I’ve Run a PR Firm Since 2008 — Here’s What PR Can and Can’t Do

I consider myself a PR pro. I slid into the field from the side, starting as a gig publicity writer, then earned my stripes with several notable agencies in the food and beverages space as a full-time working single mom until I was ready to launch my own lifestyle firm, which I’ve been running since 2008.

Although I know a lot of marketers and work with a lot of marketers — heck, I’m married to a marketer! — there are clear distinctions between what PR was designed to do and what marketing was designed to do. The two now overlap more than they ever have, and as a result, my company now provides a diverse array of marketing services that I’m extremely proud to offer.

But on an almost daily basis, I encounter confusion from my clients, many of whom are hoping for marketing results from PR efforts and PR results from marketing efforts. To clarify the differences, here’s what I tell them.

How PR differs from marketing

Let’s start with just the basic definitions of these two related, but distinct, service arms. Simply put, public relations is a field dedicated to creating and maintaining a positive image, whereas marketing is a field dedicated to increasing sales. So PR, at its core, is about reputation building, and marketing is about selling products or services.

The strategies and tactics employed are similar; it’s the goals that differ. And although today’s preferred approach is to integrate the two for maximum results, you can indeed concentrate on one area over the other depending on your current business objectives.

Related: 6 Things Every Brand Should Understand About PR

What PR *can* do

I don’t think many of my colleagues would word it like this, but I’ve always been a bit of a maverick in terms of the personality I inject into my firm. To my mind, the business I’m in is all about taking a brand as it is and making people fall in love with it. Essentially, PR specialists are “love doctors.” As such, here are the remedies we prescribe:

#1: PR creates name recognition. You’ve got a name, a logo, a tagline, a website and a brand identity. Great. But if it’s not “out there,” it limits where you can go. PR is specifically designed to scream your name loud and clear, particularly to all sorts of media channels and outlets that have the ability to widely disseminate your name with the hopes of making it familiar.

In a way, PR is like your custom-designed billboard, aiming to grab the attention and capture the interest of the people who need to know who you are and what you do.

#2: PR builds brand trust and brand loyalty. Establishing a recognizable brand is just one step. When you’re in the hands of a capable PR firm, the intention will be to go far beyond that, giving your client base reasons to believe in your brand and stick with it over the long haul.

Say you have a cookie company and you make a darn good cookie. Well, PR is going to dress that cookie up as the best cookie ever known to man (I already warned you I’m a little over-the-top — it’s my style, just go with it) by showing it off in its best light, wrapping it up in the most enticing package of text and graphics, and getting that cookie in the hands of people who love cookies. When one bite leads to a lifelong customer, PR has just built brand loyalty.

#3: PR makes headlines. Don’t let anyone fool you. Words still matter. Language is the foundation of a shared society, and it always will be. Because without communication, there is no communal society. Even the videos we’re all obsessed with on TikTok? Click on them — people will talk to you, sing to you, teach you.

What I’m getting at here is that PR’s secret weapon is wordsmithing. There are lots of ways to say something. The job of PR is to find THE right way to say it right here, right now, for you, to accomplish your immediate goals. And if at first we don’t succeed, we will try, try again until we hit just the right notes to sound the success bell.

Related: PR vs. Marketing — Which One Delivers Better ROI for Your Business?

#4: PR eavesdrops. PR must blend the old with the new to stay relevant and effective. That means continuing to embrace tried-and-true methods that have traditionally produced results (like pitches and press releases) but keeping our ears to the ground and our eyes on your competitors so we’re fully aware of what’s hot and what’s not.

Consequently, PR teams are trend seekers. Without having our finger on the pulse, we can’t tap into what’s driving your industry. Without following what all the influencers are following, we can’t devise ways to get ahead of the pack. We trust our clients to know their markets. They trust us to understand its rhythms and decode its formulas.

What PR *can’t* do

PR is pretty cool, right? But it isn’t a cash register, so on its own, it can’t ring up sales for you. Here’s what else it can’t do:

#1: PR can’t generate sales. Let’s really drive this crucial point home one more time, because it’s the biggest sticking point I see in my business. PR does not sell frying pans, fishing rods or face cream. However, it does build up brand messaging such that new and existing customers are interested in learning more about your product or service and are given CTAs (calls to action) to do so. PR isn’t about direct sales. But it can (and does) convert to indirect sales.

#2: PR is not advertising. Advertising is aimed directly at the consumer to buy what you’re selling. PR, on the other hand, tells the story of your business and creates buzz about your business so that your potential market wants to check you out.

It’s not that PR doesn’t promote or publicize — it absolutely does. It just goes about it in a roundabout way: the soft sell approach, if you will. In other words: We don’t hit customers right in the face; we put you in front of their face so they can discover and explore you.

#3: PR cannot fundraise. Your PR company is happy to announce your event, hire coordinators for your event, prod the media to cover your event and even design your event invite! But we cannot raise funds for you; we cannot meet your goal on your money thermometer; and we cannot incite people to write checks. PR can be the wind at your back, encouraging your fundraising efforts, but it cannot back you with funds.

#4: PR cannot guarantee butts in seats or bodies in beds. Can PR guide people to your website? Can it splash a URL link to your concert, restaurant or reservations page all over the place? Can it frame your venue as a can’t-miss destination? Yes, yes and yes. But it can’t force people to click on “Book Now,” and looking to your PR company to physically fill seats or rooms is like asking your hairdresser to make your hair grow faster. We’re image makers, not Ticketmaster.

Whether you’re looking for PR, marketing or a combination of both, there are oodles of choices for you on the marketplace. To greatly increase your chances of hitting your targets and realizing a return on your investment, be very clear about what you’re trying to achieve at this particular moment in your company’s evolution. PR has always been an equal partnership between client and firm. It works best for you when you have realistic expectations about what it can do for you!