News publications account for 14% of AI citations in the study. Citations from news publications primarily come from decision-making prompts. (18%) True news content beats out affiliate-driven news content in AI citations. Syndication (6%) and newswires (0.21%) deliver minimal AI visibility. Read more

Images don’t noticeably affect open and reply rates. Images can hinder deliverability if used inappropriately via the spray-and-pray technique and high volumes. Images are essential for product PR. Images can be a difference-maker for expert commentary as fake experts are at an all-time Read more

The UK builds digital PR around press releases, while the US relies more on newswires and avoids full releases in outreach emails. US PR pros personalize more often and more deeply than their UK counterparts. AI adoption in pitching is much higher in the US than in the UK. UK campaigns secure Read more

Digital PR places brands on sites and platforms where most Americans actually consume information. Digital PR–driven rankings and brand mentions correlate with AI citations and AI-generated answers. High-authority publisher links and brand mentions secured through digital PR likely influence Read more

Agency-sent email addresses have ~15% higher open rates, largely due to more effective subject lines and pitch content. Brand email addresses drive ~60% more replies, likely due to built-in authority and perceived credibility. Best performance came from agencies sending from brand domains. Read more

8–9 AM local time sees the highest journalist email engagement across most major media domains. Monday is the top-performing day for both opens and replies, especially among freelancers and UK-based journalists. Freelancers show broader engagement throughout the week but still peak around Read more

Unlinked brand mentions are now critical for appearing in AI Overviews and search citations. “Building coverage” is replacing “building links” as the goal of digital PR for small businesses. Emotional, founder-led stories drive local and niche media coverage that AI tools increasingly Read more

AI Mode finds valid journalist emails only ~44% of the time, with ~69% of those verified as deliverable. AI's email guesses based on pattern matching are often incorrect due to journalist turnover and media brand ownership. AI Mode pulls from public sources like PDFs, social posts, and websites, Read more

Average monthly contract: $5,458 across all respondents. Most retainers fall under $10K per month, with half priced below $5K. Average cost per link (CPL): $597. Costs vary widely by service type, ranging from $150 for guest posting to $800 for large hero campaigns. 1 in 3 respondents don’t Read more

"Most" and "Best" surveys average 10+ more links due to shareability and passive link-building from search queries. Timely surveys outperform evergreen ones in average links, but evergreen content builds consistent, long-term authority. Emotionally charged topics—especially joy, curiosity, Read more