AI for Digital PR Media Pitches: Which Platform Reigns Supreme?

AI is here to stay in the world of digital PR, and PR pros are working hard to seamlessly optimize their work with the help of our new robotic overlords. Between ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Bing Chat, and more specialized AI platforms like Muckrack’s AI assistant PressPal, Jasper.ai, and others – there’s no shortage of tools begging to be used by the resourceful PR pro. But which platform is the best AI tool for digital PR outreach and media relations?

At Digital Third Coast, we’re all about making a measurable difference. So which AI chatbot makes the most measurable difference in our outreach efforts? We picked a few different sectors to test out three AI platforms: ChatGPT (free), Bard, and Bing Chat. Who will reign supreme?

We surveyed journalists across beats via a brief survey, showcasing how each AI platform writes digital PR pitches and subject lines. The survey had three subject lines and three pitches for journalists to vote on. One was generated by ChatGPT, one from Bard, and one from Bing. 

The Source Material

We wanted to use something grounded in an actual content campaign, so we chose a recent survey we conducted about phones and privacy.

We pasted the text of this study into the chatbox for each of the AI platforms we were testing. First, we asked for subject lines we could use in an email pitch to journalists.

We then tried writing a PR pitch for the data with AI, entering the same prompts for ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing. Using a prompt for ChatGPT to write a pitch was quick and easy and then we followed suit for Bard and Bing. Here’s what each provided.

AI-Generated Subject Lines:

1. ChatGPT

“60% of Americans Believe Their Phone is Listening to Them” – Digital Third Coast Survey

2. Bard

3 in 5 Americans believe the U.S. government is tracking their phone data

3. Bing

New Survey: 74% of Americans Believe Alexa is Listening All the Time

AI-Generated Pitches:

Next, we tried writing a PR pitch with AI. We used the same text to prompt a complete media pitch to journalists- here are the results.

1. ChatGPT

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to share with you the latest study conducted by Digital Third Coast that sheds light on the privacy concerns of Americans regarding their phones.

Our study surveyed over 800 people across the United States and analyzed more than 900 Google search terms and phrases to determine the top privacy worries in each state. The results are eye-opening and indicate a growing concern among Americans about their phone privacy.

Here are some of the key findings from our study:

• 4 in 5 Americans are concerned that companies can follow their internet activities via ad tracking, with Baby Boomers and Gen Z being the most worried.
• 60% of Americans believe their phone is listening to them, with iPhone users being slightly more paranoid than Android users.
• Nearly 3 in 4 Americans believe smart home devices like Alexa are listening all the time.
• 60% of Americans believe the U.S. government is tracking their phone data, with younger generations being more paranoid than older ones.
• 13% of Americans have considered buying a non-smartphone to limit their internet and data presence.

The study also highlights the top privacy concerns by state, such as Alexa listening, geolocation/location tracking, phones listening, targeted ads, app hacking, app tracking, going off the grid, buying a flip phone, Google spying on us, and spy apps.

I have attached a few visual aids to help illustrate the findings. Please let me know if you are interested in covering this study, and I would be happy to provide additional information or arrange an interview with one of our experts.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

2. Bard

I’m writing to you today to share some interesting data that we’ve recently collected on American’s phone privacy concerns.

As you know, our phones are now an extension of ourselves. We use them for everything from staying connected with friends and family to banking and shopping. But as our reliance on our phones has grown, so too has our concern about our privacy.

In our recent survey of 803 Americans, we found that:

• 4 in 5 Americans are concerned that companies can follow their internet activities via ad tracking.
• 60% believe their phone is listening to them.
• Nearly 3 in 4 Americans believe smart home devices like Alexa are listening all the time.
• 3 in 5 believe the U.S. government is tracking their phone data.
• 13% of Americans have considered buying a non-smartphone to limit their internet and data presence.

These findings suggest that Americans are increasingly concerned about their phone privacy. And this is a trend that is only likely to continue as our phones become even more integrated into our lives.

As a journalist, I’m sure you’re interested in covering this important topic. I would be happy to provide you with more information about our survey, as well as insights from our experts on the implications of these findings.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your time.

3. Bing

I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing to you from Digital Third Coast, a digital marketing agency that specializes in data-driven campaigns.

We recently conducted a survey of over 800 Americans to find out their top concerns regarding internet privacy, and we think you’ll be interested in the results.

Did you know that 4 in 5 Americans are worried about ad tracking, 60% believe their phone is listening to them, and 74% think smart home devices like Alexa are eavesdropping? These are just some of the findings from our survey, which also analyzed more than 900 Google search terms and phrases on this topic to find the top privacy worries in each state.

