Your company’s image is an important part of brand awareness. It affects what potential customers think about you, and whether they see you as a trustworthy source of information and products or services. 

Public Relations (PR) is a strategic communication from your business to the public that reinforces brand awareness. It is part of your overall marketing strategy and can help your business cultivate a good reputation via press and social media posts, blogs and articles. Effective PR involves managing the perceptions of your brand through media partners and engaging with the appropriate audience.

A robust PR strategy centres on how your brand is perceived and enables active engagement with individuals who can positively influence that perception. Key functions of public relations include:

  • Implementing strategies that enhance your brand image.
  • Managing your online presence and business appearance.
  • Understanding and reacting to an audience’s opinions about your brand.
  • Building and maintaining positive relationships with investors, journalists, clients, etc.
  • Promoting your company across various media channels.
  • Mitigating the impact of crises on your brand’s reputation.

Establishing and maintaining media relations for PR typically involves drafting press releases and communications, pitching stories to the media, organizing and participating in interviews, attending special events, and other related activities.

Peter Ibbetson, PR specialist and co-founder of JournoLink explains what PR is and how to use it to promote your business: