Over the past few years, mentions of AI within the industry haven't toned down - if anything, they've been ramping up. Looking back at Telum's 2024 Year Ahead and PR Tech in 2025 pieces, it's interesting to see how attitudes have shifted. What began as a period of experimentation - playing with prompts, dabbling in ideation, and speculating about job replacement - has solidified into a structural transformation within the profession.
AI has moved from a nice-to-have to a non-negotiable; from a fringe tool to a core strategic capability. 2025 is the year PR and comms practitioners stopped asking, “What can AI do?” and began asking, "How do we lead with it?”.
Integration of AI tools in the industry
Early adoption of AI centred around basic prompting and inspiration. In 2025, however, practitioners in the PR and comms space have unlocked more of its capabilities.
We saw many organisations develop their own AI offerings across APAC and the Middle East, ranging from AI visibility services and training tools to crisis solutions. These include PIABO GEO, Ogilvy ANZ’s Generative Impact, Golin’s First Answer, TEAM LEWIS' Training for Trust, and FINN Partners' CANARY FOR CRISIS.
The narrative around job replacement has also softened. Rather than replacing humans, the industry is now embracing AI as an enhancer.
As Natacha Clarac, Director General of Athenora Consulting in Brussels and former President of PRGN, said following PRGN's launch of Précis Public Relations: "The introduction of Précis Public Relations showcases the potential of AI to enhance rather than replace the strategic value PR professionals offer."
GEO / LEO and search transformation
One trend that we have seen in 2025 was the decline of traditional search behaviour. AI assistants, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, increasingly replaced clicks with instant answers.
As Nichole Provatas, Executive Vice President and APAC Head of Integrated Marketing and Innovation at WE Communications, noted: "Around 69 per cent of Google news searches now end in zero clicks as AI Overviews rise."
This reality raises the stakes for inclusion in AI answers, as Rob van Alphen, Managing Director of Polaris Digital, warned: “…if your brand or leadership isn’t part of the AI answer, you’re invisible.”
Jack Barbour, EVP and AI Lead at Golin New York, and Nichole both highlighted how earned media is key in making brands discoverable, with at least 90 per cent of AI search results coming from earned citations. Brian Buchwald, Edelman’s President, Global Transformation and Performance, emphasised the same point: "You can't buy your way to the top of an AI-generated answer...brands must proactively shape how they appear in LLM outputs or risk being misrepresented, misunderstood, or missed entirely."
AI platforms are relying on reputable journalism, corporate blogs, and expert commentaries - flipping the paid-dominated marketing playbook on its head.
This shift fuelled the rise of GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and LEO (Language Engine Optimisation). In April, Celia Harding launched what she described as the world’s first LEO advisory firm, arguing: "While other agencies are looking at how AI can drive efficiencies in creativity and client service, they are all overlooking the real opportunity that lies ahead - shaping the data LLMs learn from."
If SEO defined the 2010s, GEO and LEO are shaping 2025 and beyond, with earned media at the core.
AI upskilling
As AI adoption surged throughout the year, professional development opportunities expanded rapidly, ranging from hands-on workshops and panel discussions to large-scale conferences.
These events spanned the region, including the Generative AI Bootcamp series by PRCA APAC and Sequencr AI, PRCA Thailand's first-ever conference in Bangkok on AI and communications, and Jakarta's “Shape the Future of Your Communications Strategy with AI” workshop hosted by ACE, APPRI and Reputasia Strategic Communications.
Telum Media also hosted its own list of AI-focused events, including workshops with Shaun Davies in Sydney and Melbourne, workshops with Rob Van Alphen in Singapore, a global webinar with Matt Collette, collaborations with the Kennedy Foundation for panels on AI and journalism in Australia, and joint sessions with SOPA on ethical AI use in publishing in Singapore and Hong Kong.
The scale of these events showed one thing - these sessions were no longer “optional extras”, they've become essential for teams wanting to keep pace with AI's evolution across the industry.
Human and ethical considerations
As AI adoption rose, so did the reminders that human oversight remains essential. Practitioners repeatedly stressed that AI cannot replace human judgement, empathy, or lived experience.
