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Public Relations vs Publicity

They’re not the same, you know?

Jerry Silfwer
by Jerry Silfwer

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

Table of contents

Let’s dis­cuss pub­lic rela­tions vs publicity.

The terms pub­lic rela­tions (PR) and pub­li­city are often used interchangeably. 

But that is incor­rect. They are not the same.

Here we go:

Public Relations vs Publicity

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Public Relations vs Publicity

The terms pub­lic rela­tions (PR) and pub­li­city are often used interchangeably.

However, that is incorrect.

Generating pub­li­city is a sub­set of what PR pro­fes­sion­als do — mainly with­in media rela­tions. Media rela­tions, in turn, is one of sev­er­al sub­sets of pub­lic rela­tions. 1However, please note that pub­lic rela­tions is not a sub­set of com­mu­nic­a­tions; PR and com­mu­nic­a­tions are syn­onym­ous in the cor­por­ate con­text. 2Silfwer, J. (2021, January 5). The Stakeholders in Public Relations. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​s​t​a​k​e​h​o​l​d​e​r​s​-​i​n​-​p​u​b​l​i​c​-​r​e​l​a​t​i​o​ns/

Public rela­tions serves as the found­a­tion for a sus­tain­able and pos­it­ive organ­isa­tion­al image, while pub­li­city acts as a spot­light, moment­ar­ily draw­ing atten­tion to spe­cif­ic aspects of the organisation.

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Public Relations vs Media Relations

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Public Relations vs Media Relations

There are sev­er­al dif­fer­ent types of spe­cial­isa­tion with­in the PR industry. One such spe­cial­isa­tion is — media rela­tions. 3Silfwer, J. (2021, January 5). The Stakeholders in Public Relations. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​s​t​a​k​e​h​o​l​d​e​r​s​-​i​n​-​p​u​b​l​i​c​-​r​e​l​a​t​i​o​ns/

“Mass media cam­paigns primar­ily influ­ence pub­lic agenda-set­ting, rather than dir­ectly per­suad­ing pub­lics, rather influ­en­cing which issues and organ­iz­a­tions are dis­cussed.”
Source: Public Relations Review 4McCombs, M. (1977). Agenda set­ting func­tion of mass media. Public Relations Review, 3, 89 – 95. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​1​6​/​S​0​3​6​3​-​8​1​1​1​(​7​7​)​8​0​008 – 8

Some PR pro­fes­sion­als are Media Relations spe­cial­ists. Their typ­ic­al duties encom­pass a range of tasks to man­age and enhance the organ­iz­a­tion’s repu­ta­tion through the media. 

Here are some of their core responsibilities:

