EPR Research and 5W Release "The PR Pitch Response Rate Study™ 2026"

Reporters respond to just 3.43% of pitches sent to them, per behavioral data from 400,000 pitches analyzed by Propel. Pitches under 150 words earn a 5.89% response rate. Pitches over 500 words earn 1.46%. Half of journalists now receive 50 or more pitches per week, 10% receive 100 to 150. Only 6% of journalists say they "always" respond.

EPR Research and 5W today released The PR Pitch Response Rate Study™ 2026, an aggregated review of the major behavioral and survey-based datasets on how journalists actually engage with PR pitches — Muck Rack's State of Journalism, Cision's State of the Media, Propel PRM's behavioral analysis, and adjacent industry research.

The Single Most Important Number

Reporters respond to 3.43% of the story pitches they receive. This is behavioral data — not survey opinion — drawn from Propel's analysis of approximately 400,000 pitches sent to roughly 4,000 reporters in Q1 2024. Reporters open about 46% of pitches. They respond to roughly one in 30.

Pitch Length Is the Single Biggest Lever

A short pitch generates four times the response rate of a long pitch. Length is the single largest behavioral variable PR professionals control.

What Journalists Want From a Pitch

Both datasets prioritize source access over story ideas. PR pros offering credible subject matter experts outperform PR pros offering pre-baked stories.

Format and Channel Preferences (2025)

Email is preferred by 96% of journalists (up from 87% in 2024). 62% prefer 1-on-1 email. LinkedIn is the preferred social platform for journalist relationships — 56% identified it as most valuable. X declined sharply to 11% from 16% in 2024.

Best Practices, Quantified

Muck Rack's 2025 State of PR: Pitch one-on-one via email. Pitch on Tuesdays. Keep pitches under 300 words. Pitch before noon. Send first follow-up three to six days later. Conduct one or two follow-ups, no more.

Follow-up tolerance has tightened. Per Cision's 2025 survey, 62% of journalists say only one follow-up is appropriate. Among U.S.-based reporters: 69% say one follow-up is okay, 24% say never follow up.

The Reporter Behind the Inbox

36% of journalists faced layoffs or downsizing at their organization in the past year. 64% work more than 40 hours per week. 46% earn less than $70,000 per year. 22% produce 11 or more stories per week. Only 20% say they consistently have enough time to do their job to standard.

What This Means for PR Spend

If the average pitch generates a 3.43% response rate, a 100-pitch campaign produces approximately three responses. PR firms quoting client deliverables based on pitch volume alone are selling a metric that no longer correlates with outcome. Response-rate-based pricing — and outcome-based pricing — will replace it.