The "PR gut feeling" has always been one of the industry's most valuable assets: That internal compass that tells a practitioner which story will fly, which headline will hook, and which journalist is looking for a specific angle. But in a media landscape that is moving faster and becoming more fragmented by the hour, relying solely on instinct is no longer sufficient.
And while most PR teams recognize the need to be more data-driven, a recent Cision survey of over 500 PR practitioners showed a significant disconnect between that desire and reality. While most PR teams rely on data in some form today, a closer look at the findings proves that it is often being underutilized, indicating a major missed opportunity for PR teams.
How PR teams use data today
As part of our survey for Cision’s Inside PR 2026 Report, we asked comms practitioners across all levels, “How does your team currently use data?” The most common use case was around impact: 56% say they use data to measure campaign performance and ROI.
While it’s encouraging to see that most teams are prioritizing measurement, that means a full 43% are not taking advantage of data to prove ROI. Even fewer are taking advantage of its ability to inform PR strategy: Only 35% use data to gather their audience insights, and 31% use it to inform content.
In an industry that purports to be “more reliant on data than ever” (according to the Cision/PRWeek Comms Report), these recent findings show there is still a long way to go in terms of adoption and leverage.
Only a quarter of respondents say they use data for what should be core competencies: Spotting media trends; identifying relevant journalists for outreach; and measuring share of voice compared to competitors. Only 21% are relying on data to support reputation monitoring, one of PR’s most critical roles, and the same modest number say they use data to justify budgets and secure executive buy-in.
Perhaps most alarming: Just15% of PR professionals say they don’t use data in a meaningful way at all.
Why these numbers matter
These numbers indicate that while PR teams value data, too often they are using it reactively, not strategically. Many teams rely on data only once a campaign is over and results need to be reported. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it treats data as a box to be checked, rather than a strategic resource to proactively help shape decisions, guide strategy, and influence leadership.
In other words, relying on data to prove what already happened as opposed to relying on it to determine what should happen next. With this reactive approach comes risk: PR teams can miss early warning signs of emerging issues, shifts in audience sentiment, or competitors gaining share of voice. Over time, this lack of visibility leads to four major gaps:
1. Missed strategic insight
If only a quarter of teams are using data to identify media trends or journalists, they’re potentially relying on instinct, outdated lists, manual tactics, or anecdotal feedback to guide outreach. Data from media monitoring and social listening can reveal what topics are gaining momentum, which reporters are actually covering them, and where high-visibility media opportunities exist.
2. Limited competitive context
Share of voice and competitive benchmarking are critical for understanding performance in context. Without that lens, “success” is often defined internally rather than relative to the market. Data helps PR teams answer tougher but more valuable questions: Are we breaking through? Are we gaining ground? Are competitors outpacing us?
3. A weakened seat at the table
Perhaps the most concerning stat is that only 21% of PR pros use data to justify budget or gain executive buy-in. In an environment of tightening budgets and increasing scrutiny, this is a missed chance to connect PR efforts directly to business outcomes. Data isn’t just a measurement tool – it's a credibility proof point.
4. Reduced crisis readiness
When teams don’t use data to monitor reputation in real time, they’re more likely to miss early warning signs of issues that are starting to gain traction. Without a clear view of sentiment shifts, key narratives, and emerging critics, PR is forced into slower crisis response, reacting after a story has already broken rather than shaping it before it explodes.
What’s holding teams back?
The issue isn’t a lack of available data. PR teams are surrounded by it thanks to media monitoring, social listening, web analytics, surveys, CRM systems, and more. The challenge is often knowing:
- Which data actually matters
- How to connect it to business goals
- How to convert insight into action and impact
Another major obstacle: PR and comms teams are stretched as thin as ever. Comms Report data shows the pressure to “do more with less” has never been more pronounced. When resources are limited, investing the time and effort to dig deeper into the data can feel like a luxury PR teams don’t have; thus, tracking and analysis often gets de-prioritized or forgotten altogether.
Bridging the Gap: 7 Steps to More Data-Driven PR
Recognizing the data gap is the first important step toward becoming more proactive and data-driven. Closing it requires building habits, investing in tools, upskilling, and establishing workflows that make data part of everyday decision making, not just another box to check. Here are some practical ways PR teams can start turning data into impact:
1. Build a data routine, not just a report
Don’t wait until month-end metrics. Schedule ongoing “data standups” to review coverage patterns, sentiment shifts, or topic trends weekly. Make data analysis part of campaign planning and story pitching conversations, not just the reporting phase.
2. Turn media monitoring into market intelligence
Use media analysis tools to go beyond “who covered us” and instead ask “what themes are emerging?” or “where are competitors being mentioned most?” Trend dashboards and keyword alerts can reveal whitespace opportunities for timely, differentiated storytelling.
3. Map data to business objectives
Frame PR metrics in business terms and establish clear benchmarks for success early in the planning process. Instead of counts (impressions, mentions), correlate data with KPIs that resonate with leadership, such as share of positive voice alongside customer perception, or lead pipeline growth after major launches. Setting benchmarks up front gives teams a shared definition of what “good” looks like and makes it easier to optimize campaigns in real time instead of waiting for a post-mortem.
4. Integrate disparate data sources
Bring together insights from earned, owned, and paid channels to form a cohesive narrative. A simple integration between media monitoring and website analytics, for example, can reveal which stories actually drive site traffic or conversions.
5. Use predictive insight for pitching
Apply historical data to anticipate what’s next: Which journalists pick up certain themes, which month’s topics trend, or which formats (op-eds, thought leadership, data reports) win the most engagement. That turns media pitching from reactive to predictive.
6. Make data a team language
Empower your entire comms team – not just the analysts – with access to metrics, and train them to build, read, and interpret dashboards and create reports. Wherever possible, bring marketing, social, digital, and PR stakeholders into the same conversations and dashboards so data becomes a shared source of truth, not a siloed function. Shared literacy helps everyone connect results to goals and improves strategic recommendations for clients, executives, and other key stakeholders.
7. Start small, then scale
Pick one campaign or client initiative and apply deeper data-driven methods from beginning to end – from opportunity identification to post-campaign insight. Use quick wins to secure wider buy-in for more robust measurement tools and technology.
Final thoughts: Turning data into a competitive advantage
For analytics- and insights-starved PR teams, the solution isn’t around collecting more data – it’s about using existing data more intentionally. That means:
- Understanding the data that matters most for your team and those who depend on you
- Shifting from reporting to insight: Focusing on why results happened, not just what happened
- Using data earlier in the planning process, not just after campaigns wrap
- Connecting PR metrics to outcomes executives care about, like reputation, differentiation, and efficiency
- Treating data as a strategic input, not a final deliverable
At a time when PR is expected to be more strategic, more accountable, and more aligned with business goals, underusing data isn’t just a missed opportunity – it’s a risk. That risk includes missing early signals of reputational threats, overlooking patterns that could inform smarter strategy, and ceding ground to competitors who are using data to move faster and be more precise.
The teams that move beyond basic measurement and embrace data as a strategic asset will be the ones best positioned to lead, influence, and prove impact in the years ahead.
Find out how CisionOne’s media intelligence tool is helping leading PR teams craft data-informed strategies that prove and improve impact. Speak with an expert.
