PR vs. Marketing: Understanding the Difference and When Your Business Needs Each
If you’ve ever wondered whether your business needs public relations (PR), marketing, or both, you’re not alone. The two functions are closely related but serve distinct purposes — and knowing how they work together can be a game-changer for your brand.
In this article, we’ll break down what PR and marketing are, how they contribute to business growth, and when to invest in each.
What Is Marketing?
Marketing is all about promoting your products or services to drive sales and revenue. It’s the direct line to your customers, with strategies that can include:
Advertising: Paid campaigns across digital, social, and traditional media.
Content Marketing: Blogs, videos, and resources that attract and educate your audience.
Email & Social Media Marketing: Building and nurturing a community around your brand.
Lead Generation: Capturing and converting potential buyers.
The goal of marketing is straightforward: generate interest, capture leads, and move customers toward a purchase.
What Is Public Relations (PR)?
PR focuses on building and managing your brand’s reputation. Rather than promoting a product directly, PR creates a narrative that shapes public perception through:
Media Relations: Securing earned media coverage to build third-party credibility.
Thought Leadership: Positioning your team as experts through speaking opportunities, op-eds, and interviews.
Crisis Management: Guiding communication during sensitive situations to protect your brand.
Community Engagement: Nurturing relationships with local communities and industry stakeholders.
PR is a long game — it builds trust, credibility, and brand affinity over time.
Why Your Business Needs Both PR and Marketing
Marketing gets people in the door; PR makes sure they trust what they find. While marketing drives immediate results, PR strengthens your brand’s long-term reputation, making future marketing efforts more effective.
Imagine launching a new product. Marketing can target buyers with ads and promotions, but PR can amplify the launch with media coverage, influencer endorsements, and executive interviews. Together, they create momentum that turns attention into action.
When to Prioritize PR
You’re building credibility in a crowded market.
You want to establish your founders or executives as thought leaders.
You’re hosting an event or making a major announcement.
You want to insulate your reputation in case of future challenges.
When to Lean on Marketing
You need immediate sales or lead generation.
You’re promoting a new product or service.
You want to build a direct connection with your audience through content or social media.
How PR and Marketing Fuel Business Growth
The best results happen when PR and marketing work in tandem. For example:
PR sparks curiosity; marketing captures the interest. When an article or TV segment features your company, marketing can retarget that audience with ads or nurture them through an email funnel.
Marketing tells the world what you do; PR tells the world why you matter. While marketing highlights product features, PR tells the human stories behind your brand, building emotional connections that last.
PR strengthens marketing ROI. A trusted reputation makes customers more likely to choose your brand over competitors, reducing friction in the buying process.
Ready to Harness the Power of PR?
If you’ve been focused solely on marketing, it might be time to explore how PR can elevate your brand to the next level. Whether you're launching something new, looking to stand out, or simply want to build a more resilient reputation — PR can be the missing piece of your growth strategy.
We’d love to help you navigate this. Let’s talk about your business goals and explore how a thoughtful PR strategy can support your long-term success.
📩 Contact us today to start the conversation, or visit our PR & Marketing Services to see how we can help.
About The Author
Lauren Kwedar Cockerell is founder and president of Kwedar & Co. She is also the firm’s lead PR and marketing strategist, host of our podcast The Impatient Entrepreneur, as well as a frequent podcast guest.
Over the past 20+ years, she has worked with 100s of leaders and organizations to create PR and marketing strategies and tactics that support visions and reach goals.
To connect with Lauren, please send an email above, or book a consultation.