As Matt Cram, Head of Media and Communications at Orygen, put it: "AI can’t replace the way people connect through empathy, creativity, and lived experiences."
Rob van Alphen reinforced this: "…we must double down on our inherently human strengths, such as empathy, curiosity, ethical decision-making, and critical thinking."
And Zeno’s Head of Regional Business Development, Asia, Ekta Thomas, said: "People connect with people - not algorithms."
These sentiments were reinforced across industry events focused on responsible AI use. At the Jakarta workshop, Reputasia Co-Founder and Communications Strategist, Fardila Astari, emphasised the importance of ethical guidelines for AI use, noting that careless application can create reputational risks, as seen in cases where major companies faced credibility issues due to AI-generated inaccuracies.
Similar points were made at Telum Media and SOPA's sessions in Singapore and Hong Kong, where newsroom leaders stressed the importance of maintaining editorial oversight, transparent disclosure, and strong governance structures. The consensus is that while AI may accelerate workflows, humans safeguard credibility.
2026 and beyond
As we approach the new year, AI is shifting from experimental to foundational. Nichole Provatas urges teams to "publish for AI inclusion," treating owned channels as structured, plain-language reference hubs built for machine ingestion.
But the landscape is still evolving, as Matt Cram cautions: "AI doesn’t just surface information, it consumes it…and the best strategies today might look very different tomorrow." For communicators, adaptability becomes the differentiator.
Ultimately, the future isn't AI-led but AI-enabled. As Matt Collette notes, "Human + AI is the new paradigm." Success will come from pairing AI's scale and precision with the empathy, judgement, and contextual understanding only humans can bring.
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Every few years, someone declares the death of the media release.
Today, the arguments sound familiar. Journalists don't read them anymore. Everything is social-first. AI is replacing traditional media outreach. It's all about the pitch. Press releases are becoming little more than AI-generated filler.
And yet, when we speak with journalists across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, a different picture emerges.
Media releases aren't dead, but expectations around them have changed significantly.
We've analysed more than 10,000 Journalist Interest Survey responses in the Telum Media platform collected over the past five years, alongside insights gathered from conversations with editors, reporters, and producers across the region.
Key takeaways:
- Journalists still value useful PR content
- Relevance matters more than reach
- The pitch and the release serve different roles
- The best releases reduce friction for journalists
- Modern releases need to support multiple platforms
The conclusion is clear: journalists still value media releases, but they value them for different reasons than they once did.
The media release has evolved from a distribution tool into something far more strategic.
The media release is no longer the story
For decades, many PR professionals treated the media release as the centrepiece of media relations activity.
Write the release. Send it widely. Hope for coverage - “spray and pray”.
That approach was far from perfect, but you could get away with it in an era when newsrooms were larger, competition for attention was lower, and journalists had more time to evaluate incoming information.
Today's reality is very different.
Journalists are producing content across multiple platforms, often with smaller teams and tighter deadlines. Their inboxes are flooded with pitches, announcements, thought leadership submissions, and increasingly, AI-generated content.
As a result, journalists have become far more selective about what earns their attention.
The modern media release is no longer just about news stories. It has become a source-of-truth asset, a newsroom resource, and a content hub that supports broader communications activity.
The best PR teams understand this shift.
“The strongest message from journalists can be summarised in a single phrase: ‘Understand what I cover’. Relevance remains the most important factor in successful media engagement.”
What journalists are actually rejecting
One of the most revealing findings from our analysis is that journalists are not rejecting PR content altogether.
What they're rejecting is low-value outreach.
Across thousands of responses, the same frustrations appeared repeatedly:
- Irrelevant pitches
- Generic outreach
- Mass distribution
- Weak story angles
- Excessive follow-ups
In other words, this is less a rejection of media releases and more a rejection of poor media relations practice.
The strongest message from journalists can be summarised in a single phrase:
"Understand what I cover."
Relevance remains the most important factor in successful media engagement. In fact, our journalist surveys over the past two years have seen a sharp increase in a desire for both relevance and personalisation in pitches.
Journalists increasingly assess pitches within seconds. If the connection to their beat, audience, or current priorities isn't immediately obvious, the opportunity is often lost before the email is even opened.
