What is the difference between PR and advertising?

When most people hear about PR and advertising, they assume it’s roughly the same thing. The reality, in fact, is that there’s a big difference between them.

Advertising is controlled media. The company creates a campaign and the materials for it before paying the media to share the campaign.

PR is often seen as more authentic than advertising, as the information comes from trusted sources. 

Public relations is typically cheaper than advertising – often a fraction of the cost.

What makes an effective PR campaign?

Written material: Distributing effective news, via press releases, case studies and expert articles, will help entice print journalists, influencers and broadcasters to talk about you, and promote your brand. These should be accompanied by high quality imagery and video footage.

Press engagement:  Stimulating requests for experts and spokespeople and information are effective ways to make your company sound as authoritative, interesting and exciting as possible. 

Engagement on social media:  It is possible to enhance your brand status and following by posting relevant and engaging content on social media. Engagement with social media influencers (rather than journalists) to create content about your brand is also PR.

Events: ‘Show and tell’. Invite press and prospective patients to launch events, treatment demonstrations and opportunities to meet with relatable case studies as this is an effective way to bring your differentiators to life.

Personal experiences: Create opportunities for journalists and influencers to experience treatments, products and for themselves. There is no better way to demonstrate the effects of a treatment or product than to experience it in person.