Authenticity not GenAI builds the trust you need in B2B media relations!
The IBA team has always said journalists live and die by their contacts and they write about the companies they trust. But sometimes, even journalists themselves suffer from imposter syndrome! A notion only known too well by Freelance Travel Writer, James Stewart! After an imposter posed as the established writer in a bid to gain a “complimentary press invitation for two for gourmet dining on the French Riviera”, alarm bells rang for the PR agency dealing with the restaurant! They trusted their gut and reached out to *the real* James Stewart to confirm if it was him.
From what James saw of one of the imposter’s emails, his approach was completely off from how any journalist would talk, let alone him! “His emails are clunky, his requests for support shameless. In the one I’ve seen he is ‘reaching out’ (ugh!) about ‘an upcoming editorial feature’ (yuck!) on gourmet dining on the French Riviera and ‘would like to request a complimentary press invitation for two’ (not one, obviously). He signs off over-formally with Thank you very much for considering my request.”
It’s almost as if the imposter asked ChatGPT to draft an email that a journalist might write and ChatGPT responded in PR speak! The reality was, the imposter just wasn’t very good at impersonating him – it lacked authenticity, and therefore credibility, and it shone right through to the PR agency – who must have thought a PR guy was ‘reaching out’ to them because no respected journo speaks like that!
James explains “On the one hand the PR wanted to protect her client. On the other she didn’t want to offend James Stewart. Editors will thank you and no legitimate journalist will be offended. While it’s almost flattering to be faked, I salute every effort to weed out the chancers from our industry.”
Trust is a two-way street, and the James Stewart anecdote works as a reminder of what the media industry is built upon – relationships. At risk of IBA sounding like a broken record, B2B media relationships go beyond just a simple email back and forth, it’s about understanding who journalists are, what they care about, what they are interested in, what they are writing about, and how the stories pitched to them genuinely fit their remit.
And dare I say it, not using Gen AI to write pitches in PR speak – avoid resonating, intersections and pressure testings to add to Mr Stewart’s list!
Successful B2B PR isn’t about gaming the system or journalist database – it’s about building relationships through insight and genuine understanding. As the industry continues to grapple with the balance between technology and human instinct, the message is becoming clearer: meaningful media relationships aren’t built at scale, they’re built with intent.
It mirrors what we explored in our deep-dive of Cision’s 2025 State of the Media Report – though this time from a PR pro’s perspective. But the message remains true – authenticity outweighs the algorithm! Journalists are seeking value on relevance and trust, over volume. While the rise of AI-generated outreach may have improved efficiency, it has also highlighted a key frustration – poorly targeted, impersonal pitching. Authenticity is the key as the James Stewart story reminds us only too well.
Read on to explore the key ways PR pros can do their bit to build trust with the media:
Go away – not interested
Journalists are the media gatekeepers. Building bridges with these key contacts is the make or break of coverage success. Don’t mark your card the wrong way!
Just like in 2022, journalists are too strapped for time and resources to deal with PR pros who haven’t done their research on them or their outlets.
Fact: 86% of journalists say they’ll immediately reject a pitch that isn’t aligned with their beat or audience, underscoring the need for PR teams to tailor every outreach accordingly. Note to self – read what they write before you pitch! So how can PR pros strike up meaningful connections?
For most of the surveyed journalists in the Cision report, pitching new and relevant story ideas was identified as the most instrumental way to build relationships with them. This is why it’s important for PR pros to target media profiles that fit region-specific pitches – something that IBA’s Daniel Bellamy has seen first-hand as he gets to grips with the responsibilities of a Graduate PR Executive.
The jury is still out on AI source credibility
So, what do journalists really think about AI, in terms of using it themselves and for the PR pros they work with?
Over half of journalists (53%) globally now use generative AI tools like ChatGPT. But here’s what they use it for – a quarter use AI to research certain topics and another 23% use it to transcribe interviews and audio. All sensible uses of AI’s power to absorb data and spit it out to take the tedium out of jobs.
But still, 33% of journalists said they don’t use AI or plan to. And here’s the rub: 56% of journalists are strongly opposed, particularly in North America, or somewhat opposed to PR pros using AI to generate pitches and press releases. Note to self – use your brain not ChatGPT’s!
So why are many journalists hesitant to take the AI plunge? Cision found that 72% of journalists worry about factual errors in AI-generated PR content and a further 58% worry that the quantity, but not the quality, will increase.
Relationship-first – PR is more than just transactional
The majority of journalists (85%) say the best way to build a relationship is simple: introduce yourself via email, even without a story to pitch. This was far ahead of the second and third most popular answers: pitching a new, relevant story idea (38%) and inviting them to an industry event (33%).
Remember journalists can spot a mass mailing a mile away, which is why PR pros need to focus more on localization and personalization, and less on commercialization. And whatever you do, make sure the pitch is addressed to the right person!
Journalists are more likely to review pitches from someone they know and trust. The better they know them, the more likely they are to proactively seek them out for contribution opportunities! Cision report found that 57% of journalists believe PR pros provide the most value by facilitating access to key people and places.
Only this way will those valuable organic journalist requests come through – they are the sign of a well-oiled PR campaign.
That’s a wrap on the state of the media in 2025. Note to self – authenticity outweighs the Algorithm!
Hannah Watson is PR Lead – Analytics at IBA International.
