators stop confusing volume with value, the inboxes of the world’s journalists will remain overflowing with corporate spam — and the rare good story will drown in the noise.
So yes, press releases aren’t dead. But based on this report, they’re definitely on life support — and the company holding the plug is still trying to sell you the power cord.
