When it comes to reaching out to the press, email remains far and away the preferred means of making contact, according to a recent survey of reporters.
The findings are the work of Matthew Chudoba, an account director at New York-based agency ICR, who surveyed 93 reporters around the country regarding the preferred methods and platforms by which public relations professionals should contact them.
The survey discovered that literally all of the reporters polled—100 percent—said email is the best way for getting in touch.
Coming in at a distant second was social media, at 18 percent. Only about 11 percent said they want PR pros to contact them via telephone, once the industry standard.
 Reporters’ preferred method of contact. |
Least favorite are reporter platforms such as Qwoted, HARO or ProfNetm, which were a preference among only four percent of the reporters polled. An additional four percent said they want to be contacted via text.
“With all of the new forms of communication that exist today, I was curious if social media overtook email and phone as the best way to contact a reporter,” Chudoba told O’Dwyer’s. “What I found, however, was email is still the preferred method of journalist by a wide margin.”
Reporting on his findings in a LinkedIn post, Chudoba noted that reporters’ preference for email derives from the unique level of control the medium provides. Reporters can vet whatever opportunities come their way and choose to engage if they feel a response is warranted, Chudoba wrote, whereas an unplanned phone call may catch them off-guard or disrupt their train of thought.
Chudoba also said social media is gaining steam as a means of outreach, but warned that PR pros should proceed with caution, as reporters are more likely to use their social media accounts for personal use, making it paramount for PR pros to understand how a reporter is utilizing his/her social pages before reaching out.
Finally, Chudoba noted that reporters said they’re okay with being called by PR pros with whom they have a prior relationship or when those calls are scheduled in advance.
Chudoba surveyed 93 national and local reporters via email in late February.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
Trump Media & Technology Group is discussing a spin-off of the Truth Social platform following the expected closing of its $6B merger deal with TAE Technologies... Condé Nast sells off Them, the digital LGBTQ-focused platform it launched in 2017, to Equalpride, publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Pride.com... CBS News has parted ways with longevity influencer Peter Attia, one of the 19 contributors that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss brought on as part of her plan to present a wider variety of voices on the platform. 
