Around the Wire: 5 Big News Trends from March and April

by Rocky Parker · Published · Updated

PR Newswire distributed close to 40,000 press releases in the U.S. and Canada in March and April – and it’s tough to keep up, even for those already registered for PR Newswire for Journalists. So, our team monitored the headlines for some of the major industries and made note of any trends they spotted.

The explosion of AI continued and iterations of the tech showed up in several industries – from general tech to education, healthcare, travel, and finance.

March and April were also a time of celebration as we recognized Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (both in March), and Earth Day/Month and Financial Literacy Month in April. Companies used this time to share new products, campaigns, and initiatives related to these events.

Below, we dig into some of the major news trends over the past couple of months.

1. AI

Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, press releases related to ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence products have been a regular presence on the wire.

In March and April, PR Newswire distributed 1,768 releases mentioning “artificial intelligence” and/or “ChatGPT” – a 22% increase compared to the same period in 2022.

Here are a few releases you might have missed:

Read all the latest artificial intelligence press releases.

2. Women’s History Month/International Women’s Day

Women-related content dominated the wire in March as we celebrated Women’s History Month all month long and recognized International Women’s Day on March 8. During March, PR Newswire distributed nearly 275 press releases related to these events.

Miller Lite Bad $#!T Into Good $#!T campaign

Source: PRNewsfoto/Miller Lite

Companies across industries shared news of special product promotions, recognitions and awards, opportunities for professional development, survey results, and more.

Here are a few examples:

  • eBay celebrated streetwear legend Joy Claire with an exclusive sneaker drop with items straight from Claire’s closet.
  • Miller Lite announced plans to turn Bad $#!T to Good $#!T by creating fertilizer made from old sexist beer advertising that will be used to grow hops for female brewers.
  • The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation named the winners of the annual Gracie Awards, which “recognize outstanding programming and individual achievement created by women, for women, and about women in all facets of media in news and entertainment.”
  • Nonprofit 1,000 Dreams Fund announced the fourth year of its mentorship initiative, MentorHER. The program pairs individual women in college, graduate school, and recent graduates with professionals and executives for a one-hour, 1:1 mentorship session based on career goals and interests.

Catch up on the latest women’s interest news from PR Newswire and read more from Women’s History Month.

3. Earth Day

Earth Day may be celebrated on April 22, but we saw content for Earth Day, Week, and Month flood (in a good way) the wire throughout the entire month of April.

Hyundai IONIQ 6 and One Tree Planted in Denver, Colo.

Source: PRNewsfoto/Hyundai Motor America

During March and April, 232 press releases were distributed that mentioned “Earth Day” and/or “Earth Month.” The announcements ranged from sustainability reports to tree planting projects, net-zero initiatives, and recycling programs.

Check out these releases:

Read even more Earth Day content.

4. Financial Literacy Month

As Americans continued to cope with inflation and worry about a possible recession – though both seem to be moderating – Financial Literacy Month couldn’t have come at a better time. According to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services 2016 Global Financial Literacy Survey, 57% of adults in the U.S. are financially literate – an improvement from the global rate of 33% but there’s still clearly room for improvement.

United Community partners with Greenlight to help families raise financially-smart kids and teens.

Source: PRNewsfoto/United Community Bank

Throughout April, companies sent press releases announcing their tools, campaigns, and events to educate Americans on the importance of financial literacy and empower them to take control of their finances.

During March and April, PR Newswire distributed more than 120 releases that mentioned “financial literacy.” Here are a few of them:

  • A recent episode of FinFit’s SECURE podcast discussed “financial stability for women in the workforce, and what programs targeting women help meet their specific needs and increase literacy on financial stability.”
  • Debt.com launched the first-ever FinTok Awards – recognizing the most trustworthy financial advice on the controversial app.
  • United Community Bank gave customers free access to the award-winning Greenlight family finance app, which provides kids and teens with hands-on money management experience.
  • A BMO survey looked at changing online banking trends and found that 59% of Americans want financial literacy tools and resources within their digital banking apps.

5. Mental Health & Stress Awareness

In recent years, Americans have had to cope with a global pandemic, political divisiveness, racial injustices, climate disasters, inflation, and more. And as a result, stress levels are up; According to the American Psychological Association, around a third of adults (34%) report that stress is completely overwhelming most days.

Healthy Work Campaign work stress deaths infographic

Source: PRNewsfoto/Healthy Work Campaign

During March and April, mental health was a large focus across the wire, whether it was related to employees, children, women, or students. And since April was Stress Awareness Month, many companies shared the latest stats, tools, and efforts to confront raised stress levels among their workforces and consumers.

During the two-month period, 420 press releases related to mental health were distributed by PR Newswire in the U.S. and Canada. Here are a few you might have missed:

  • The Dove Self-Esteem Project released “Cost of Beauty” – a film illustrating the impact toxic beauty content on social media can have on youth mental health. The film has been viewed more than 19 million times, generating 65K+ petition signatures in support of the 2023 Kids Online Safety Act.
  • There are more than 120,000 deaths caused by work stress every year. On Workers Memorial Day (April 28), The Healthy Work Campaign launched an important new tool, the Healthy Work Survey, to address this crisis.
  • MTV Entertainment Studios announced plans to host a mental health event featuring Vice President Kamala Harris on May 18, Mental Health Action Day.
  • Deloitte’s Women @ Work survey found some signs of progress for women in the workplace – like lower rates of burnout – but also discovered that fewer women feel comfortable discussing mental health at work.
  • The Myers-Briggs Company shared an infographic that breaks down the stress triggers and remedies for different personality types.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this trend has only continued. We’ll be keeping an eye on these releases moving forward.

More News Trends

Want to dive deeper into the news trends for the industry you cover? Our team has compiled the trends and top releases across 16 industries for March and April. Find them all on PR Newswire’s Resource Center.

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Rocky Parker
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Rocky Parker is the Manager of Audience and Journalist Engagement at Cision PR Newswire. She's been with the company since 2010 and has worked with journalists and bloggers as well as PR and comms professionals. Outside of work, she can be found trying a new recipe, binging a new show, or cuddling with her pitbull, Hudson.

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