Press release strategy now depends on measurement, not just distribution. In 2024, 72% of comms teams use media monitoring for results, and 84% of PR professionals use social media for PR activities. Benchmarks like a 0.2% average email unsubscribe rate and a 12.5 hour journalist first response time show how timing and engagement data shape what gets published and followed up.
Key Takeaways
- The global PR and communications industry grew by 8.5% CAGR from 2019 to 2023 in a market outlook estimate (industry growth rate)
- 62% of PR professionals expect more influencer/journalist hybrid coverage in 2024 (earned media trend expectation survey)
- “Online news” accounts for 66% of average weekly news consumption in 2023 (attention channel context for PR)
- $109.2 billion value of the global public relations market in 2024 (market sizing estimate)
- $16.3 billion global media monitoring market size in 2023 (market sizing estimate)
- $3.9 billion global PR software market size in 2023 (market sizing estimate)
- 84% of public relations professionals reported using social media for PR activities (survey-based usage)
- 67% of comms teams said they have an owned newsroom/press page (survey-based property adoption)
- 4.3 billion people globally use social media (number of social media users worldwide in 2024)
- Average email unsubscribe rate was 0.2% in 2024 benchmarks (engagement quality)
- In 2023, 78% of PR measurement uses “engagement” metrics (performance measurement behavior)
- Journalists’ average time-to-first-response after receiving a pitch is 12.5 hours based on internal response-time analyses shared by vendor surveys (response-time metric)
- Average PR retainer costs for small firms were about $2,500 per month in 2024 rate surveys (monthly cost benchmark)
- Average PR agency project pricing ranged from $5,000 to $20,000 for campaigns in 2024 pricing guides (campaign cost range)
- Business Wire pricing tiers start at $899 per release for select distribution options in 2024 pricing information (per-release cost benchmark)
The PR and communications sector is rapidly expanding, with data, social media, and monitoring tools reshaping measurement and outreach.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
The global PR and communications industry grew by 8.5% CAGR from 2019 to 2023 in a market outlook estimate (industry growth rate)
02
62% of PR professionals expect more influencer/journalist hybrid coverage in 2024 (earned media trend expectation survey)
03
“Online news” accounts for 66% of average weekly news consumption in 2023 (attention channel context for PR)
04
In 2022, 93% of countries had at least one internet shutdown event removed as documented by Access Now (PR crisis/communications relevance)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For Industry Trends, the PR and communications sector is expanding at an 8.5% CAGR from 2019 to 2023 while attention is increasingly shifting to online news at 66% of weekly consumption and toward hybrid influencer and journalist coverage expected by 62% of professionals in 2024.
02 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
$109.2 billion value of the global public relations market in 2024 (market sizing estimate)
02
$16.3 billion global media monitoring market size in 2023 (market sizing estimate)
03
$3.9 billion global PR software market size in 2023 (market sizing estimate)
04
$4.8 billion global media database market size in 2023 (press targeting and distribution tooling ecosystem estimate)
05
$3.07 billion global brand safety software market size in 2023 (media/publication risk constraints for PR placement)
06
$18.3 billion global social media management market size in 2023 (overlaps with press/earned media workflows)
07
$15.9 billion global marketing automation market size in 2023 (supports PR distribution and nurture)
08
$6.3 billion global media relations software market size in 2023 (PR/media outreach tooling estimate)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The Market Size picture for press release related services is expanding fast, with the global public relations market reaching $109.2 billion in 2024 while adjacent sectors like social media management ($18.3 billion in 2023) and media monitoring ($16.3 billion in 2023) show large, reinforcing demand.
03 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
84% of public relations professionals reported using social media for PR activities (survey-based usage)
02
67% of comms teams said they have an owned newsroom/press page (survey-based property adoption)
03
4.3 billion people globally use social media (number of social media users worldwide in 2024)
04
92% of internet users in the U.S. use email (share of U.S. internet users using email, 2024)
05
The share of U.S. adults who use social media is 72% (2024 survey measurement of adoption)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For a user adoption lens, social media is clearly the dominant channel with 84% of PR professionals reporting its use and 72% of US adults using it, supported by the fact that 4.3 billion people worldwide are social media users.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics6 stats
01
Average email unsubscribe rate was 0.2% in 2024 benchmarks (engagement quality)
02
In 2023, 78% of PR measurement uses “engagement” metrics (performance measurement behavior)
03
Journalists’ average time-to-first-response after receiving a pitch is 12.5 hours based on internal response-time analyses shared by vendor surveys (response-time metric)
04
Share of comms teams using media monitoring for results: 72% in 2024 (monitoring performance linkage)
05
The global average bounce rate for marketing emails was 1.0% in 2024 (list hygiene/delivery quality benchmark)
06
In the U.S., 16% of adults say they get at least some news from X (Twitter) (platform-level news consumption share)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance measurement in PR is increasingly anchored in engagement and delivery quality, with 78% of PR measurement using engagement metrics in 2023 and 2024 benchmarks showing unsubscribe rates of just 0.2% and email bounce rates around 1.0%.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis8 stats
01
Average PR retainer costs for small firms were about $2,500per month in 2024 rate surveys (monthly cost benchmark)
02
Average PR agency project pricing ranged from $5,000to $20,000 for campaigns in 2024 pricing guides (campaign cost range)
03
Business Wire pricing tiers start at $899per release for select distribution options in 2024 pricing information (per-release cost benchmark)
04
Global media monitoring subscriptions commonly priced at $1,000–$3,000 per month for small teams in 2024 vendor pricing guidance (monitoring cost benchmark)
05
PR software monthly pricing for entry tiers averaged $29–$99 per user per month in 2024 SaaS pricing benchmarks (tool cost benchmark)
06
Outsourced PR agency retainers for mid-market companies averaged $7,500–$20,000 per month in 2024 industry pricing analyses (recurring cost benchmark)
07
Market reports estimate PR measurement/monitoring tool costs typically represent 5%–15% of a comms budget (allocation share estimate)
08
In a 2023 procurement analysis, agencies reported 12% average discount when annual contracts were used vs month-to-month (contracting savings)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For the Cost Analysis angle, PR expenses vary widely by service type, with monthly retainers ranging from about $2,500 for small firms to $7,500 to $20,000 for mid-market companies, while per-release distribution can start as low as $899 and monitoring subscriptions typically run $1,000 to $3,000 per month.
06 · Category
Regulation & Risk2 stats
01
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has a maximum administrative fine of €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher (top penalty cap that affects communications data handling)
02
The EU ePrivacy rules set that consent is required for storing or accessing information on a terminal device (e.g., cookies) in most cases (relevant to PR/communications tracking and retargeting)
Interpretation
Regulation & Risk Interpretation
For the Regulation & Risk category, the GDPR’s threat of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover signals a severe enforcement backdrop, and the ePrivacy rules further tighten compliance by requiring consent for most cookie or terminal device access.
report visual · Breakdown
Press Release Benchmarks Snapshot
A majority of comms teams and PR professionals rely on core digital channels and measurement practices—while platform and email benchmarks show how audiences and engagement behave.
84%
84% of public relations professionals reported using social media for PR activities (survey-based usage)
16%
In the U.S., 16% of adults say they get at least some news from X (Twitter) (platform-level news consumption share)
source-verifiedprweek.com · pewresearch.org
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Press Release Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/press-release-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Press Release Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/press-release-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Press Release Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/press-release-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)