What is PR and Why Does it Matter for Companies?

When reputation can make or break a brand, perception is everything. How your company is seen by customers, partners, investors and employees can influence audience decisions, drive loyalty and shape long-term success.

Yet, it is still a challenge to explain in simple terms to my peers, friends and relatives what exactly Public Relations (PR)  professionals do and what PR means in practice. This blog is for anyone wondering what the ROI for PR is and why it matters for business strategy.

To start with, PR, or Public Relations, is the strategic practice that allows organizations to manage their perception, build credibility and influence the decision makers that matter most. PR is far more than press releases or media coverage; it’s about telling your company’s story in a way that resonates with the right audiences at the right time - while clearly explaining what you do. When executed well, PR transforms communication into a strategic tool that delivers measurable business outcomes.

The Core Elements of Modern PR

Modern PR goes far beyond traditional media relations. It encompasses content creation, thought leadership, crisis management, reputation building and leveraging timely opportunities to stay relevant and visible, capturing what effective PR involves for organizations that want to stay front of mind.

Newsjacking 

One of the most effective ways to achieve impact is through newsjacking, which involves linking commentary to trending news or events. This could include responding to government policy announcements, such as budgets or regulatory changes, offering timely insight that positions your company as informed and relevant. 

Industry milestones, sector developments or cultural events also present opportunities to demonstrate thought leadership and connect with audiences. Successful newsjacking is never opportunistic; it adds value, insight and credibility to the conversation.

Strategic Content 

Content remains central to modern PR. Whether through op-eds, LinkedIn posts, podcasts or other channels, sharing insights and commentary allows businesses to establish themselves as leaders in their field while attracting investors and new opportunities. 

The media landscape is changing as new channels emerge. Gone are the days where traditional media outlets ruled the roost. Now, it’s all about video, Substack, influencer marketing and podcasts. Good PR should adapt to new formats to engage with these valuable audiences.

Media Relations

Media relations is the discipline most people associate with PR - and for good reason. It’s about building trusted, long-term relationships with journalists, editors, producers and industry commentators so your organization can show up in the right stories, in the right outlets, at the right time.

Effective media relations typically includes:

• Proactive storytelling: developing compelling narratives, data and spokespeople, then pitching them into target publications that reach your customers, partners, investors or recruits
• Reactive commentary: responding quickly to journalist requests and breaking news with relevant, insightful quotes that position your experts as go‑to voices in the market
• Press office management: handling inbound media enquiries, coordinating interviews, managing approvals and ensuring consistent messaging across all coverage
• Spokesperson preparation: media training, briefing documents and Q&A prep so leaders can confidently handle tough questions and stay on message

Essentially, strong media relationships secure quality coverage in outlets your stakeholders trust, helping to shape how your brand is perceived and supporting commercial goals such as lead generation, recruitment and investor confidence.

Last, crisis and reputation management ensures that potential risks are anticipated and that responses are swift and effective, safeguarding your brand from damage. Together, these elements form a strategic toolkit that builds visibility, authority and trust.

Measuring PR Impact

PR earns its place at the top table when it’s measured. Modern programmes use data to track what PR delivers, link activity to commercial goals and provide hard evidence of how PR  works.

First, we look at visibility: how often and where a brand appears, the quality of coverage, reach and share of voice versus competitors, plus brand mentions across media and social channels. Then we assess reputation impact by analyzing message pull‑through, sentiment and how often your spokespeople are quoted as expert voices on your priority themes.

Crucially, we connect this to behavior and business outcomes. Using web analytics, we track referral traffic from coverage, changes in branded search terms, time on key pages and actions such as demo requests, newsletter sign‑ups or event registrations. By mapping these outcomes back to specific PR moments and campaigns, leaders can see not just that coverage happened, but how it contributed to pipeline, talent attraction or investor confidence. Unlike advertising, which pays for attention, PR earns it - and when that earned attention drives measurable changes in awareness, reputation and behavior, it becomes a clear growth driver.

Putting PR into Practice

To harness PR effectively, businesses must integrate it into strategic planning rather than treating it as a last-minute add-on. Engaging with journalists, analysts and sector influencers proactively is key to credibility, as is preparing for timely opportunities like newsjacking. Planning commentary or campaigns around key dates ensures your brand stays relevant and visible when attention is highest.

Public relations, when executed right, transforms communication into a strategic advantage. It enables companies to influence conversations, protect their reputation and deliver measurable business impact. 

For senior leaders, investing in PR means future-proofing the business, ensuring it can thrive in today’s fast-paced, highly visible marketplace. By understanding PR’s core components, seizing timely opportunities and measuring outcomes, companies can turn perception into a competitive advantage, using strategic communication to achieve tangible results.