What is framing and why is it important in Public Relations?

Framing is an important concept and practice in Public Relations and communication in general.

Using the metaphor of taking a photograph of a scene in front of, framing is about what, out of all the facts and views, you choose to include in your story. Like zooming in on a tree in a landscape.

It's also, by definition, as much about what you choose to leave out in order to tell the story you want - towards influencing the audience/s of the communication to taking the action you seek in order to achieve the Business and Communication Objectives you've set for the communication.

Perspective

What you can see and from what perspective is affected by where you’re standing - in photography, business and life.

A standard photography improvement tip is to change where you're taking the picture from - where you’re standing, angle and height - because ‘The World From 5ft Something’ is omnipresent and potentially dull. Take a different perspective to get something more engaging.

The same principle is useful when creating your communication, whether it be via Public Relations, Media Relations or other channels. If you want to ensure your story is reasonable and accurate, especially over something potentially contentious, spend time thinking about how other stakeholders will see it.

Credibility

The reason you should do that is because, whatever story you tell, and how you frame it, the things you claim and how you've framed them need to be credible with your audience/s for the communication to be successful in the terms you’ve set.

Use your Stakeholder Map to think through how each will perceive what you’re saying. Who will be accepting, who potentially challenging privately or publicly. How will you respond? You can’t always please everyone, so which stakeholders’ views will need to be considered most, potentially leading you to revise a policy or a public position or rhetoric on it?

Thinking things through before communicating helps avoid potentially embarrassing unplanned responding to what others have said as a result. Which is rarely good for your reputation.

How will you frame your communication in future? Which stakeholders will you consider and how will that impact how you frame your messages

© Alan S. Morrison, 2026.

Bottom image – generated by me with Microsoft Designer

June 2026