We’ve created an infographic that summarizes the key insights from our survey, which you can find attached to this email. We think this would make a great story for your audience, as it reveals how Americans feel about their online security and privacy in 2023.

If you’re interested in covering this story, please let me know and I’ll be happy to send you the full survey report and methodology. We can also provide you with quotes from our experts and additional data if needed.

Please reply to this email if you’d like to feature our survey on your website or publication. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

You’ll notice that each AI tool largely took the same data points, but some certainly feel more stilted than others. 

What Journalists Have to Say

Bing took 50% of the vote for the subject line, with 10 of the 20 journalists survey voting it as the most compelling. The other 10 were evenly split between the other two journalists. 

As for the pitches, ChatGPT was voted the winner, with 50% of the vote. Bing came in second and Bard was a close third.

Many appreciated the layout and bullets of the first pitch; as one respondent noted, “It tells me what the source of data is right away. I can still find the key information in the third paragraph. And it’s optional to see the infographic. I don’t always have time to see it right away and if it’s in the body of the email, I’ll probably get overwhelmed and move on to the next email.”

Others appreciated that there were visual attachments alluded to, and still, others appreciated its concise quality. 

While many noted that every pitch listed was far too long for them to read, a few appreciated the second pitch- Bard’s- immediate jump to the story concept without the cold pleasantry of “I hope this finds you well.” One even went so far as to call that phrase a “pet peeve” of theirs in a cold-pitch situation.

While it seems that none of the journalists were thrilled about the PR pitches written by AI, at least the platforms can plant a seed we can edit into a tight, newsworthy pitch.

Survey Winners

ChatGPT is evidently the most popular of the three platforms for a reason; even if Bing eked out a win on the subject line front, ChatGPT maintains its hold on the most robust writing capability of the three platforms. Bard, having recently announced internet connectivity, is sure to catch up– not to mention its integration into Google Workspaces as we speak– I can see its icon just waiting to be hit at time of writing.

AI & the Future of Journalism

We also surveyed these journalists on a few questions surrounding AI and what they do for work. When asked whether they can tell if they receive AI-generated pitches, 3 in 5 replied “no,” and a similar percentage haven’t knowingly received an AI-generated pitch (yet). As of now, it seems a mixed bag as to whether journalists writ large are able to detect ChatGPT writing or any other platform.

One thing everyone agreed on, though, was that if a PR pro uses an AI-generated pitch, it’s not going to go well for them: 100% agreed that receiving an AI pitch from a PR pro would make them less likely to trust said PR pro in the future.

As always, editing is key- unless you’re willing to risk being marked as spam! 

Only about 1 in 5 journalists currently use AI in their work, and of those, most use ChatGPT. Bard and Bing were second and third most popular respectively. 

We also asked about what effect AI would have on journalism, and the results were quite interesting: the top concern was a greater need for fact-checking (AI has many well-documented tendencies towards error), as well as more misinformation swirling around the media sphere.

Other concerns included an increase in PR pitch volume, as well as staff cuts and pay cuts. With many media companies folding in the last few years, it’s no surprise journalists are concerned about AI’s potential HR ramifications. 

Streamlining Work: A Consideration

If you’re part of a remote team, chances are decent you probably use Google Workspace for some of your work. The remote-forward ease of Google Docs makes it rightly popular among many companies. How does its integration into Bard stand to affect the above AI power rankings?

ChatGPT’s API has enabled many an enterprising worker to set up ChatGPT’s text generative capabilities to be housed within Google docs and sheets.

Bard is now integrated into Google Workspaces and using Bard for digital PR is only a click away– one need only select “help me write” and the predictive platform would only be so happy to do so.

Bing, meanwhile, is fully integrated as the default search on Microsoft Edge, the Windows-based web browser; the only thing is, Bing is impossible to access otherwise. In a world where most browser users don’t use Edge, how can Bing expect to keep up?

AI is a revolution in the mantra “work smarter, not harder” – or it can be the death knell of thousands of comms jobs across sectors. Using Bard in Google Workspaces, or ChatGPT in a similar situation makes it very easy to integrate AI seamlessly into digital PR in a way that makes Bing a little less useful.

How we integrate it into our work to increase quality or productivity matters- and we must do it sustainably. If we don’t, unrealistic expectations will prevent us from doing our very best work.  

While ChatGPT might be able to edge out the competition for now as the better AI tool for DPR, as each platform continues to develop and evolve, that might change. We’ll keep testing them!

Read more from our blog