Press release trends in APAC: The evolving marketing communications landscape

The Asia Pacific (APAC) region stands out as the most dynamic, rapidly evolving, and strategically experimental market when compared to other regions across the globe in terms of press release creation, distribution, and measurement. This is as per the 2025 Global State of the Press Release Report from PR Newswire.

From the rise of AI-driven content workflows to a noticeable shift in planned press release volume, marketing communicators in the APAC are moving differently—and often faster—than their global peers.

Here are some of the key trends, priorities, and challenges in APAC that companies and brands operating in the region should take note of for more effective marketing communications.

1. Corporate growth news up, product announcements down

Press releases often mirror economic reality, and the APAC region’s press release activity apparently reveals a year of transformation. The report points to a notable surge in business-related news releases, including:

Corporate expansion
Personnel announcements
Video news releases (unique to APAC)

Interestingly, new product or service releases dropped significantly in APAC, even though these remain the most common global PR topic. This is one of the clearest signs that APAC brands are shifting away from traditional PR angles and embracing more modern, strategic story formats.

Instead, APAC prioritised “original content” as news. In fact, 56% of APAC communicators plan to focus on original content—thought leadership, survey findings, tips, and educational resources—over product news in the coming year.

The diversity of content being planned in the APAC points to a:

A maturing content ecosystem
Strong appetite for educational and authority-building PR
Regional demand for expertise-driven narratives
The influence of generative AI, which rewards rich, contextual content

This trend is a clear call to diversify PR angles beyond product updates for brands targeting APAC audiences—or global brands trying to expand into the region— Of course, we believe that product announcements will and should continue to play an important part in the content mix.

2. APAC communications teams quick to adopt AI for press release content creation and SEO/GEO

Across nearly every AI metric in the report, APAC leads the world in adoption. APAC is fastest to adapt press releases for AI-first search

APAC marketing communicators reported:

The highest adoption of generative AI tools for press release creation (65% overall use)
The lowest percentage of professionals resistant to AI (just 8% intend not to use it)
The highest use of generative AI to increase SEO keyword density and long-formoptimization

In fact, a remarkable 58% use AI to craft body copy, compared to 37–40% globally, clearly pointing to a region that is efficiency-driven, tech-forward, comfortable using AI to scale content production and ahead of the curve in answer-engine optimization (AEO/GEO).

Another key point to note is that AI search is already reshaping PR strategy in the APAC and there is a noticeable shift from just SEO to AEO/GEO:

Only 18% of APAC respondents said they are “still evaluating” AI search impact
APAC has the highest percentage tracking new AI-driven metrics
APAC has the lowest percentage saying they made no strategic changes

As a result, companies and brands operating in APAC must accelerate their AI readiness. Press releases that are written, formatted, and structured for LLM consumption will outperform traditional formats in the region.

3. APAC plans to reduce press release volume

One of the most surprising findings in this press release study was that only 60% of APAC marketing communicators expect to maintain or increase their press release volume, compared to their peers in North America and EMEIA.

This suggests several possibilities:

● Quality over quantity

APAC brands may be shifting toward fewer—but more strategically crafted—press releases.

● Rise of alternative channels

With APAC’s high adoption of video, social content, and AI tools, some brands may distribute news through multimedia-first formats.

● Resource reallocation to integrated campaigns

A strong emphasis on repurposing press release content for video, social, influencer updates, and other formats indicates more holistic communications strategies.

This shift underscores a regional evolution: press releases in APAC must be more purposeful, more strategic, and more multi-channel than ever.

Our view is that rather than targeting a fixed number of press releases, companies must take advantage of every potential news opportunity that presents itself. For small to medium sized businesses, this might mean three to four press releases in a year, while for large companies this could be as much as one to two press releases a month!

4. APAC’s press release distribution strategy: continental, not national/global

Unlike North America and EMEIA—where news releases are often distributed nationally or globally—APAC prioritizes intra-continental targeting.

