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Workinpr.com/MediaMap Public Relations and Media Survey

Last month we invited you to complete our survey on the state of the PR industry. We received a terrific response from over 1,500 PR professionals and journalists*. Attached below is a summary of results, covering areas such as PR credibility, career development, and the relationship between the media and PR pros. Please read on for more detail. We also welcome your feedback on other areas of interest for future surveys.

General Findings - PR Survey
Key findings from the PR survey include:

Struggling to lead
The majority reported (36%) that strategic direction of the business is the hardest part of their job (versus client management, tactical work or managing staff).
Lack of employee training
Only 8.9% of respondents received formal training from their company. 54% received informal training from managers or peers, while nearly 37% received no training at all - left to "sink or swim".
Deficiencies of entry level employees
According to respondents, the top two skills lacking in entry-level PR professionals today are 1) knowledge of the industry/business issues and 2) strong written/verbal skills.
Personal relationship with media is critical
When asked about their relationship with the media, 73% of PR professionals believe having a personal relationship receives the best response from the press. 10% felt that direct emails receive good response, while only 7% believe press releases are effective. Only 24% believe journalists are receptive to PR pitches.
The dot-com hangover - only temporary
The majority of PR respondents (44%) do not feel that the dot-com shakeout damaged PR's credibility.
As an industry, PR is still going strong
The majority of respondents (47%) believe the PR industry as a whole has improved over the last five years.

General Findings - Journalist/Media Survey
Key findings from the media survey include:

Demands facing journalists at an all-time high
The majority of journalists (56%) believe that the demands of their job have increased significantly over the last year, while 35% feel their demands have increased 'somewhat'.
Journalists view PR pros as 'gatekeepers'
When asked about their relationship with PR professionals, the majority of journalists (36%) believe they are gatekeepers of information; 29% believe that PR professionals are cooperative, but not very valuable.
So little time
When it comes to researching a story, 58% of journalists feel they 'sometimes' have adequate time to source and research a story.
The dot-com hangover - only temporary
Similar to PR respondents, the majority of journalists (53%) do not feel that the dot-com shakeout damaged PR's credibility.
Expert sources found via 'little black books'
The majority of journalists (43%) say they find expert sources from their own 'little black book'; 26% said they find expert sources from 'industry groups'.

*The Workinpr.com/MediaMap survey received tremendous response from both audiences: 586 PR professionals and 1,030 journalists answered questions on a number of topics including their relationship with the media/PR professionals, their thoughts on the current state of the industry and their overall concerns regarding their work load, responsibilities and value as a professional.

Audience Profile:

Public Relations Respondents:
586 public relations professionals completed the PR survey. The majority of respondents have over 10 years of experience:

There was an almost even split of corporate versus agency respondents:

Journalist/Media Respondents:
1030 journalists/media contacts completed the media survey. The majority of responding journalists were from print publications:

For additional information, or if you have questions about this survey, please contact info@workinpr.com.