It had already been a nine-hour day in the newsroom.
I’d wrapped up two lead municipal stories – with comment from the City Manager and independent voices to strengthen the stories. My inbox still held five flagged emails that I’d get to when I get to, and another four PR pitches I knew I wasn’t going to open.
I was shutting down my computer when my phone buzzed.
Mel calling.
I smiled before I even answered.
Mel had been in the PR game for years. She knew I couldn’t run anything the other media already had from the initial press release, but I had mentioned a few weeks earlier that I was looking for something different on urban regeneration and local economic development.
If she was calling this late in the day, she probably had something worth talking about – could it be that page lead for tomorrow?
“Hi,” I answered.
“I think I’ve got something you’ll like,” she said. “It’s not the angle in the press release. Hear me out…”
Five minutes later, I wasn’t thinking about a press release at all.
I was picturing a proper story.
She knew the publication I wrote for. She understood the kinds of stories our readers cared about. She knew what questions I’d ask before I’d even asked them, and she’d already lined up the right people for interviews. By the time we ended the call, I had the makings of a strong story that I was eager to get stuck into.
What made it a good story?
It wasn’t a polished pitch; it needed fleshing out, a bit more digging; and it wasn’t about keywords.
It was good because Mel knew what I needed as a journalist, and I trusted that when she picked up the phone, she wasn’t wasting my time.
Now, years later, sitting on the other end of the desk – being Mel – when people ask do human relationships still matter in PR? – it’s an emphatic YES!
That’s something artificial intelligence still can’t replicate.
As AI becomes a bigger part of the communications industry, it’s helping PR professionals write faster, analyse smarter and work more efficiently than ever before.
But when it comes to securing meaningful earned media, the technology hasn’t replaced the one thing that’s always mattered most: genuine human relationships.
AI has changed the tools of public relations – but not the fundamentals
Artificial intelligence has transformed the way public relations professionals work. From drafting press releases and brainstorming campaign ideas to analysing media coverage and predicting trends, AI has become an incredibly valuable tool.
Tasks that once took hours can now be completed in minutes.
PR teams can generate first drafts, summarise reports, create social media content and identify potential media opportunities faster than ever before.
But while AI has dramatically improved efficiency, it hasn’t changed what successful public relations has always been built on: trust, credibility and genuine human connection.
At its heart, PR is still a people business.
Journalists don’t just publish stories – they trust people
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI in PR is that better content automatically leads to better media coverage.
It doesn’t.
Journalists receive hundreds of pitches every week. Many of them are well-written.
Many of them sound almost identical because they’re generated using the same AI tools.
What makes one pitch stand out often has very little to do with perfect wording.
Instead, it comes down to questions like:
- Does this PR professional understand what I cover?
- Have they respected my deadlines before?
- Do they only contact me when they genuinely have a story?
- Can I trust that the information they’ve provided is accurate?
- If I need something urgently, will they answer their phone?
These questions aren’t answered by AI.
They’re answered through experience and relationships built over months or even years.
The best PR professionals know their journalists
Successful media relations go far beyond maintaining a spreadsheet of journalist contacts.
Experienced PR professionals understand the people behind the bylines.
They know which journalists prefer a quick phone call rather than a lengthy email. They know who appreciates receiving an embargoed story early, who likes exclusive interviews, and who is interested in data-driven stories instead of corporate announcements.
They know which reporters respond best in the morning and which only check emails after filing their daily stories.
More importantly, they understand what genuinely interests each publication’s audience.
This knowledge cannot be scraped from the internet or generated by an AI prompt.
It comes from conversations.
It comes from listening.
It comes from consistently delivering relevant, valuable stories rather than simply sending another mass email.
Trust is earned one interaction at a time
Media relationships aren’t built only when there’s a press release to send.
Sometimes they’re built by helping a journalist find an expert source when it doesn’t directly benefit your client.
Sometimes they’re built by being honest enough to say, “I don’t have that information yet, but I’ll find out.”
Sometimes they’re built by admitting a company made a mistake instead of trying to hide it.
Over time, these interactions create credibility.
When a trusted PR professional calls, journalists answer because they know their time won’t be wasted.
That reputation cannot be automated.
AI can write a press release – it can’t read the room.
Artificial intelligence can produce polished content in seconds.
What it can’t do is recognise when a journalist sounds exhausted after covering a major breaking news event.
It can’t detect hesitation in someone’s voice during a phone conversation.
It can’t sense when now simply isn’t the right time to pitch a story.
Human communication is filled with nuance.
The best PR professionals adapt in real time. They know when to change direction, when to hold back, when to offer additional context and when to simply listen.
Those moments often determine whether a story gets published.
Authenticity matters more than ever
Ironically, as AI-generated content becomes more common, authentic human communication becomes even more valuable.
Journalists are becoming increasingly skilled at recognising generic, formulaic pitches.
They’re looking for originality, relevance and genuine insight.
That doesn’t mean AI has no place in public relations.
Quite the opposite.
AI is an excellent assistant. It can help PR teams research industries, identify trends, improve writing, analyse sentiment and remove repetitive administrative work.
By taking care of routine tasks, AI gives communications professionals more time to focus on what creates the greatest value: building relationships, understanding audiences and developing compelling stories.
The future of PR is human-led, AI-enabled
The most successful public relations professionals won’t be those who resist AI.
They’ll be the ones who use it wisely.
AI should handle the repetitive work so people can focus on strategic thinking, creativity and relationship-building.
Because no algorithm can replace the trust developed over years of honest conversations.
No chatbot can replicate the intuition that tells you when a journalist is searching for a different angle.
No automated system can build the credibility that comes from consistently delivering accurate information and respecting a reporter’s time.
Technology will continue to reshape the PR industry.
But earned media has never simply been about distributing information.
It’s about understanding people.
Today, when almost anyone can generate content with a few prompts, it is genuine relationships that have become the greatest competitive advantage of all.