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According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the population aged 60 and above in Mainland China has reached 22 per cent of the total population in 2024, a percentage projected to increase in the coming decades. This demographic shift mirrors trends across APAC: all countries are ageing at an unprecedented pace, based on a report by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
With generous retirement benefits and rising standards of health and wealth, the elderly in cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong are changing the concept of ageing, prompting both the government and private sector to invest in the growing silver market.
Challenging stereotypes
“We often perceive the silver generation through a lens of pessimism: inactive and vulnerable. However, the reality is quite different,” said Wendy Yu, a senior communications professional based in Shanghai.
She painted a different picture of the region's active elders - one that reflects independence, influence, and even trendsetting. "The older demographic also has emotional needs and wants to feel valued and connected, just like any other generation", observed Wendy. For instance, she shared, the silver generation in Mainland China is carving out their own communities, and with the help of digital media are jumping onto, if not themselves creating, new trends.
As this cohort grows in influence, brands are beginning to rethink their strategies, recognising that the elderly are not just passive consumers but an engaged, discerning audience with specific needs and wants.
Tapping into the silver economy
Brands are already responding to this demographic shift. One of which is Maxim’s Group, who is actively reevaluating how it engages with the elderly market.
Una Lau, Head of Corporate Communications & Public Relations at the Hong Kong-based food and beverage company, puts it succinctly: “Just as Gen Z represents future growth potential, the elderly represent a crucial market that necessitates innovative, tailored business strategies.”
With an emphasis on improving the elderly’s quality of life rather than merely extending it, Maxim’s has rolled out projects to foster silver productivity and consumption. This includes the active employment of those above the age of 60, a range of dining discounts offered to senior citizens, as well as campaigns to drive age-friendly culinary experiences.
These initiatives all align with the HKSAR Government’s efforts to promote the silver economy, emphasising the need to address the elderly’s aspirations and challenges. The recent rollout of ‘GENTLEMEAL,’ a soft meal brand, follows a standardised framework developed by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service for preparing food for those with swallowing difficulties, Una pointed out.
Decoding communication with the silver generation
This shift in business strategy to pay more attention to mature consumers also requires a thoughtful approach in communication - engaging the elderly isn’t the same as speaking to Gen Z or millennials after all.
With initiatives like GENTLEMEAL, Una highlighted that Maxim's PR messaging focuses on empathy, trust, and direct engagement. She explained how the brand ensures it understands the authentic needs of its target audience: “Our team visited numerous care homes to collect feedback. This direct interaction helped us understand their eating habits, dietary needs, and aesthetic preferences, which were instrumental in refining our offerings.”
This approach contrasts with the F&B company’s strategies for younger audiences. While Maxim's communication with the elderly leans on themes of nurture and support, its messages to younger audiences are designed to inspire and innovate. For instance, communicating to the more digitally fluent Gen Z involves leveraging social media and trends, as well as engagement through sustainability initiatives and creative experiences.
In Mainland China, Wendy brought out a different consideration and stressed the importance of recognising that the elderly are not a monolithic group, especially in a market where the elderly population is as diverse as it is vast. "Here in Mainland China, senior citizens' employment status, their work industry, and their educational backgrounds all translate to various behaviours and needs."
During a campaign for GSK Vaccines, which targeted those over the age of 50 regardless of economic status and geographic location, Wendy discovered that older adults in top-tier cities are more often independent decision-makers due to their higher spending capacity and more formal educational backgrounds.
“There is a growing trend of silver-haired retirees continuing their education at universities and maintaining active social networks. As a result, communication strategies in these urban areas can leverage travel agencies and educational institutions to relay PR messages effectively,” she commented.
However, in lower-tier cities and rural areas, Wendy observed that older relatives tend to prioritise the opinions of their children and grandchildren, making the senior population relatively dependent decision-makers. In this context, she focused on engaging and educating younger family members to encourage vaccination amongst older members of the household.
Blending digital reach with traditional communications
While social media is often seen as the go-to channel for engaging younger audiences, the platform is also becoming increasingly relevant for reaching older adults. As Una pointed out, “there is a notable increase in adoption and sustained engagement with social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube by Hong Kong’s elderly, which they use to stay connected with friends and family.”
On the other hand, upholding credible communication in the social media space must be stressed, considering social media’s tendency to become breeding grounds for misinformation. Wendy, who had been overseeing healthcare comms for the past six years, emphasised that social media candidates for PR partnerships must undergo careful selection processes.
“Today, many elderly people obtain news from short-form videos. When it comes to influencer PR, credibility is taken very seriously. To educate our target audience on disease prevention through vaccination, we collaborate exclusively with certified healthcare professionals on Douyin to ensure the utmost integrity and trust in our messaging.”
Despite the rise of digital platforms, traditional channels such as television, radio, and print media remain highly preferred by the elderly in Hong Kong, said Una. Wendy observed a similar trend in Mainland China, where many of the older generation continue to watch news on TV. Furthermore, elderly people with more professional backgrounds still read newspapers habitually.
"Traditional media will remain a vital communication avenue for as long as the target audience engages with mainstream media," she commented.
Una added that when selecting a media mix, the key is to base the choice on the specific nature of the products or services being marketed. "Adopting a tailored approach while considering a range of options is crucial to effectively reaching diverse audiences."
Building trust through understanding
Tailored messaging and choosing suitable communication channels may be imperatives, but Una emphasised that having a deep understanding of the elderly’s needs remains the defining factor in building trust with the silver generation.
“Initiatives like the GENTLEMEAL project, where we engaged directly with elderly residents in care homes, not only reflect our commitment to authenticity but also demonstrate our dedication to truly understanding their daily realities, preferences, and challenges,” she said.
Wendy echoed her sentiment on building trust upon genuine understanding. “I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to building and maintaining trust with the Chinese elderly. Before nailing down a communication strategy or campaign narrative, invest time and money researching this demographic.
"Only when you dive deep into their behaviour will you be able to demonstrate that you understand and respect their needs and wants.”
Una Lau is Head of Corporate Communications & Public Relations at Maxim’s Group. A seasoned comms and public affairs professional based in Hong Kong, she previously held senior positions at companies including The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Ocean Park Corporation, and Sino Group.
Wendy Yu is a senior communications professional based in Shanghai. Her portfolio spans both in-house and agency-side roles, including six years of leading We. Red Bridge’s healthcare practice and in-house experience at Henkel.
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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.
Explore Telum Media tools that help PR teams pitch with precision.
