As a PR company, we often see clients’ confusion about what PR actually is and how it works. We often hear questions like: “How will PR improve our sales? How many clients will it bring to us?”
These questions highlight a misunderstanding of the unique role PR plays in the broader business landscape. It is extremely important—yet hard—for us to find this balance and transmit the right meanings of PR to clients.
So, how do we find this bridge between PR, marketing, and sales?
The Differences: PR vs Marketing vs Sales
To address the misconceptions about PR, marketing, and sales, it’s first necessary to explain to clients the key differences in the disciplines’ goals. I always use this well-known statement among PR professionals that says: “Marketing is when the company itself talks about its advantages and its product, while PR is when third parties talk about you.”
To be more precise, marketing focuses on promoting products and generating leads, while PR is about creating a strong brand image—it works behind the scenes. PR shapes how the public perceives the company, which marketing further can then use to promote products.
Together, they create a full-fledged strategy where PR strengthens the brand, and marketing turns it into sales. Breaking it down to clients will certainly clear up any misunderstandings, opening the door for new corporate achievements.
Why PR, Marketing, and Sales Should Work Together
The real benefits of PR, marketing, and sales lie in their combined impact on a company’s success. Again, it’s important for clients to understand that PR plays a key role in long-term brand building and reputation management. Marketing then converts that brand power into measurable customer engagement, and sales then closes the loop by turning that engagement into revenue.
Let’s see how they work together and what their synergy can offer.
All-Around Promotional Strategies and Building Trust
This partnership starts with marketing creating the demand for PR. Before writing a PR strategy for a client, it’s important to first request a marketing strategy to understand the business goals and final results they are aiming for.
At its core, both PR and marketing work on building trust, however, doing so through different channels. PR focuses on mass media and journalists, while marketing collaborates with influencers, Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), and other promotional activities. And in fact, now, their work together is more important than ever for comprehensive lead generation. Why? Because people now are involved in all kinds of digital activities, especially social media. Of course, we can’t leave it behind.
Strengthening the Message
There are many new media formats like podcasts, webinars, and online events through which we spread our client’s messages. So first, PR raises awareness through these channels, and then marketing steps in with targeted promotions to strengthen the message.
Speaking about it, I’d like to note the importance of storytelling. In PR, it enhances brand value and supports marketing goals; companies establish connections with their clients and increase trust through texts. PR helps create a sense of connection between clients and the company simultaneously attracting new customers by answering customers’ frequently asked questions and discussing problem-solving solutions.
Demonstrating PR’s Value
Clients often ask us, “How does PR improve our sales?” or “What’s the ROI of PR?” It’s important to explain that PR and marketing measure success differently. Marketing is about trackable metrics like clicks, leads, and conversions. When, in contrast, the value of PR is seen in more intangible results like trust and brand loyalty. Yes, PR may not provide immediate sales, but it lays the foundation for the marketing and sales teams to perform more effectively.
However, PR metrics are evolving. Now more and more clients are looking for something rather than just the number of media placements or shares—they need more comprehensive statistics. For example, our one client with a significant mathematical background asked, “By what formula is the Present Score calculated?”
To adapt and satisfy the needs of our clients, we now see a correlation between their requests and the metrics available from tools like Google Analytics and Google Trends. Also, we have introduced new metrics, such as how many times a publication was republished or how many KOLs discussed it on social media. All to provide a clearer picture of our work’s impact.
Conclusion
To sum up, PR, marketing, and sales are distinct yet interrelated disciplines. When used together, they can bring significant benefits to sustainable business growth. It is our responsibility as PR professionals to communicate it to the clients and let them see the importance of bridging the three spheres. By doing so, we can help clients understand the true power of PR in achieving their business goals.