The pitch and the release have different jobs
One of the biggest misconceptions in modern media relations is treating the pitch and the release as the same thing.
They are not.
The pitch exists to earn attention; the release exists to support the story.
The best pitches are:
- Brief
- Human
- Relevant
- Contextual
- Conversational
The best releases are:
- Structured
- Factual
- Complete
- Reusable
- Easy to reference
At a recent Telum Media event, a senior journalist described the fastest way to kill a pitch with a single word: “Respect”. Or a lack thereof.
A generic greeting. A story unrelated to their beat. A mass-produced email that demonstrates no understanding of their audience.
All signal a lack of respect for the journalist's time and expertise.
High-performing PR teams increasingly write pitches and releases for different audiences. The pitch is written for the journalist. The release is written for the journalist's audience.
That distinction matters.
Why journalists still value media releases
Despite predictions of their demise, journalists continue to actively request media releases.
But they want releases that help them work more efficiently.
The most common requests include concise writing, clear headlines, strong news angles, supporting data (with downloadable images and assets), spokesperson access, and easy-to-use formats.
These preferences reveal the modern role of the release: it functions as a workflow tool.
A strong release helps journalists:
- Understand the story quickly
- Verify information
- Access supporting materials
- Build content efficiently
The best releases reduce friction. And in today's newsroom environment, reducing friction is often more valuable than generating hype.
Think beyond media coverage
Another major shift is that media releases are increasingly serving multiple audiences.
A modern release doesn’t just support journalists; it might also support clients and prospects, employees, investors and analysts, partners, and search visibility.
Rather than creating a single-use document, leading communications teams are building content ecosystems.
The release becomes the foundation for:
- Media outreach
- Newsroom content
- Executive communications
- Social media content
- Email campaigns
- Sales collateral
- Thought leadership activity
This approach not only improves consistency but also increases the return on investment from every announcement.
The role of the modern media release
Not every story needs a release
Perhaps one of the most important lessons is recognising when a media release is the wrong tool.
Releases tend to perform best when there is:
- Genuine news value
- Multiple stakeholder audiences
- A need for factual consistency
- Strong supporting assets
- Broader business significance
They are often less effective for internal milestones framed as major news (or self-congratulatory announcements), generic thought leadership, and untargeted mass outreach.
In some situations, a targeted pitch, LinkedIn strategy, executive commentary programme, or direct relationship-based outreach may be more effective.
Good communications strategy isn't about defaulting to a media release; it's about choosing the right tool for the objective.
A framework for modern media releases
If there is one word that captures what journalists are asking for today, it is respect.
At Telum Media, we summarise this through the RESPECT framework:
R – Relevance
Make it relevant to the journalist, their audience and the moment.
E – Efficiency
Help journalists work faster through clear, concise, and usable content.
S – Substance
Provide genuine value through expertise, data, insight, or access.
P – Personalisation
Demonstrate that you've done your homework.
E – Ecosystem
Think beyond the release and consider how it supports broader communications goals.
C – Clarity
Make the key message immediately obvious.
T – Timing
Reach out at the right time, not simply any time.
What journalists are asking for in a pitch / media release: RESPECT
The future of the media release
The debate over whether media releases are dead misses the point.
The more useful question is how do we make releases work better in today’s media environment?
Journalists still value relevant information, credible sources, strong story angles, and efficient communication. Media releases continue to play an important role in delivering those things.
But success today depends less on the existence of the release itself and more on how strategically it is used.
The media release remains a valuable communications tool.
Just not in the way many of us were taught to use it.
FAQs
Are media releases still useful in 2026?
Yes. Journalists still value media releases, but these days want targeted outreach, relevance to their beat, alignment with their audience, and contextual pitching.
What makes a media release useful to journalists?
Journalists are looking for releases in a format that helps them work efficiently. Which means releases that are concise, factual, with a clear angle, contain usable quotes, and come with downloadable assets and supporting data.
What is the difference between a pitch and a media release?
A pitch earns the journalist’s attention in their cluttered Inbox. A media release supports the story by providing structured, factual, and reusable information relevant to their audience.
With more than 30 years’ experience spanning journalism, corporate communications and media intelligence, Reuben Aitchison is Telum Media’s Head of Insights and Communications.
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