Meltwater, a global leader in media, social, and consumer intelligence, in partnership with We. Communications, released its first annual State of PR Report, a global study examining how PR and communications teams are planning, prioritising and adapting amid increasing scrutiny and resource constraints. The report revealed a lack of resources and proving ROI (return on investment) as the top challenges for PR professionals, while 40% of organisation’s leaders have a limited understanding of their PR team's work.
Based on insights from over 1,100 PR and communications professionals worldwide the State of PR Report highlights a widening gap between the expectations placed on PR teams and structures available to support them. Across organisations, communicators are being asked to demonstrate clearer business impact at a time when budgets remain stagnant and workloads continue to expand.
The report identifies three key areas defining the modern challenge:
Insufficient resources remain the top challenge: 24% of PR professionals cite a lack of resources as their top challenge; with nearly 70% of budgets expected to stay the same or decrease. As a result, Generative AI has emerged as a vital efficiency tool, with the majority of respondents noting it is either somewhat (42.1%) or highly integrated (13.3%) into their daily tasks. Though adoption is high, approximately one-quarter of respondents express concern that AI could reduce the need for human talent, potentially shrinking budgets further.
Measurement continues to fall short of leadership expectations: 21% of PR professionals struggle to measure ROI and prove business impact, often relying on activity-based metrics such as media placements and reach, despite growing pressure to link PR to business outcomes. In fact, more than one-third (34.7%) of PR professionals struggle to align metrics with business KPIs, while over a quarter (27.8%) cite proving PR’s value to leadership as a major challenge.
The C-Suite Disconnect: Leaders in 40% of organisations do not have a strong grasp of their PR team’s activity. Meanwhile, executive leadership is the top department communicators say they want more involvement from (23.1%).
While the findings reflect global sentiment, they carry particular relevance for organisations operating across APAC, where PR teams often support multiple markets, fragmented media environments and complex reporting structures. As businesses in the region navigate economic uncertainty and heightened reputational risk, PR functions are increasingly expected to operate as strategic partners. However many remain constrained by limited resources and legacy measurement frameworks that continue to prioritise activity-based indicators such as volume and reach, rather than outcomes which senior leaders use to guide decisions.
This underscores a growing need for outcome-driven measurement, such as indicators that reflect message effectiveness, executive visibility, sentiment and clearer alignment between communications activity and organisational priorities.
“For organisations operating across APAC, these findings aren’t surprising – they actually highlight a pressing reality,” said David Hickey, Executive Director, APAC at Meltwater. “Communications teams are being tasked with building trust, managing reputation and supporting growth across complex markets - yet many are still measured against outdated metrics that fail to capture their strategic value.
“It’s time for organisations to recognise the leadership role that communications now plays. To manage risk and reputation in real time, PR must be fully aligned with business priorities — not only to ensure consistent storytelling, but to influence decisions at the highest level. That means moving beyond activity-based measurement and adopting outcome-driven metrics that reflect the real impact of communications on brand equity and business performance.”
Melissa Waggener Zorkin, Global CEO of We. Communications, says the report also points to the need for a pivotal shift in how communicators measure success, as AI solutions can now link communications activity to reputation outcomes and enterprise value. “PR pros do a great job measuring activity, but we’re seeing a missed opportunity when it comes to measuring impact. We now have sophisticated AI solutions that connect communications to reputation and business value in clear, quantifiable ways, giving communicators the data they need to show organisation leaders how their work drives real results.”
Other key findings include:
LinkedIn is the most valuable social channel for PR professionals (62.4%) followed by Instagram (10.6%), Facebook (10.4%) and X (8%).
Subject relevance (32.1%) and timeliness (24.2%) are noted as the most important factors in securing coverage, over media relationships, inclusion of data, and others.
Media monitoring (26.6%) and ChatGPT/GenAI (20.4%) are cited as the most critical to streamlining PR tasks.
A third of PR professionals (34.2%) expect AI will have the biggest impact on the industry.
To view and download The State of PR Report, visit our report here: https://www.meltwater.com/en/resources/state-of-pr
About Meltwater
Meltwater empowers companies with a suite of solutions that spans media, social and consumer intelligence. By analyzing ~1 billion pieces of content each day and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater unlocks the competitive edge needed to drive results. With 27,000 global customers, 50 offices across six continents, and 2,200 employees, Meltwater is the industry partner of choice for global brands making an impact. Learn more at meltwater.com.
About We. Communications
We. is a global communications agency helping brands navigate an ever-changing world. We’ve spent decades at the intersection of technology and humanity, translating new innovations into meaningful experiences that connect with people. As change accelerates and expectations evolve, we use our expertise to help brands communicate through complexity to drive connection, understanding and progress. We offer a range of solutions with this in mind, across diverse industries, audiences and stakeholders.