PR teams face budget strain, leadership gap & AI shift

Meltwater and We. Communications have published findings from a global survey of PR and communications professionals that points to rising pressure on teams to prove business value, amid flat or shrinking budgets and widening expectations from leadership.

The State of PR Report draws on responses from more than 1,100 PR and communications practitioners worldwide. It identifies resource constraints and measurement as leading challenges, alongside a continuing gap between PR teams and organisational leaders.

The survey results show that 24% of respondents cite a lack of resources as their top challenge. The report also states that nearly 70% of PR budgets are expected to stay the same or decrease.

Measurement ranked as the second-biggest challenge in the research. Some 21% of PR professionals said they struggle to measure return on investment and prove business impact. The report notes that many teams still rely on activity-based metrics such as media placements and reach, even as leadership seeks clearer connections to business outcomes.

Leadership gap

The findings also point to a continued disconnect with senior management. The report says leaders in 40% of organisations do not have a strong grasp of their PR team's activity.

PR and communications professionals also reported a desire for closer engagement from the top of the organisation. Executive leadership ranked as the department communicators want more involvement from, at 23.1%.

The report argues that weak understanding of PR work at the leadership level can complicate discussions about priorities and budget. It also frames the issue as a barrier to agreeing on measurement approaches that reflect business goals.

APAC pressures

The report highlights relevance for organisations working across Asia-Pacific, where PR teams often cover multiple markets and work across fragmented media landscapes. The research links these conditions to complex reporting requirements.

More than one-third of respondents, 34.7%, said they struggle to align communications metrics with business key performance indicators. A further 27.8% cited proving PR's value to leadership as a major challenge.

As the report frames it, these pressures coincide with broader reputational risk concerns and economic uncertainty in many markets. It says many teams still use legacy measurement frameworks that prioritise volume and reach, rather than measures aligned with executive decision-making.

"For organisations operating across APAC, these findings reflect a familiar reality," said Mimrah Mahmood, VP, Enterprise, APAC, Meltwater. "PR teams are expected to support growth, manage risk and build trust across increasingly complex markets, yet they are still judged on metrics that don't fully capture their strategic contribution. Closing this gap requires clearer alignment with leadership priorities and a more meaningful approach to measuring impact, not just doing more with less."

AI adoption

The research places generative AI in the context of resource constraints and rising workloads. It reports that generative AI is either somewhat integrated into daily tasks for 42.1% of respondents, or highly integrated for 13.3%.

Respondents identified reporting, media monitoring, and writing briefs as areas where AI tools can play a role. The report says teams use AI to offload routine work. It says this can leave more time for strategic and creative tasks.

The report also notes caution alongside adoption. Around a quarter of respondents expressed concern that AI could reduce the need for human talent. The research links that concern to the risk of further budget pressure. It also highlights the role of AI policies and training.

We. Communications pointed to the potential for AI tools to connect communications activity and reputation outcomes. This comment came as the report described continuing reliance on activity metrics.

"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," said Melissa Waggener Zorkin, Global CEO, We. Communications.

Channels and pitching

The survey results also cover channel preferences and views on securing media coverage. LinkedIn ranked as the most valuable social channel for PR professionals, at 62.4%. Instagram followed at 10.6%, then Facebook at 10.4% and X at 8%.

On pitching and coverage, subject relevance and timeliness ranked highest among factors respondents said matter most. Subject relevance came in at 32.1% and timeliness at 24.2%. The report placed these above media relationships and the inclusion of data.

When asked about streamlining PR tasks, respondents cited media monitoring as most critical at 26.6%. ChatGPT and generative AI tools followed at 20.4%.

The report also asked respondents to identify where AI will have the biggest impact on the PR and communications industry. A third of PR professionals, 34.2%, said AI would have the biggest impact, as teams assess measurement expectations, workflow changes and leadership demands.