Tom McParland 
There once was a time, in the not-too-distant past, when the biggest differentiator for public relations professionals was the size of their Rolodex, the now-archaic card-filing device used for tracking the information of our trusted journalist contacts. A symbol of hard-won connections and hustle, this rotating desktop contraption stood for decades as a testament to the personal relationships at the heart of our industry.
Years later, the trusty Rolodex has given way to high-tech databases, sophisticated media-monitoring platforms, and a revolutionary new tool that promises to scale media outreach in ways our forebearers never could have imagined.
But what’s old is new, and despite the rapid advances in generative AI, PR is still fundamentally a business built on relationships. So, while the Rolodex has disappeared, the basic human connection it represented remains. In fact, I’d argue it’s more important now than ever before.
The Crisis of the Overflowing Inbox
Most journalists will tell you their No. 1 frustration on the job is the sheer volume of irrelevant, generic pitches they receive on a daily basis. According to Cision, 57% of journalists report receiving between 51 and 150 unsolicited emails and social media messages each week. Up to 30 pitches per day! Most journalists say less than a quarter of that outreach is even worth considering for story ideas on their beat.
As a former journalist myself, I can personally attest to inbox crisis plaguing reporters. I received dozens of pitches each day, ranging from the irrelevant to the absurd, none particularly relevant to the life of a legal journalist covering the New York federal courts. Some offered newly published books for my review, others positioned health industry professionals to comment on the latest medical trends, more still misspelled or completely flubbed my name. It was an easy way for PR agencies to ensure I never even glanced at another one of their pitches.
Now imagine that same inbox in the year 2026. The same tools that promise PR professionals more efficiency and personalization are flooding journalists’ inboxes with artificially generated pitches that look tailored but in reality hit nowhere near the mark. The volume of junk only rises, along with Monday morning blood pressure of most reporters.
Bridging the Gap
Of course, the irony is that reporters do rely on effective pitches from trusted PR professionals to succeed in their jobs. According to Muck Rack, a majority of journalists say PR relationships are important to their success. In fact, the same report found that 86% of journalists say at least some of their stories start with a PR pitch, even while nearly half of those same reporters say relevant pitches are rare.
So how do PR professionals cut through the din when AI has made the noise even louder? The same way we always have: by building relationships grounded in credibility, trust, and personal connection.
When I wrote for the New York Law Journal, there were a handful of PR contacts whose names always stood out in my inbox. There were some I had been working with for years, since my time covering the Delaware courts. Others introduced themselves to me shortly after I started in New York, arranging coffee meetings or inviting me out to meet with law firm leaders in their Midtown offices.
There was one longtime PR pro, a former reporter himself, who had a reputation throughout my company for pitching excellent stories that almost always resulted in coverage, simply because he knew our jobs inside and out and always made time to pick up the phone.
What they all had in common wasn’t a clever subject line or perfectly timed email. It’s that they took the time to invest in building a relationship based on mutual trust. They understood my job and trusted me to diligently report out a fair and nuanced story. And when I saw their name in my inbox, I knew they were bringing me something of value.
Cutting Through
I try to keep that experience in mind whenever I sit down to draft a pitch or run an idea by an editor. The journalists I work with now are dealing with the same overflowing inbox I once did—only worse. My job isn’t to add to the noise. It’s to be the name they recognize and trust, the valued resource they’ll always respond to. That’s what the Rolodex really stood for, and in the age of AI, it’s the only thing that still cuts through.
Posted In Media Relations