# Public Relations Versus Advertising: Differences and Benefits | Capterra > Public relations and advertising are two essential marketing strategies but differ with goals and tactics used. With our guide, learn the key differences between advertising and PR. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/public-relations-vs-advertising --- Marketing 101Marketing # Public Relations Versus Advertising: Differences and Benefits Written by: Adam Carpenter Adam CarpenterAuthor Adam Carpenter is a writer specializing in tech, fintech, and marketing topics for small businesses. He is a frequent contributor to Capterra. [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/acarpenter/) and edited by: Carolyn Santa Maria Carolyn Santa MariaEditor Carolyn Santa Maria is a senior editor at Capterra. Carolyn has been working in content for more than five years as an editor. With her keen eye for detail, ... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/carolyn-santa-maria/) Published August 8, 2024 9 min read Table of Contents - [What is public relations?](#what-is-public-relations) - [What is advertising?](#what-is-advertising) - [Public relations vs. advertising](#public-relations-vs-advertising) - [How to integrate PR and advertising into your strategy](#how-to-integrate-public-relations-and-advertising-into-your-marketing-strategy) ## PR and advertising are both vital sides to your marketing strategy. Learn why. Small-to-midsize business (SMB) leaders are constantly on the lookout for marketing techniques to help grow their brands. They need to attract customers while simultaneously managing their brand image. Advertising and public relations (PR) are two tools many SMB owners turn to, but it can be challenging to understand how these differ. It can be easy to assume they accomplish the same objectives without understanding their unique qualities. This could lead to under-utilizing one or the other and missing out on crucial marketing opportunities. But ads and PR come with different business benefits: Advertising is best for attracting buyers, and PR is ideal for promoting a favorable impression of your brand. This guide will show you what tactics are involved in using these marketing strategies, how they're unique, when to use each, and how to integrate them into your marketing strategy. ## What is public relations? Public relations (PR) refers to strategically communicating with the public to engage with them, advocate for your company, or otherwise leave a favorable impression of your organization on your target audience. At the core of PR is relationship building. You first identify stakeholders or groups of customers or potential investors. Then, you choose the most effective PR strategy to reach them. A successful strategy often involves developing relationships with members of the media, such as reporters, bloggers, or editors, so they then write something positive about your organization. In this way, a PR campaign gives your company the advocacy of another entity—without you having to pay for their support. This makes PR a very common tool in a marketing toolbox. Capterra’s Dark Social Media Survey reports that 42% of respondents say their company currently uses public relations as an element of its marketing initiatives.[\*](#methodology) ## What is advertising? Advertising involves using paid communication to convey messages designed to influence people's opinions of your services, products, or brand. In the modern digital marketing landscape, many choose to place ads online. At the same time, traditional methods, such as newspapers, television, billboards, and printed posters placed in public places, are still common. The time-honored popularity of these methods is evident as 92% of marketers say they use digital advertising, but 70% also use offline ads.[\*](#methodology) Even though advertising is common, many lack the skills needed to fully leverage it. Thirty percent of respondents from our Futureproof Marketing Survey say they find advertising to be the area with the largest skill gap when it comes to meeting business goals.[\*\*](#methodology) ## Public relations vs. advertising Public relations aims to build and maintain relationships using the media and influencers, community events, and crisis management. In some cases, public relations is essentially free. You may issue a statement, and the media will publish it without charging you a cent. Advertising is different in that you always pay for it, buying promotional opportunities via ad space on TV, radio, social media platforms, online, or billboards and posters. The two approaches have a lot in common as well. For example, with both tactics, it's wise to try to measure the effectiveness of your campaign. In the wake of either a social media ad or PR campaign, you may track engagement with your website or product pages. ### PR vs. advertising: strategies When considering the difference between advertising and public relations, one of the most significant variances is the strategies each one uses. PR strategies tend to focus on improving the perception of your brand in the eyes of a target audience, such as customers, investors, or the news media. Some common strategies include: Press releases Involve statements you have crafted, released by a media outlet or by you via your own site. Media relations Connect with media outlets to position your company or one of its representatives as a go-to option when the outlet needs a professional opinion. Events Participate in a public or professional event to give your organization exposure. Social media campaigns Target those in your network or a specific target network with strategically crafted messaging. Even though PR can be free, it can also come at a cost. For example, you may have to pay to host or sponsor a public event, such as a local road race. While you may also showcase some advertising collateral, the primary objective may not be to get eyes on specific products. Rather, you're using a public relations strategy to draw people to your brand by showcasing your commitment to the community, health, or fitness. Advertising tends to use different strategies than PR, focusing more on paid channels that get product or service attributes in front of a specific target audience. Returning to the road race example, your company may pay for a booth that features elements of your offering or free samples, positioning it near the finish line. Although you're interfacing with the public, your primary objective is less about improving your brand image and more about promoting what you're selling. ### PR vs. advertising: goals and objectives What is the difference between advertising and public relations in the context of objectives? With PR, your objective is less about promoting your products and more about helping people appreciate the strength of your company, its vision, success, or other brand attributes. For example, suppose there's a natural disaster in your area. In that case, you may choose to organize a disaster relief effort, contributing the people, space, and physical resources required to help those in need. Your efforts can help the public appreciate that your company cares about the well-being of those in its community. Even though advertising can also involve bolstering your brand image, its main goals are to drive sales or promote products. Some of your primary objectives with an advertising campaign may include: - Driving people to make purchases - Improving brand recognition - Boosting the degree to which people interact with your products - Announcing new or imminent product releases The objectives of PR are typically different, rarely focusing on short-term sales. Instead, with a PR campaign, you want to: - Build awareness of