A press release might be the most visible PR tool, but it is just the tip of the PR iceberg and cannot carry an entire campaign alone. Public relations services range from finding or even creating story opportunities, to choosing the right media route and timing each approach, to developing journalist relationships and keeping interest alive.
In this blog, we explain why organisations use PR and what happens behind the visible coverage. We look at the difference between a press release, media pitch, feature and column, how they work together in a PR plan, and how The Inspiration Agency extends each opportunity through social media, email marketing, website content and blogs.
Why use public relations?
Put simply, PR is a way for businesses or organisations to get people to notice, understand or trust what they are doing. Through setting up and capitalising on media and communications opportunities, PR drives visibility, credibility and trust. That might mean promoting a major milestone, framing a story around growth and success, or highlighting how an organisation contributes to its sector or community.
Strong PR gives journalists, clients, partners and industry audiences a reason to engage with the organisation. A planned sequence of stories, supported with wider communication activities, can build recognition and keep the business front of mind and part of relevant conversations.
What do public relations services include?
Public relations services cover the full journey from idea to maximised opportunity. At the Inspiration Agency, we identify what is genuinely newsworthy, find the strongest angles, gather the context and evidence, write the piece and approach the media contacts we think it will land best with. We don’t just look at the story a client brings us; we uncover and cultivate other ideas, building sustainable campaigns that don’t rely on just one announcement.
For a major milestone or charity partnership, for example, we may lead with a press release and follow up with targeted media pitches. We tap into the knowledge and insights of each client to develop expert opinion or insight features, award opportunities or event activity, positioning clients as thought leaders and trusted experts. The aim is visibility underpinned by credibility – without overwhelming journalists with repeated or weak approaches.
In fact, when it works best, we find journalists actually start coming to us rather than the other way around. When you can be relied on to offer quality material, right for their audience, with frontline insights and informed perspectives, hitting their brief and on deadline, your media currency rises exponentially. That’s what a great PR agency can do.
Four PR tools and the job each one does
Press release
A press release is essentially a news story. It gives journalists the verified facts, context, quotes, images and contact details they need. It works best when the news is timely, relevant and supported by details and evidence.
Media pitch
A media pitch is a shorter, tailored approach to a particular journalist or publication. It’s a proactive way of reaching out to the press with an idea for a relevant article. The idea needs to suit the publication’s audience and offer something useful, such as an interview, expert comment, opinion piece or a case study.
Feature
A feature follows a successful pitch. If a magazine likes your proposal, they will invite you to submit copy bringing that idea to life. It might examine a sector issue, tell a client story, or bring together an expert view and a real example. Usually around 800 to 1000 words, although they can range from 500 to 2500+, features give an organisation more room to demonstrate knowledge, experience and perspectives than a short news item.
Column
A column gives a named expert space to share a clear viewpoint or practical advice. Some columns are one-off contributions and others are recurring. They need to help the reader rather than read like an advert, which is why a defined area of expertise matters.
A good campaign may use all four at different moments. The press release establishes the news, the pitch gives extra context or highlights another linked story, the feature adds depth, and the column keeps the expert voice visible after the initial announcement.
A PR plan keeps the campaign moving
A PR plan maps the strongest stories, priority publications, expert themes and suitable timings. It includes major announcements, but it also leaves room for breaking news, journalist requests and sector or wider conversations that cannot be predicted months ahead.
We do not send one idea, receive no reply and consider the work finished. With our public relations services, we may refine the angle, offer it to different publications, connect it to a timely issue or choose a different format. If the idea is better suited to the organisation’s owned communication channels, we will say so. Coverage can never be guaranteed, but a planned campaign creates multiple solid routes to achieving it.
Planning ahead also allows PR to work alongside the organisation’s wider communications activity. When we know an announcement, launch or piece of news is coming up, we can plan supporting social media content or an email campaign around it, helping to give the news greater visibility beyond the initial press activity. Rather than treating PR as a standalone piece of work, we can use each opportunity across multiple relevant channels to extend its reach, reinforce the message and get more value from the activity.
Timing protects journalist relationships
Journalists receive a large number of approaches. Sending every small update to the same list can make an organisation easy to ignore, and repeated irrelevant emails may be filtered out. We consider the strength of the story, the journalist’s subject area, the news cycle and how recently they have heard from the client before pressing send.
Follow-up also needs judgement. A concise, useful reminder may help when a deadline is approaching. Repeatedly chasing an unsuitable story damages trust. Protecting that relationship matters because the next idea may be exactly what the journalist needs.
Use communications to make every PR opportunity work harder
Securing coverage is one part of the campaign, whether that’s through a press release or a media pitch. Our communications services help the story reach people who may never see the original publication and can give the campaign longevity long after the initial press release has been and gone. We can turn the central idea into a website article, email update or social media post, adapting the wcontent for each audience and channel.
The same works in reverse. Questions raised on social media, in client conversations or through website searches can reveal a subject that deserves a media pitch, feature or expert column. PR and communications feed each other, with ideas and opportunities flowing in both directions.
Measure the campaign, not just the coverage
A useful PR report looks at the quality and relevance of coverage, whether the intended message appeared, who engaged with the supporting communications and what happened next. Depending on the campaign, that may include readership or listener figures, website visits, branded searches, event interest, enquiries or stakeholder feedback.
The report should also guide the next decision. It needs to show which angles gained interest, which audiences responded and where the campaign should go next.
What should you expect from The Inspiration Agency?
Our work spans strategy, recognition, reputation and communication. We get to know the organisation, build a PR plan, keep a pipeline of ideas moving and choose the strongest route for each one. That may be a press release, media pitch, feature, column, award, event or a supporting piece of owned content.
Our clients always receive honest advice. We will not recommend a press release simply to fill a content calendar. We look for the approach most likely to interest the audience, protect the journalist relationship and support the wider campaign.
Build a PR campaign, not a one-off announcement
A press release has value when there is real news, but public relations services and communications services help to provide the purpose and activity around it. The campaign needs a pipeline of ideas, careful timing, strong media relationships and communications that carry each opportunity further.
If your organisation needs a planned PR campaign rather than occasional announcements, speak to the Inspiration Agency. We can identify the stories worth telling, choose the right route and keep building momentum after the first piece of coverage.