PR & Communications

Public relations defines how a company communicates with people — customers, partners, journalists, philanthropists, politicians, and the general public. All businesses need public relations, regardless of their size or industry.

Customers want to trust the brands they do business with — and nothing builds and fosters trust like public relations.

Public relations (PR) is the practice of leveraging media channels to promote your organisation and cultivate a positive public perception. PR is also the process of managing your organisation’s brand and communications — especially in times of crisis.

PR is how brands manage the spread of their information, so it’s similar to branding. The main difference is that PR is focused on communication and reputation, whereas branding relies on visual elements like logos, websites, and marketing materials.

Media: Owned vs. Paid vs. Earned

Public relations can be organised into three main categories: owned, paid, and earned media. Each type works towards the same goal of building a positive brand reputation, but they use different strategies to get there.

Your PR strategies should include all three, as they all provide different ways of reaching, engaging, and building trust with your audience.

Focused classmates studying together and using laptop in library

Owned media

Owned media is defined as any content that your business controls. It’s arguably the most important type of PR-related media that you should be focusing on because you have total control.

Owned media includes:

  • Social media posts
  • Blog content
  • Website copy
  • Email newsletters
paid advertising-1

Paid media

Paid media refers to paying to make your content visible. It’s standard practice to promote owned media.

Paid media includes:

  • Social media advertising
  • Influencer marketing
  • Pay-per-click (PPC)

Since the majority of social platforms are reducing organic reach for business accounts, paid media is a fantastic way to make sure your content gets in front of the people you want to see it.

close up of conference meeting microphones and businessman

Earned media

Earned media is  essentially word-of-mouth and is arguably the best PR tactic to build your reputation.

Earned media is the hardest type of PR media to obtain. It takes a lot of effort, consistency, and hard work to establish it — hence why it’s “earned”.

Earned media includes:

  • Mentions in industry news and reviews
  • Praise from customers on social media
  • High rankings on search engines

Our former journalists get PR

We know how to spot, tell and place a story, because we've worked in national newsrooms and in the communications industry for over 15 years. It's our bread and butter.

Let us support your business and get your stories heard.