PR Statistics: 2025 Comms Report by the Numbers

The 2025 Cision and PRWeek Comms Report surveyed more than 300 PR and communications professionals – and the resulting PR statistics give valuable insight into the biggest trends and challenges the industry faces.

The full report is available to download now, but if you’re looking for quick takeaways, we’ve pulled out key public relations statistics from the report to give you food for thought. You can also view the PR stats by downloading the infographic below.

Influencing Decision Makers

PR statistics: The No. 1 priority from CEOs for comms is to build sustainable growth and value for their brand. Meanwhile, 84% of comms leaders agree the C-suite has sought their counsel more this year than in previous years. 

Key takeaway: Comms teams have a seat at the table and the ability to influence decisions, but with that comes an expectation to move the business needle and deliver proof of revenue and customer growth.

Biggest Comms Challenges

PR statistics: Forty-four percent of respondents said they struggle to align metrics to revenue or business KPIs. Furthermore, the inability to measure impact effectively was the second biggest challenge to comms efforts behind being “too reactive” (versus proactive). 

Key takeaway: PR and comms teams can invest in tools to demonstrate the impact they’re having on the bottom line. Platforms like CisionOne can help here with monitoring and social listening capabilities – and help you shift from reactive to proactive strategies.

Generative AI Adoption

PR statistics: Three in four comms professionals feel confident in their organization’s ability to take advantage of AI, while 37% use generative AI to review or optimize content (up 9 percentage points from those who said the same last year). 

Key takeaway: Generative AI appears to be gathering momentum in PR and comms, and it’s clearly not something to be ignored. Teams that are building AI into their overall strategy today have the potential to gain a competitive advantage and will only benefit in the long term.

Data and Analytics in PR

PR statistics: Two-thirds of comms teams employ or have access to a dedicated data analyst, while 96% say they are relying on data “more than ever.” In addition, 65% said that generative AI tools are notably improving their data and analytics capabilities. 

Key takeaway: Organizational leaders must strive for data literacy and ensure their business is deploying new tech like AI to aid their strategies. Being able to monitor, measure, and interpret what data means to them will also ensure teams can use it to inform and refine PR plans going forward.

Social Media Strategies

PR statistics: Fifty-one percent plan to rely more on earned social media to support their strategies in the next year. In terms of the most popular platforms, Facebook emerged in first place ahead of Instagram and LinkedIn. 

Key takeaway: Social media has a part to play when it comes to earned media. Though resources are tightening, and more social platforms are emerging, it’s important to be nimble enough to experiment with emerging platforms – but ensure efforts are focused on the feeds that deliver the most engagement and ROI. 

Finding Impactful Influencers

PR statistics: A mere 21% rate their ability to identify “the right” influencers for their brand as “excellent.”  Employees rank as the most effective influencer for their brands – far above social media influencers and celebrities. 

Key takeaway: Brands should look for ways to engage with their staff to help tell their brand story. For example, many employees will have social media profiles where they talk about their company and industry trends. On the latter point, if social listening is part of your PR toolkit you can use it to pick up on talking points related to your brand or service (and potentially work with employees to bring relevant thought leadership content to the discussion).

Making Sense of the PR Stats

These public relations statistics shed light on how your peers and competitors are evolving their tactics and strategies amid new technologies and higher expectations from CEOs – as well as the obstacles they are encountering along the way.

Use these insights to your advantage: Consider how you can apply this information to your own strategy and turn the industry’s challenges into your opportunities.

For more PR data and industry insights, download the full 2025 Comms Report.

Find out how Cision can help your team meet your top challenges and stand out among industry peers by speaking to an expert today.