PR is one of those terms that gets used often and is assumed to be understood. But in practice, it can mean very different things to different people, impacting expectations, budgets, channels, and results.
I was in a client meeting recently, where everyone agreed that ‘more PR’ was needed, yet I had the sneaking suspicion that no two people were talking about the same thing.
For some, PR is shorthand for press releases. For others, it means media coverage. And for others still, it means reputation management, stakeholder engagement, or a broader communications strategy to shape how an organisation is seen and understood.
None of those interpretations is wrong. But if everyone involved is using the same term to mean something different, it becomes very easy to talk past each other.
PR is a broad discipline
Public relations can seek to engage many different publics – customers, employees, suppliers, dealers, trade bodies, communities, investors, or policymakers
The intent behind these connections varies just as much. Organisations might be looking to build awareness from scratch, shift long-held perceptions, or provide reassurance during a period of significant change. In some cases, the goal might be to prompt action, such as priming a customer to buy or encouraging a specialist engineer to apply for a role.
And the mix of channels to reach audiences is ever evolving, encompassing media relations, social media, content hubs, newsletters, events, niche forums, and now AI chats.
All of those can sit under the PR umbrella. But they do not all require the same approach.
Alignment matters more than labels
If one person thinks ‘PR’ means a steady flow of press coverage, while another thinks it means a wider reputation strategy across owned, earned, and shared channels, the brief can quickly become muddled. That is why alignment matters so much at the start.
It helps to ask a few simple questions:
• Who are we trying to influence?
• What do we want those people to know, feel, or do?
• Which channels are most appropriate?
• What does success look like in practice?
• What are we not trying to do?
Those questions help move PR from a broad idea to a focused plan.
Scope should match ambition
Another challenge for many organisations is that the full universe of PR is larger than their budget, their resources, or sometimes even their appetite. That is completely normal.
Not every business needs to tackle every audience or every channel at once. But if the scope is too broad, the work can become diluted and if the scope is too narrow, opportunities can be missed.
That is also why it is so important to be clear about priorities from the outset. A good agency will help a client decide where to focus first, what to leave out, and which channels are most likely to deliver the best return for the business.
Good PR is not about doing everything. It is about doing the right things for the right reasons.
KPIs should match the job
Once the scope has been defined, measurement becomes much simpler.
If the objective is awareness, the KPIs should reflect visibility and reach. If the objective is reputation, the KPIs should capture shifts in perception and credibility. If the objective is to support sales, recruitment, or stakeholder confidence, the measures should reflect that wider journey, not just media output.
Whatever the KPIs, they should show whether the work is moving in the right direction and help senior decision-makers understand the value of the investment.
That requires measurement to be linked directly to the agreed purpose of the work. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to demonstrate impact in a way that feels credible internally.
Why this helps the whole business
Clear expectations do more than make an agency relationship easier to manage. They also make it easier to secure support inside the business.
When PR is well defined, senior decision-makers are more likely to understand why it matters, what it is meant to achieve, and how it contributes to broader commercial goals.
That can make it easier to justify budget, align internal stakeholders, and maintain confidence in the programme over time.
It also helps avoid a sense that PR is busy but not necessarily useful. When everyone agrees on the purpose, the work tends to feel more focused, more strategic, and more valuable.
So before asking for ‘more PR’, it is worth asking: what exactly do we mean by PR and what do we want it to do?
Because once that is clear, everything else becomes easier to plan, measure, and deliver.
Hannah Kitchener
Associate Director
About the author
Hannah is an associate director in the UK, leading strategic campaigns for industrial clients across the EMEA region. A professionally qualified journalist (NCTJ), she combines specialist sectoral knowledge in construction, energy, and materials handling with a strong network of trade media contacts to secure valuable coverage. Her expertise in inter-cultural communication, honed by degrees in modern languages and translation, is key to executing campaigns that succeed across diverse European markets.
