AI PR tools flooding journalists with mass pitches, startup media coverage tanks
SaaS investor Jason Lemkin is blocking PR domains daily. The reason: AI-generated media pitches have become unusable noise.
"I used to respond to mediocre pitches from humans," Lemkin posted. "Not to say yes, but to give feedback. That feedback loop was valuable for everyone. I don't do that anymore."
The numbers back the shift. Muck Rack reports PR professionals using generative AI in their workflow jumped from 23% to 64% in a year. Tools like ChatGPT, Sprinklr, and Meltwater are now embedded in PR workflows for drafting releases, monitoring media, and personalizing outreach.
The problem: automation at scale breaks the relationship model that earned coverage. Lemkin notes AI pitches are "decent, well-written, never compelling, but never terrible." That mediocrity is the issue. Generic outreach feels mass-produced because it is. Journalists can tell, and they are tuning out.
Tech journalist Gergely Orosz reports the same pattern: "Read then block the whole domain." Some PR firms now rotate throwaway domains to get around blocks.
Why this matters for sales teams: If your company is using AI PR tools for outbound media outreach, the playbook that worked for sales prospecting does not translate. Mass AI personalization tanks response rates when the recipient knows it is automated. PR organizations including PRSA and Cision emphasize that AI should speed up research and drafting, but human judgment and relationship building still drive coverage.
The parallel to sales is direct. LinkedIn AI outreach and automated prospecting tools promise scale, but buyers can spot templated automation. The companies winning coverage and closing deals are the ones using AI for research and prep, then having humans close the loop.
Lemkin's advice for startups: "There's no point giving feedback to an AI. It's not going to internalize it." If your PR or sales outreach cannot learn from feedback, you are burning relationships at scale.