Publicity is media coverage a business earns instead of buys. It does five things for a business: it separates the business from competitors, builds goodwill, widens the audience, adds credibility because the message comes from a third party, and supports search visibility through links from news and blog sites. Unlike advertising, publicity costs time and a story worth telling, not media spend.
| Benefit | How it works | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Stand out from competitors | Coverage names what makes the business different | Pitch one point of difference per story |
| Earn goodwill | Press covers businesses that act on social or environmental causes | Pitch the action, not the intention |
| Reach a wider audience | Each outlet delivers the story to its own readers | Match each pitch to the outlet's audience |
| Gain credibility | Readers trust reporting more than a company's own claims | Offer data, customers or experts a reporter can quote |
| Support search visibility | Coverage links readers to the business website | Make sure the website answers what the story raises |
How does publicity help a business stand out from competitors?
Publicity helps a business stand out because every story about it names a point of difference a competitor does not claim. A business that earns repeated coverage for a specific strength becomes the name reporters call first on that subject.
Competition is the reason this matters. When many businesses offer a similar product, a reporter's choice of whom to quote is a ranking nobody can buy.
How does publicity earn a business goodwill?
Publicity earns goodwill when a business takes visible action on a social or environmental cause and the press reports it. The Body Shop is the classic case. Founder Anita Roddick said in a speech to the Empire Club of Canada that the company did not advertise and wanted to be high profile in the community instead. The company's own Our Story page says its history of campaigning started in 1986, and its Community Trade program bought ingredients directly from supplier communities.
The lesson is to pitch what the business did. A stated value earns little coverage, while a program with named partners and results gives a reporter a story.
How does publicity broaden a business's audience?
Publicity broadens an audience because each outlet that covers a business delivers it to readers the business could not reach alone. PR is not a direct sales tool, but people who have read about a brand are more likely to recognize it when they select a product.
Choose outlets by who reads them. A trade publication reaches buyers in one industry, and a local paper reaches customers within driving distance.
Why does publicity increase a business's credibility?
Publicity increases credibility because the statement comes from a reporter or another independent voice, not from the business itself. When stories about a business appear repeatedly, readers begin to treat it as an authority in its field.
Earn that trust by giving reporters material they can verify: original data, named customers, and an executive willing to answer questions on the record. A claim a reporter can check is worth more than a claim they must take on faith.
Does publicity help a business show up in search?
Publicity can help a business show up in search because independent coverage that links to the business website sends readers to it and gives search and AI engines more places that describe the business. Independent mentions matter more than self-published releases for this reason.
Check the destination before a story runs. The page a reader lands on should answer the question the story raises. For the wider media toolkit, see the media relations pillar, the annual PR plan and how to choose a PR firm.
Ronn Torossian is the founder and chairman of 5W AI Communications. He is the publisher of Everything-PR and the author of two best-selling editions of For Immediate Release.