[GTM glossary](/glossary.txt) Public relations Marketing # Public relations (PR) In short Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing a company's reputation and public communication. It aims to earn attention from journalists, analysts, influencers, and communities, instead of buying placement. In B2B, PR supports go-to-market by giving buyers third-party reasons to trust you. A credible mention in a trade publication or analyst report often carries more weight than the same claim on your own website. ## What PR teams do * **Media relations:** Pitching stories and building relationships with journalists. See media relations. * **Announcements:** Funding, launches, partnerships, and hires. * **Thought leadership:** Bylined articles, speaking slots, and expert commentary. * **Crisis communication:** Responding clearly when something goes wrong. * **Analyst and community relations:** Briefing analysts and engaging relevant communities. --- ## PR vs. advertising and marketing Advertising is paid and controlled. PR is earned and not guaranteed, since editors decide what to publish. That is why coverage tends to be seen as more credible, and also why it is less predictable. --- ## How GTM teams use PR PR creates reference points for sales. Reps can share an article in an outreach email, and prospects who search your name find independent sources. It also lifts other channels: ads and emails perform better when the brand is already recognized. Say a startup shares a data-backed insight from its own customers with trade reporters. A published article gives sales a link to send and gives the site backlinks. The example is illustrative. --- ## How to measure PR Counting mentions is a start but is weak alone. Better signals are coverage in publications your buyers read, referral traffic, branded search growth, inbound inquiries, and deals where the buyer mentions seeing the coverage. --- ## Common mistakes * **Pitching without a story:** Journalists want news, data, or a clear angle, not product features. * **Mass pitching:** Irrelevant emails damage relationships. * **Measuring only volume:** One strong placement can beat many weak ones. * **Waiting for a crisis:** Build relationships before you need them. --- ## Building a simple PR plan Start with two or three messages you want buyers to associate with your company, and the publications they read. Then find news you can honestly offer: original data, a notable customer result, a hire, or a product change. Build a short list of relevant journalists and read their recent work before pitching. Keep emails brief, offer a clear angle, and follow up once. Share every placement with sales and add it to your site, so the coverage keeps working after publication. --- ## Public relations FAQs **What is public relations (PR) in business?** Public relations is the practice of managing a company's reputation and communication with the public. It focuses on earning coverage and trust from journalists, analysts, customers, and communities rather than paying for ad placement. **What is the difference between PR and advertising?** Advertising is paid and fully controlled by the company. PR is earned through relationships and newsworthy stories, and editors decide what to publish. PR coverage tends to be seen as more credible, but it is less predictable and harder to control. **How does PR help B2B sales and marketing?** PR gives buyers independent proof that your company is credible. Articles, analyst mentions, and awards can be shared in outreach, improve search visibility, and make ads and emails perform better because prospects already recognize the name. **How do you measure public relations results?** Look at coverage in publications your buyers read, referral traffic, branded search growth, inbound inquiries, and deals influenced by coverage. Mention counts alone are weak, since one strong placement can matter more than many minor ones. Share term --- ## More related phrases * [Social media marketing](/glossary/social-media-marketing.txt) * [Brand marketing](/glossary/brand-marketing.txt) * [Brand strategy](/glossary/brand-strategy.txt) ## Similar phrases * [Brand awareness](/glossary/brand-awareness.txt) Brand awareness is how familiar your target market is with your company, and it shapes whether buyers consider you when a need arises. * [Earned media](/glossary/earned-media.txt) Earned media is publicity a brand gains without paying for placement, such as press coverage, reviews, podcast invitations, analyst mentions, and shares, because others choose to talk about it. * [Media relations](/glossary/media-relations.txt) Media relations is the practice of building relationships with journalists and editors so your company earns accurate, credible coverage in the publications your buyers read. * [Analyst relations (AR)](/glossary/analyst-relations.txt) Analyst relations is the practice of building relationships with industry analysts and research firms so they understand your product and can accurately represent it to buyers. * [Organic social](/glossary/organic-social.txt) Organic social is unpaid content a brand posts on social platforms to build audience, trust, and demand, as opposed to paid social, where reach is bought through ads.