PR needs its own PR — and it should start with our clients 

I’ve long believed the PR industry needs its own PR. For an industry built entirely on communication, messaging and storytelling, we are surprisingly misunderstood. Ask friends or family what you do in PR and the answers are usually entertaining. 

“You host red carpets”; “you organise events”; “you drink champagne with journalists”; “you write stories for the media, right?”

The reality is usually far less glamorous and far more strategic. But interestingly, the biggest misunderstandings about PR don’t usually come from friends at dinner parties. They often come from clients. 

Not because clients aren’t smart or engaged, but because most people understandably don’t live inside the media ecosystem the way PR professionals do. 

Recently, a conversation I started on Linkedin about a client believing a giveaway would make a great news story sparked a lively discussion across the industry. It highlighted just how mysterious the media world can still seem from the outside. 

Over the years there are a few misconceptions we hear again and again. Some of them still make us giggle, even if it’s just on the inside. Every PR professional probably has their own version of this list. 

Things like:  

 “Can we approve the article before it runs?” (We can fact-check quotes. Editorial is up to the publication.) 

“If the TV crew films our event, can we get the footage?” (That belongs to the broadcaster.) 

 “Can you guarantee the story will run?” (Earned media comes with no guarantees.) 

 “Can we tell the journalist what angle to take?” (We can suggest ideas. Journalists write the story.) 

 “If we get coverage, the product will sell out, right?” (PR creates attention. Sales still require marketing.) 

 “Why can’t we just pay for the article?” (That’s advertising, not earned media.) 

 “Can we just send this to every journalist in the country?” (Please don’t.) 

And perhaps the biggest surprise for many clients is that press releases are rarely where the thinking starts. They are usually the last step. Sometimes we write them to satisfy internal stakeholders or create a clear record of an announcement. In practice, they often serve as background or context. The real story is usually shaped through conversations with journalists, with plenty of back and forth as the angle develops. 

The real work happens much earlier, when we are looking for the angle, the relevance, the data points or cultural moment that makes a story resonate with an audience. 

In many ways, the misunderstanding is partly our own doing. PR people often make great coverage look effortless. Like the old swan analogy, calm and graceful on the surface while paddling furiously underneath. Behind the scenes there is strategy, relationships, timing, persistence and a lot of judgement. 

Perhaps the opportunity for our industry is to bring clients further into the process. Not to remove the professionalism that good PR requires, but to lift the curtain a little and show the thinking, conversations and persistence that sit behind earned media. 

Because the more effortless PR appears on the surface, the easier it is for people to assume it must be easy. 

When clients understand the process, they don’t just value the outcome more. They often become better collaborators in finding the stories that genuinely deserve attention. 

If PR is the business of clear messaging and effective communication, perhaps it’s time we applied that thinking to our own industry. 

PR needs its own PR. And it should start with helping our clients better understand what we do. 

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