  • Developing media rela­tions strategies. Crafting com­pre­hens­ive strategies that out­line how the organ­iz­a­tion will engage with the media, includ­ing identi­fy­ing key mes­sages, tar­get audi­ences, and the most effect­ive chan­nels for communication.
  • Writing and dis­trib­ut­ing press releases. Creating press releases to announce news­worthy events, product launches, or com­pany achieve­ments, and dis­trib­ut­ing them to rel­ev­ant media out­lets. 5Silfwer, J. (2010, September 30). The Classic Press Release Template. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​p​r​e​s​s​-​r​e​l​e​a​s​e​-​t​e​m​p​l​a​te/
  • Pitching stor­ies to journ­al­ists. Contact journ­al­ists and edit­ors with story ideas high­light­ing the organ­iz­a­tion’s activ­it­ies, achieve­ments, or per­spect­ives on cur­rent trends and news. 6Silfwer, J. (2021, February 26). How to Write a PR Pitch: Step-by-Step Guide. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​p​r​-​p​i​t​ch/
  • Managing media inquir­ies (press office). Serving as the primary point of con­tact for all media inquir­ies, respond­ing promptly, and provid­ing accur­ate inform­a­tion to journalists.
  • Preparing media kits. Assembling media kits that con­tain essen­tial inform­a­tion about the organ­iz­a­tion, such as press releases, com­pany back­ground, exec­ut­ive bios, and high-res­ol­u­tion images. 7Silfwer, J. (2023, December 21). The Media Kit: What To Include. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​m​e​d​i​a​-​k​it/
  • Organizing press con­fer­ences and media events. Planning and execut­ing events spe­cific­ally designed for the media, such as press con­fer­ences, inter­views, and media tours, to facil­it­ate dir­ect inter­ac­tion with the organ­iz­a­tion’s spokespeople.
  • Media mon­it­or­ing. Keeping track of media cov­er­age related to the organ­iz­a­tion, its industry, and com­pet­it­ors, to under­stand media sen­ti­ment and the effect­ive­ness of media rela­tions strategies.
  • Crisis com­mu­nic­a­tion. Developing and imple­ment­ing com­mu­nic­a­tion strategies to man­age and mit­ig­ate neg­at­ive pub­li­city in times of crisis, ensur­ing that the organ­iz­a­tion’s view­point is understood.
  • Building and main­tain­ing rela­tion­ships with the media. Establishing and nur­tur­ing pro­fes­sion­al rela­tion­ships with journ­al­ists, blog­gers, and influ­en­cers to ensure ongo­ing interest and cov­er­age of the organ­iz­a­tion’s activities.
  • Media train­ing for spokes­per­sons. Preparing exec­ut­ives and des­ig­nated spokespeople for media inter­views, pub­lic appear­ances, mes­sage devel­op­ment, and media training.
  • Analysing and report­ing on media cov­er­age. Evaluating the effect­ive­ness of media rela­tions efforts through ana­lys­is of media cov­er­age, includ­ing reach, sen­ti­ment, and impact on organ­isa­tion­al goals.
  • Social media engage­ment. Engaging with journ­al­ists and media out­lets via social media plat­forms to build rela­tion­ships and amp­li­fy the organ­iz­a­tion’s messages.

Some com­mon job titles for Media Relations spe­cial­ists are:

  • Media Relations Specialist
  • Media Relations Consultant
  • Media Relations Adviser
  • Media Relations Manager
  • Media Relations Coördinator
  • Media Liaison Officer
  • Public Information Officer (PIO)
  • Press Officer
  • Press Secretary
  • Publicist

The rela­tion­ship with journ­al­ists can some­times be tense due to the dif­fer­ent object­ives of each field. 8Silfwer, J. (2011, October 17). Public Relations vs Journalism. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​p​u​b​l​i​c​-​r​e​l​a​t​i​o​n​s​-​v​s​-​j​o​u​r​n​a​l​i​sm/

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Annotations
Annotations
1 However, please note that pub­lic rela­tions is not a sub­set of com­mu­nic­a­tions; PR and com­mu­nic­a­tions are syn­onym­ous in the cor­por­ate context.
2, 3 Silfwer, J. (2021, January 5). The Stakeholders in Public Relations. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​s​t​a​k​e​h​o​l​d​e​r​s​-​i​n​-​p​u​b​l​i​c​-​r​e​l​a​t​i​o​ns/
4 McCombs, M. (1977). Agenda set­ting func­tion of mass media. Public Relations Review, 3, 89 – 95. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​1​6​/​S​0​3​6​3​-​8​1​1​1​(​7​7​)​8​0​008 – 8
5 Silfwer, J. (2010, September 30). The Classic Press Release Template. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​p​r​e​s​s​-​r​e​l​e​a​s​e​-​t​e​m​p​l​a​te/
6 Silfwer, J. (2021, February 26). How to Write a PR Pitch: Step-by-Step Guide. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​p​r​-​p​i​t​ch/
7 Silfwer, J. (2023, December 21). The Media Kit: What To Include. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​m​e​d​i​a​-​k​it/
8 Silfwer, J. (2011, October 17). Public Relations vs Journalism. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​p​u​b​l​i​c​-​r​e​l​a​t​i​o​n​s​-​v​s​-​j​o​u​r​n​a​l​i​sm/
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Partially overgrown wooden bridge with grafitti.

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