By Grant Ludmer, Account Manager, LIMELIGHT
PR teams have more tools at their disposal than ever. Yet despite efficiency gains from these tools, the workload has not gotten any lighter, as PR professionals now own an increasingly complex set of initiatives.
For communications leaders, the challenge is connecting these efforts around a clear strategy.
Muck Rack’s State of PR 2026 report surveyed 971 PR professionals about how they work and where the industry is heading. The findings show a communications function taking on more responsibility. Media relations still sits at the center of PR work. Thought leadership is growing. AI has become part of the daily workflow, and GEO has entered communications strategy.
AI Adoption Is High. Strategy Has Room to Grow.
According to the survey, 80% of PR professionals use generative AI in their workflow, while 61% expect AI and automation to grow in importance over the next five years.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is also taking on a larger role in communications strategy. Nearly three quarters of respondents say GEO is at least somewhat important to their strategy. Yet 29% say no one owns GEO at their organization, and another 13% do not know who holds responsibility.
Measurement presents a similar gap: 39% do not measure GEO success, while 21% do not know how their organization measures GEO.
Organizations have recognized the importance of AI visibility faster than they have created the structure to manage it.
Building an authoritative presence requires connecting earned media, thought leadership and the new rules of search visibility as AI platforms play a larger role in how buyers research professional services providers.
A strong strategy starts with understanding how your organization appears in AI generated responses and which sources shape those answers. From there, communications programs need clear priorities for improving visibility over time.
Earned Media Is Harder to Secure, While Its Value Is Growing
Almost all (98%) of the survey respondents agree that securing earned media has become more difficult. Seventy-one percent point to low journalist response rates, while 61% cite shrinking media lists in relevant beats. At the same time, 48% expect media relations to grow in importance over the next five years, up from 35% last year.
AI adds another reason to invest in earned media: 55% of PR professionals secure coverage in high authority publications to improve visibility in AI generated responses. This was the most common tactic used to support AI visibility.
Securing meaningful coverage requires focus. Reporters have limited time, newsrooms have fewer resources, and more companies compete for attention. Sending more pitches is not a strategy. The right story, source, and reporter matter.
Thought Leadership Is Taking Up More of the Job
More than half (51%) of PR professionals say thought leadership accounts for at least a quarter of their work, up 6 percentage points from last year. And half (50%) are creating more authoritative or data-driven content to improve AI visibility. Another 44% are structuring content to make information easier for AI tools to parse.
The answer is not more content. Your thought leadership needs to say something worth reading.
Strong thought leadership gives reporters informed sources, gives buyers useful information, and supports visibility in search and AI generated responses.
A well-developed idea also has value across channels. Research might support an article, media outreach, social content, or an executive speaking opportunity. The goal is to build authority around subjects your organization has a credible reason to own.
PR Teams Need to Show What the Work Produces
The clearest finding in the report has little to do with new technology:69% of PR professionals say measurable results offer the best way to increase the perceived value of PR among leadership and clients. The next closest response was executive visibility at 11%.
Communications leaders know they need to prove value. The harder question is what to measure.
Measurement should reflect the purpose of the program. Media coverage and impressions provide part of the picture. Search visibility, share of voice, AI citations, audience engagement, inbound interest, and business development activity offer other ways to assess progress.
The right metrics depend on your goals. A program focused on executive visibility should measure different outcomes than one focused on AI visibility or lead generation.
PR Strategy Needs to Catch Up With PR Work
The report shows how much the communications function has expanded. Media relations still accounts for at least a quarter of the job for 84% of PR professionals. Thought leadership takes up a significant share of the work for more than half. AI has become standard. GEO has entered communications planning. Leadership wants measurable results.
These responsibilities connect.
Earned media builds authority. Thought leadership gives your experts useful ideas to share. AI visibility and GEO address how buyers find and evaluate organizations. Measurement shows whether the work supports business goals.
More activity is not the answer. Strategic, integrated communications is.