APAC’s distribution pattern:

47% target continent-wide distribution (highest globally)
Only 16% pursue fully global distribution (lowest globally)

This reflects:

Diverse markets across APAC
Heavy localisation needs across languages and cultures
Business activities often targeted at regional blocs (e.g., Southeast Asia, Greater China, ANZ)

Implications for brands

To succeed in APAC, global companies must adapt to:

Local-market media requirements
Regional-newsroom preferences
Multi-language press release workflows

Emerging markets—Southeast Asia and China in particular—are fragmenting traditional distribution patterns, requiring more nuanced planning.

5. APAC’s content repurposing behaviour: Convert press releases into video content

According to the report, more than half of marketing communications professionals in APAC claim to repurpose press releases into video content, which is significantly higher than in other parts of the world.

This aligns with broader content consumption behavior in APAC:

High mobile penetration
Short-form video dominance (TikTok, Douyin, Reels)
Younger demographic media consumption trends
Rapid proliferation of AI video tools

APAC also uses paid placements more frequently

Paid placements—traditionally viewed as a marketing tactic—are more common here, suggesting that the region embraces hybrid PR-marketing approaches faster than others.

For brands, this means:

Press releases should be designed with repurposing in mind
Video-friendly story formats perform better
Multimedia assets (images, logos, infographics) are essential

6. APAC’s PR Challenges: Cutting Through Noise and Feeding LLMs

When asked about their biggest challenges with press releases, communicators globally identified:

Difficulty reaching the right audience
Low media pickup
Standing out amid crowded news cycles

But APAC’s rising concern is unique and future-focused:

Getting press releases to feed LLMs and appear in AI-generated summaries

Because APAC brands are early adopters of AI, they are also the first to actively compete for visibility inside AI search ecosystems, not just traditional media.

This underscores the region’s maturity in:

Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Structured data for press releases
Scannable, LLM-friendly content formatting

7. What Makes APAC PR teams different: A regional identity emerges

APAC is not simply following global PR trends—it is creating its own playbook.

Key traits defining APAC communicators:

Trait	Evidence from report
AI-first mindset	Highest adoption of generative AI for body copy, SEO, translation, ideation
Original-content leadership	56% prioritising thought leadership over product news
Multimedia obsession	Highest use of video repurposing
Regional targeting	Lowest global distribution; highest continent-focused distribution
Efficiency-driven	More releases annually but planning fewer next year
Cross-channel fluidity	Strong use of paid placements, social, and integrated promotion

8. Strategic Recommendations for Brands Targeting APAC in 2025

Based on regional findings from the report, brands targeting APAC should adopt the following:

A. Prioritize thought leadership over product announcements

APAC audiences respond strongly to:

Expert insights
Data-backed narratives
Educational resources

Press releases should demonstrate authority—not just announce activity.

B. Format for AI first

APAC demands AI-ready press releases:

Clear headline-subheadline structure
Short paragraphs and scannable key takeaways
Rich contextual keyword density (for GEO/AEO)
Strong multimedia signals (logos, images, videos)

C. Integrate video early

With over 50% repurposing releases into video, brands should:

Produce a short video summary alongside each release
Optimise visual assets for multimodal AI
Prioritise mobile-friendly formats

D. Localise for regional variation

APAC isn’t one market—it’s dozens.

Implement:

Multi-language releases
Country-specific distribution lists
Regionally tailored messaging

E. Use press releases as the content foundation

APAC brands excel at amplifying releases across:

Implement:

Social media
Paid placements
Owned channels
Video
Journalist databases

A single release can feed multiple touchpoints.

In a world where generative AI engines will play a big part in visibility, the press release isn’t dying—it’s evolving. And nowhere is that evolution more evident than in APAC.

Brands that embrace APAC’s innovative, hybrid, AI-optimized PR strategies will not only thrive regionally—they’ll be better prepared for the future of global communications.

This article is based on a white paper published by PR Newswire on the State of the Press Release. Download the report here.

At On Target Media, we believe that press release writing and distribution continue to be a key part of an effective digital PR strategy. Let us craft the right creation and distribution strategy for you in Singapore or across the APAC. Contact us now!

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Press release trends in APAC: The evolving marketing communications landscape