PR or Advertising: Which One Does Your Business Need?

Small business owners often ask the same question: should I spend on PR or on advertising? The honest answer is that they do different jobs. Advertising buys attention that you control. PR earns attention that you do not control.

This guide explains the difference, shows when each one makes sense and gives a simple way to decide. It is written for owners and managers, not for marketers.

In this guide

• The difference in one minute
• Side by side
• When advertising is the better choice
• When PR is the better choice
• Using both
• Four examples
• How to decide
• Frequently asked questions

The difference in one minute

Advertising is space or time that you pay for and control. You decide the message, the design, the place and the date.

PR (public relations) is about earning attention and trust. A newspaper writes about you, a journalist quotes you, a website carries your news. You can influence the story, but the editor decides what runs.

Sponsored articles sit in between. You pay for them, so they work more like advertising even when they look like news, and good outlets label them clearly.

Side by side

When advertising is the better choice

• You need sales or admissions in the next few weeks.
• You have a time-limited offer.
• People already know what you sell and only need to know where and when.
• You can keep paying for it month after month.

When PR is the better choice

• You are new and few people have heard of you.
• Trust matters a lot, as it does for clinics, schools, finance and professional services.
• You have real news: a launch, an opening, an award or a result you can prove.
• You want to look credible when people search your name.
• Your budget is small and you can invest time in a good story.

Using both

They work best together. PR builds the reputation that makes your advertising more believable. Advertising brings visitors and enquiries while that reputation grows. A common pattern is to start with a story at launch and add a small amount of advertising around it.

Four examples

These are made-up businesses, used to show the thinking.

1. A new dental clinic. The clinic needs trust before anything else. It starts with PR: an opening story and a profile of the doctor. A small local advertisement comes second.
2. A sweet shop before Diwali. The offer is time-limited, so advertising does the selling. A story about the craft and the family behind the shop gives it something for the media. See our guide on festive-season PR.
3. A software startup. A funding or launch announcement and expert comments build credibility with buyers. Advertising for demos can come later.
4. A business hit by an unfair news story. Advertising will not fix this. It needs a calm reply, accurate information and, over time, more accurate coverage. That is PR work.

How to decide

Ask three questions.

1. What do I need in the next 30 days: sales or trust? Sales point to advertising. Trust points to PR.
2. Do I have a real story? If not, PR has nothing to work with yet. Build the story first.
3. Can I keep paying every month? If not, PR is often the better use of a small budget, because a published story keeps working after you stop.

If the answers are mixed, start with the smaller of the two and watch what brings enquiries. To start with PR, our press release service and pricing pages show what is included and what it costs.

Frequently asked questions