The hardest thing about our job is probably explaining what we do. All too often, it is equated with advertising, journalism, or marketing. And just as often, you hear from acquaintances who say they do the same thing. Only something completely different. With this blog post, we want to help all those who find themselves struggling to explain their job at family gatherings and whose parents tend to confuse one thing with another.

What does a PR consultant do? Tasks, examples, and differences from marketing

“PR is communicating the strategic goals and key messages of organizations to their stakeholders and, first and foremost, to the media, which then pass on the messages to a wider audience. Do you know what I mean, Mom?” Yes, no.

Let's start at the very beginning: PR (public relations) is a subdiscipline of communication science, which in turn is part of the social sciences and humanities. And characteristic of the humanities is the absence of natural absolutes. 1+1 does not equal 2, but rather what the other person perceives.

Public relations is still a relatively young discipline. The first scientific theories only emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. Looking back, of course, it has been around for much longer. Edward Bernays, for example, recognized the potential of public relations as early as 1920 and knew how to use it. [1]Grunig/Hunt (1984) provide one of the first and probably most widely used definitions, describing public relations as the “management of communication between an organization and its publics.” [2].

Communication by companies and organizations

Just as people communicate, so do organizations, such as companies, with each other and with people who are important to them—their stakeholders. These can be very diverse: the general public, (potential) partners, customers, investors, suppliers, and many more. And, of course, the media and journalists. They have the opportunity to reach a large target audience through their various media channels.

This makes them interesting for communicators, i.e. those who want to communicate something. This is because targeting a single person with a specific message can result in many times that number of people receiving the same message.

Example: Site opening and media relations

Company A, a supermarket chain, would like to announce that it is opening a new location in Vienna. Two messages should be conveyed:

“Customers can now purchase our exceptional products here as well.” and „Our company is doing well, so we can expand."

Now, it would be quite expensive to send this message to each potential customer individually. So, the supermarket chain decides to inform the media about its new location. With their wide reach (the Kronen Zeitung newspaper reaches around 2 million people in Austria every day!), they are well placed to take on this task. There are various ways of informing the media about this. We will briefly explain three of them here:

Press release: All essential information and messages about the new location are compiled and summarized in a text: opening, product range, special features, opening offers, and the company's growth trajectory.

Individual story pitch: Certain media outlets are offered this news exclusively, giving them an advantage over other media outlets. This can increase the chance of (more comprehensive) coverage.

Media event: You invite the media and their representatives directly to the opening so that they can see the new location for themselves and talk to the people in charge.

But why should the media pick up on this information?

The answer is quite simple: because it is interesting and relevant for their readers to know about the opening. And a medium that meets the interests of its readership will be consumed.

That's all well and good, but what EXACTLY does a PR consultant do?

A PR consultant organizes all of this. Their tasks include creating the necessary press materials such as press releases, fact sheets, statements, etc., and distributing them to the appropriate journalists. They also organize interviews, invite the media to the site opening, and look after them on site. Afterwards, they ensure that the media reports on the opening and that the company can convey its message, or in this case two messages, to a wide audience.

Digression: Why does a company choose PR over marketing/advertising?

It should be noted that PR, marketing, and advertising work best when used together. The goal of PR is to generate editorial coverage. In other words, to secure unpaid space in a medium designed by journalists. An editorial article also has the advantage that it is generally considered more credible. This is due to the gatekeeper function of journalists, but explaining this would go too deeply into theory.

Nevertheless, the impact of advertising should not be underestimated. PR may be cheaper and more credible than advertising, but it is also far less predictable. PR cannot guarantee the wealth of messages that can be packed into advertising, nor their wording and weighting.

However, we should not overlook the high relevance of paid advertising for the media and thus for society and our democracy itself. The past few years have clearly shown us how important a functioning media landscape—financed by subsidies, subscriptions, payment models, and advertising—is.

Companies clearly perform best when they combine and coordinate PR and advertising. Social media marketing should also be mentioned as the third power in this trio. Focusing on all these disciplines promises the greatest success, but is of course also a question of budget. Those who limit themselves to just one of these should be clear about what they can expect for their money—and what they cannot. It is therefore part of the daily bread of PR and consultants to find clear words and make realistic forecasts. If the product or service cannot create added value for media consumers and thus no incentive for journalists, the customer is better advised to use advertising.

In a nutshell:

Simply put, PR consultants achieve the greatest possible reach for their clients at a manageable cost. They get the media to report on their clients, know where advertising and social media marketing make sense when necessary, and thereby help companies and organizations connect with their audience.

We hope we've helped you prepare for the next barrage of questions! If you're now interested in PR, feel free to contact us by phone or email. We have plenty of stories!

[1] PR inventor Bernays – The man of conviction (Spiegel.de, March 25, 2025)

[2] Managing Public Relations – Grunig/Hunt, 1984 (Researchgate.net, March 25, 2025)

Written By: Kevin Puntschart