Optimizing workflows while staying human-led.
Media outreach takes time and can often feel redundant. But PR pros can use AI to optimize workflows and alleviate the daily stress of repetitive tasks while continuing to build trust with reporters.
However, there are two important questions you need to first address:
- Where are you spending the most time?
- What documents or projects do you seem to rewrite over and over again?
Whether you’re dedicating a large portion of your day to media pitches, topic analysis or media trends, the approach to AI should be about starting small and staying human-led, said Will Hodges, U.S. cross-commercial communications director at PwC, during the 2025 PR Daily Conference.
“Those small adjustments can really compound to save time and deliver big impact, but you don’t want this to be an outsource or autopilot for your work,” he said. “You need to make sure you’re involved and use AI as an augmentation for your work, or a supplement, not a substitute.”
AI can play a major supporting role in the following three areas:
- Research:
- Journalists aren’t looking for noise, they’re looking for news. Utilize summarization tools, like Copilot, to find the right story for the right audience.
- Explore white space tools, like ChatGPT’s Deep Research function, to look for trends. This can get you out of opinion and root you in facts.
- Create a custom feed with AI tools to aggregate daily newsletters, outlets and reporters to better identify the “right” angle for your pitch.
- Outreach:
- Automation does not equal authenticity. You have to establish trust and continually build relationships. Let AI write your first draft, but not your final one.
- Use AI tools to help develop or customize your own GPT. This ensures your voice is heard throughout your outreach. Do this by giving the GPT examples of emails, previous pitches or written documents to show the tool how you speak and write.
- Refine your media lists. Use AI tools to combine and refine duplicates of media lists.
- Predictive pitching. Analyze past interactions with journalists and their coverage with AI tools to help predict which reporters and topics are likely to get more positive responses.
- Interview preparation:
- Message tailoring. Upload existing messages and use AI tools to help identify relevant messaging for specific beat reporters. This can also help identify gaps in your messaging based on questions that may arise.
- Anticipate questions and answers as well as media training. You can prompt AI to write several questions that a reporter may ask and prepare accordingly.
- Briefing documents and creating templates. Create talking points and potential background info using AI tools for key updates and additional notes for your interview.
“It’s okay to experiment, just don’t outsource your judgment,” Hodges said. “Make sure that you’re not letting the tools get in the way of you actually making your connection and driving the point home.”
Watch the full presentation below:
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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