your brand, service, or product. - Manage your reputation in the eyes of the public, investors, or other stakeholders. - Educate the public regarding your organization. - Generate publicity using digital or printed media outlets. - Build trust with your target audience so they may be more likely to purchase from you in the future. ### Benefits of PR PR offers some unique benefits, some of which you can't get with advertising: #### Saves money PR is often more cost-effective because you can have an effective PR announcement or event for little to no money. #### Builds relationships PR can yield long-term, positive relationships with customers and people in the media who view your company in a favorable light. #### Manages reputation PR can be very effective as a reputation management tool, especially in the wake of a negative event. Owning up to mistakes and showcasing ways of improving in the future can land well with your target audience. ### Benefits of advertising As you consider advertising versus public relations, it's important to note that advertising comes with its own benefits, especially when it comes to motivating people to purchase your products: - You can tailor your messaging so it resonates with a small demographic, showing how your solution can meet their specific needs. - You can more easily control where and when you advertise because you can establish campaign details with your ad channel—and make adjustments as you need. - Advertising typically lends itself to fostering quicker sales than PR campaigns. As you connect the dots between your customer's needs and your offering, the value of your products or services can motivate them to make a purchase. When to use PR It's best to use PR when you have to: - Build credibility for your brand and its values. - Manage your reputation. - Build relationships with stakeholders, such as the general public, shareholders, or potential investors. Generally speaking, PR is designed to fine-tune your image from the perspective of your target audience. Whether or not a PR campaign results in short-term sales, you can use it to bolster your image and foster revenue-generating relationships down the road. When to use advertising Advertising, on the other hand, is best for when you want to: - Generate short-term sales, perhaps in connection with a revenue goal or a specific campaign, such as a seasonal promotion. - Promote your product to a specific audience. - Showcase specific attributes of products, such as newly developed features or technological advances your offering incorporates. Advertising is also good for product launches or impacting a specific, large audience right away. For instance, a social media ad campaign can get you exposure to thousands of buyers exactly two weeks before you release a new product. ## How to integrate public relations and advertising into your marketing strategy Integrating public relations and advertising in your marketing strategy involves choosing when you need to use each one and designing your strategy according to sales or brand management goals. Here are some steps you can take for a smooth integration of advertising and PR into your marketing approach: 1. **Decide on the messaging you want your PR or ads to convey**. The messaging should align with one or more marketing goals. For instance, a goal to boost sales of an existing product may promote its outstanding features. A goal to improve your public image in the wake of a cyberattack may involve a PR campaign showing your improved cyber defenses. 2. **Decide which channels to use for your ads or PR**. Your channel decisions may depend on the type of campaign. For instance, a PR campaign may depend on press releases and public speaking opportunities, while an ad campaign may focus more on social media ads or pay-per-click opportunities. 3. **Measure the success of your campaigns**. You should establish metrics, such as audience engagement, increased sales, a boost in qualified leads, or social media sentiment, to gauge how effective your campaigns were. It's better to opt for campaigns that lend themselves to metric-tracking as opposed to those that simply seem like good ideas. For instance, the success of a PR announcement on social media may be easier to track than a speech given in front of the media. 4. **Analyze your performance data and adapt accordingly**. If your campaign underperformed, take some time to figure out why. And if you beat expectations, identify what made it so successful so you can repeat it in future campaigns. For example, a public announcement accompanied by an explainer video may generate a lot of shares on Twitter. If the video views are low, however, it was the content of the announcement that drove the shares, not the explainer. Bonus tip Decide when it’s more useful to look into third-party agencies to take on your PR or advertising tasks. This could save you the budgetary confines of having to pay a salaried employee, and it would give you the ability to take advantage of an agency’s expertise in the market. ## Weaving PR and advertising into your marketing strategy Now you are fully versed in the differences between PR and advertising, as well as how to leverage their unique attributes in your marketing strategy. Remember that when you want to improve your overall brand image, PR is often effective, while advertising is typically best for generating quick sales. At the same time, using the steps above, you can integrate both simultaneously, supporting your marketing goals. Your next step is investigating [PR](https://www.softwareadvice.com/public-relations/) and [advertising software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/advertising-agency/) to help you design and automate your campaigns. * * * **Survey methodologies** \*Capterra's 2023 Dark Social Media Survey was conducted in September 2023 among 396 U.S. marketing or advertising professionals to explore how or if they are optimizing their campaigns or content for dark social media sharing (e.g., any mentioning of brands or sharing of content that happens on private social media channels). Respondents were screened to work at organizations with one or more employees and must engage in social media or SEO marketing initiatives. \*\*Capterra's 2023 Futureproof Marketing Survey was conducted in June 2023 among 281 U.S. respondents to explore the skills marketing managers and leaders are hiring for in a post-Ai technology job market, along with where marketing professionals believe they should upskill to secure their job roles now and in the future. Respondents were screened for marketing or advertising job roles or functions in organizations with one to 1,000 employees. 196 respondents hold director, manager, or supervisor roles, and 85 respondents are individual contributors at their organization. * * * ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Authors [### Adam Carpenter](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/acarpenter/) Adam Carpenter is a writer specializing in tech, fintech, and marketing topics for small businesses. He is a frequent contributor to Capterra. [### Carolyn Santa Maria](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/carolyn-santa-maria/) Carolyn Santa Maria is a senior editor at Capterra. Carolyn has been working in content for more than five years as an editor. With her keen eye for detail, technical experience, and cross-team collaborative expertise, she has developed new content types, briefs, and processes for a variety of different projects and teams. She has edited a large variety of content, including research reports, white papers, eBooks, email marketing campaigns, and many other types of technical papers. 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