What is Public Relations?

Public Relations, in one form or another, is all around us every day. It’s used to influence changes in behaviour and beliefs in target publics (stakeholders) by most organisations. But how much do those who use it, and those influenced by it, understand what it actually is?

Most people who’ve heard of or seen the term ‘Public Relations’ or ‘PR’, often in the news, have an understanding of what they think it is.

But, for various reasons, what they understand is usually either wrong or, at best, only a partial picture.

What they typically have in mind is two things:

1. Sending a News Release to the Media

Typically an announcement of news for use as a News item by media, sometimes issued ahead of time under an embargo for publication after that day and time. 

This is still referred to by many people, including many Public Relations practitioners, by the anachronistic term ‘Press Release’, which derives from Public Relations’ roots in the early 20th Century where printed daily, weekly and monthly publications were the dominant mass medium for communicating news.

Public Relations bodies now teach that this medium should be referred to as a ‘News Release’ because that best reflects its purpose – releasing news about the organisation.

This activity is now referred to as Media Relations and is still a major tool of Public Relations, but far from the only one (more of that in a later blog).

2. The ‘PR person’

Someone like Malcolm Tucker in The Thick Of It, Edina Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous or Siobhan Sharpe from Twenty Twelve and W1A. Someone who uses news releases and other PR tools to create a flattering or false narrative about their client – often referred to as ‘spin’ – to their stakeholders via the media.

Reality

Thankfully, the reality of best practice Public Relations is more complex, largely different and ethically sound.

The definition of Public Relations used by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR): is this (with my emphasis in bold):

Reputation

As the definition says, reputation is at the heart of PR. 

As the CIPR goes on to say:

If you think about how you engage with companies and other organisations yourself, you can see the truth in that. 

If you need something fixed and you don’t have an existing supplier, what do you do? You’ll look for someone or a company with a good reputation in that – perhaps by asking friends or family or reading reviews of those you find online.

Actions and reputation

As the CIPR’s definition goes on to say, there’s a clear link between what you, or your brand or organisation, do and say and the reputation you gain as result.

The CIPR doesn’t rank each of the contributing factors to your reputation, but it’s clear to me they are in this order because of which ones your publics will pay most attention to and be influenced by: 1) What you do; 2) What others say about you; 3) What you say.

So the notion that you can do what you like but Public Relations will help you gain, retain or recover a good reputation regardless is false – actions have reputational consequences.

And sometimes no amount of PR can fix it. Tony Langham, CEO of Lansons, put it this way in his session at the CIPR National Conference 2019: “You can't talk your way out of a problem you behaved your way into.”

Aims of PR

Referring back to the CIPR definition again, Public Relations has “the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding.”

Notice in that, PR is about a two-way communication with key audiences (those who can affect your perception) - trying to gain their support by influencing what they think and do.

Note also, PR is “planned and sustained”, so a one-off or annual news release to the local paper is unlikely to achieve those goals of a positive relationship based on mutual understanding.

The value of PR

So what is the value of using Public Relations? One final time, I’ll refer back to what the CIPR says:

That final quote refers to the other major alternative definition of Public Relations put forward by academics in the field – that, at top level, Public Relations is about actively managing stakeholder relationships and managing your reputation is part of that.

Whichever definition you feel chimes strongest with what your organisation needs, the activities undertaken are the same.

In a world where competition for business and resources is once again very challenging for all organisations, managing and influencing your reputation and stakeholders is proving to be a critical strategic and tactical area you need to consider and invest in.

Can you afford not to use best practice Public Relations to effectively manage your reputation into a strategic intangible asset and source of competitive advantage?

February 2026 Update

The other major UK Public Relations body, the PRCA, has published an alternative based on feedback from its members.

It has two versions: one short, the other detailed.

Short

"Public relations is the strategic management discipline that builds trust, enhances reputation and helps leaders interpret complexity and manage volatility - delivering measurable outcomes including stakeholder confidence, long-term value creation and commercial growth."

