What is PR, and why do you need it?
Updated: 1 day ago
"You need PR." "We'll get your PR sorted."
You've probably heard it a lot, usually from someone who doesn't stop to explain what it means. So here it is, in plain English. (And I promise it's not as scary as it sounds.)
The quick answer: PR, short for public relations, is how you shape the way people see and talk about your business. Most of the time, it means getting other people, especially journalists, to tell your story, through press coverage, interviews and expert comments. Unlike advertising, you don't pay for the space, so it carries more trust. It helps people find you, believe you and remember you, including when they ask AI tools for a recommendation. And it isn't just for big brands with big budgets.
Want to give it a go? My free guide has 10 pitching angles to help you find your first story. Send it to me →
What does PR mean?
PR stands for public relations. At its simplest, it's how the world sees and talks about your business.
Think of it as storytelling with a purpose. You find the stories in your business, like why you started, what you've noticed about your customers or an opinion you hold, and you share them in places your customers trust.
At its core, PR is about relationships. With journalists, who decide what gets written about. With your customers, who want to know who they're buying from. And with your community and your industry.
In practice, it often looks like:
a feature about your business in a newspaper or magazine
a quote from you as an expert in someone else's article
an interview on local radio or a podcast
a mention in an industry publication your customers read
Each one is someone else saying you're worth knowing about. That's what makes it work.
What's the difference between PR and advertising?
With an advert, you pay for the space. With PR, you earn it.
A journalist features you because you've got a story worth telling, not because you've paid them. That's why press coverage is often called earned media, and it's why people trust it more. They know someone independent decided you were worth writing about.
Press coverage itself is free. What it costs is your time, and a story good enough for a journalist to want. If a publication asks you to pay to be featured, that's an advert, even if it's dressed up as an article.
The difference matters even more now that people ask AI for recommendations. In Muck Rack's study of what ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini cite, earned media like press coverage made up 84%, while paid and advertorial content made up just 0.3% (Muck Rack, What Is AI Reading?, May 2026).
So an advert can buy you attention for a while. Press coverage keeps working long after.
Why do businesses need PR?
Because people buy from businesses they trust, and PR is one of the quickest ways to earn that trust. Here's what it does.
It builds credibility. Being featured in a publication people know is like getting a gold star. It tells people your business is the real deal.
It gets you seen. You might have a brilliant product or service, but if nobody knows about it, you're stuck. PR puts you in front of your future customers, collaborators and investors.
It helps people find you. Press coverage gives Google and AI tools trusted sources that mention you, so you're more likely to show up when someone searches or asks for a recommendation.
It makes your marketing work harder. PR and marketing are besties. Marketing asks people to buy. PR builds the trust and recognition that make saying yes easier.
It makes you the go-to expert. Once journalists quote you, they come back. Your customers notice too.
Is PR the same as going viral?
No, and going viral isn't the goal.
A viral moment can bring a spike in attention. But what happens when the likes fade, the shares slow down and the spotlight moves on?
That's where PR is different. It's not about chasing buzz. It's about building trust that lasts.
The best PR doesn't just get you seen. It makes people remember you, and it keeps opening doors to new clients, collaborations and credibility long after the article's published. Your "as featured in" logos keep working on your website for years.
Journalists aren't looking for someone who can make a lot of noise. They're looking for a good story, and a voice their readers can learn from or relate to.
So PR isn't about being everywhere. It's about being in the right places, with the right story, at the right time.
Is PR only for big brands?
Not at all. It's for founders and brands of any size.
You don't need a huge following, a big budget or a flashy announcement. Journalists choose stories, not company sizes. A one-person business with a good story has as much chance of being featured as a household name, and sometimes more, because it's fresher.
Some of my favourite coverage has come from the smallest starts. When a TikTok trend sold out Josie's velvet ribbon at Follie, one short piece on BBC local radio set the story travelling. It ended up on BBC News and in The Guardian.
What you do need is a story, and someone to send it to. Most founders have more stories than they think. They're just so close to them that they don't notice.
If budget is what's holding you back, my post on whether you need a big budget for PR goes into the costs.
How do I get started with PR?
Start small, and start with your story.
Here's where I'd begin:
Work out what makes your business stand out. A habit you've noticed in your customers, a number you track, the reason you started or an opinion you hold.
Think about who'd care. For each idea, ask why someone outside your business would want to read about it.
Find the right journalist. Look at the publications your customers read, and note who writes about your topic.
Start local. Local press is often easier to land, and it's where bigger stories get picked up.
Send a short pitch. A few lines on the story and why it matters now. You don't need a press release.
Pitching a journalist can feel a bit intimidating at first. It doesn't need to. Journalists are people looking for good stories, and you've got one.
Questions people ask
What does PR stand for?
PR stands for public relations. It covers how a business manages the way people see and talk about it, most often through press coverage, interviews, expert comments and relationships with journalists.
What's the difference between PR and marketing?
Marketing usually promotes your business directly, through your own channels or paid adverts. PR gets other people, especially journalists, to talk about you. Marketing asks people to buy, while PR builds the trust that makes them more likely to.
Is press coverage free?
Yes. Journalists don't charge to feature you, because they choose stories on merit. You might pay someone to help you find and pitch your story, but if you're asked to pay for the space itself, that's advertising.
Is PR worth it for a new business?
It can be, if you have a story worth telling. Early coverage builds trust with customers, makes it easier to get featured again and helps you show up when people search or ask AI for recommendations. Local and trade press are good places to start.
How long does PR take to work?
Think months rather than days. Some stories land quickly, but PR builds over time. Each piece of coverage makes the next one easier, because journalists research you and see you've been featured before.
Ready to find your story?
If you're not sure where to start, grab my free guide, 10 pitching angles to help you land your dream press feature. It's full of ways into a story, each with a prompt to make it yours.
Or if you'd rather find your stories with someone, that's what the Debrief is for. Book a free 20-minute call and we'll see if it's right for you.
PS. For behind-the-scenes PR tips, follow me on Instagram.
Becky here, running on flat whites and a non-negotiable 3pm Diet Coke. I'm Becky Newmarch, a PR consultant for founders and brands in the UK. I find the stories hiding in your business and get them to the journalists who'll run them.
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