The State of Arts PR survey 2025

30.01.25

For the third year, we have run our annual survey aimed at taking the temperature of arts PR across the UK.

The survey reveals that

· Two thirds cited that decline in space and an oversaturated market were their biggest worries for 2025

· 25% listed influencer relations in their top five responsibilities, a rise from 3% in last year’s survey

· Coverage in 2024 was easier to achieve than predicted at the start of the year

· Regional broadcast cited as the easiest to achieve in comparison with the previous year, whilst national broadcast was the most difficult

Answered by those in PR or with PR responsibilities, the vast majority (68%) cited a decline in coverage space and an oversaturated market as their biggest concern for 2025, citing outlets closing or merging, journalist redundancies, and increased competition for space. The past year has seen the Evening Standard transitioning from daily to weekly, the sale of the Observer, and around 4,000 journalism jobs cut in the UK and US. Possibly because of the decline in and threats to publications, a much larger percentage of participants gave ‘influencer relationships’ as one of their top five responsibilities than in previous years, 25% this year compared to 3% last year.

In other marked differences from the 2024 survey, this year has seen a bigger spread in how manageable respondents feel their workload is. 2024 saw a more neutral response with nearly half the participants saying their workload was manageable, whereas this year’s saw a decline in those saying manageable and an increase in all other answers (very manageable, somewhat manageable, unmanageable and highly unmanageable). A greater number of in-house venue staff reported that their workload was unmanageable or highly unmanageable in comparison with agency and freelancers, 45% compared with 20%. However, the survey showed that recruitment has become easier, with 31% finding it easy compared to 9% last year.

Once again, participants were asked how easy or difficult types of coverage – news, feature, review and broadcast – were to achieve compared to the previous year. Results across the categories, split between national and regional, showed similar patterns to last year’s survey with the easiest coverage to achieve being regional broadcast, which 26% of participants said was easier, up from 16% last year, and regional news was shown to have the fewest participants finding it more difficult at 28%. On the other hand, national broadcast was cited as the most difficult with 67% saying it was difficult or very difficult, and across all categories national press was shown to have a greater percentage of participants agreeing it was growing more difficult than in the regional press categories.

Head of Press Emma Berge said, “Amid the shifting landscape of arts PR, our latest survey reveals a sector still grappling with diminishing media space and mounting competition yet adapting in creative ways. While challenges persist, from the decline in national coverage to the workload pressures that are in particular affecting in-house staff members, we’ll continue to find new ways to reach new audiences and champion the work of our amazing industry.”

Influencer campaign lead Lorn Elvin said, “It is encouraging to see other PRs in the arts sector embracing the value of influencer and online content led campaigns. In an age where personal recommendations carry immense weight, content creators in the theatre and arts niches are such a valuable asset to campaigns and have transformed how we can connect to audiences. As influencers have built a loyal, engaged following sharing content which is accessible and tailored to their audiences, they fill a void we’ve seen left by the growing cutbacks across more traditional media. The trust and engagement influencers have with their audience mean that PRs can create effective campaigns which merit not just reach but resonance.”

Last year’s survey results can be found here

If you've any thoughts or feedback on the above please do get in touch, we'd love to start a conversation.  

What we do
Contact us to discuss your next project