Detailed

"Public relations (PR) is the strategic management discipline which enhances reputation, improves brand value, builds culture and enables organisations and individuals to achieve and maintain legitimacy with stakeholders and the public.

"Grounded in ethical practice, public relations builds the trust on which organisational and personal performance and lifetime customer and shareholder value depend.

“Through board advisory related to futures and foresights work, data and insights, stakeholder mapping and engagement, public affairs, risk preparedness, crisis management and more, the function's value lies in supporting leaders to reduce uncertainty, interpret complexity and manage volatility.

“PR delivers credible two-way engagement that shapes perception, informs decision-making, supports behaviour change, builds commercial revenues and creates societal and economic impact. At its core, it works with organisations and individuals to create strong and healthy relationships with the people and groups affecting their ability to function, grow and succeed.”

Principles Underpinning the PRCA’s New Definition

Relationship-centred, not output-focused - The practice is fundamentally about cultivating meaningful relationships rather than producing discrete deliverables. Press releases, media coverage and content are means to an end - not the end itself. Success is measured by the strength, durability and mutual benefit of stakeholder relationships delivering tangible commercial, economic and societal impact.

Earned credibility as the primary currency - In an environment where attention can be purchased but trust cannot, contemporary public relations prioritises earning credibility through consistent behaviour, authentic behaviour, third-party endorsement and editorial scrutiny. The discipline recognises that audiences process paid messages through a filter of scepticism, making earned trust the most valuable and defensible asset an organisation can possess. It counters misinformation and ensures content is factchecked, balanced and fair.

Strategic counsel at the highest level - Modern public relations operates as a strategic function that informs individual and organisational decision-making at the board and executive level. Through ethical advice that can be trusted and constructive challenge, practitioners serve as reputation custodians who help leaders determine not only what to say and how to say it, but whether to speak at all - and who anticipate consequences across all stakeholder groups before actions are taken. Wider interests are factored into thinking, such as the environment, marginalised groups, future generations and more.

Two-way engagement, not one-way broadcasting - Effective practice balances storytelling with listening. It involves deep engagement, consultation and the development of emergent strategy through genuine collaboration with stakeholders. Audiences are recognised as active participants with agency and voice, not passive recipients of messaging.

Multi-stakeholder orientation - The discipline extends far beyond consumer marketing to encompass the full ecosystem of relationships essential for individual and organisational success: employee engagement, internal communication, investor relations, community relations, government affairs, regulatory engagement and broader societal licence to operate. It addresses the priorities of the entire leadership team - not merely the marketing function.

Navigating complexity and managing risk - Contemporary practice equips individuals and organisations to operate in an environment characterised by geopolitical uncertainty, political polarisation, technological disruption and the rapid spread of misinformation. It encompasses crisis preparedness, issues management, scenario planning and the capacity to respond with agility when reputational threats emerge.

Platform-agnostic storytelling - While rooted in traditional earned media, modern public relations creates and distributes credible content across owned, shared and earned channels - including websites, podcasts, social platforms, creator partnerships and direct community engagement. The discipline adapts storytelling to context while maintaining narrative coherence and authenticity.

Shaping the information ecosystem - As artificial intelligence increasingly mediates how information is discovered and consumed, public relations plays a critical role in ensuring individuals and organisations are represented accurately and authoritatively in AI-generated outputs. This requires building a robust, trustworthy presence that algorithms recognise, cite and recommend.

Long-term value over short-term noise - The practice rejects the notion that success comes from "flooding the internet with content." Instead, it prioritises strategic, high-quality engagement that builds cumulative reputational equity over time. One credible, well-placed message delivered to the right audience at the right moment outweighs a volume of forgettable content.

Grounded in insight and evidence - Contemporary practice is enhanced by data, research and continuous environmental scanning. Underpinned by good data literacy, it employs stakeholder mapping, sentiment analysis, media monitoring and performance measurement to guide strategy, demonstrate value and refine approaches based on evidence rather than intuition alone.

What’s new?

© Alan S. Morrison, 2026

Published March 2025, reviewed February 2026