What is the Difference Between PR and Advertising?

If you are a small business owner you know you want to make your business more visible. You can’t do it yourself, but who is the best to turn to for help – a public relations or an advertising professional?

First, know that both public relations and advertising fall under the umbrella of marketing. Marketing professionals help you generate more business by increasing your visibility, and often times they provide both public relations and advertising services under one roof. Other times, however, companies specialize in one or the other.

But what are the differences between public relations and advertising and which service can you best benefit from? Here are the differences between the two and the advantages that both can reap.
 
WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?
 
PR generates awareness by sending press releases to the media gatekeepers, such as newspaper reporters, magazine editors, TV and radio producers and more.
 
PR agencies write press releases as a means to entice reporters to write about their client. Many people think that a press release is an article that you write that gets placed verbatim in the newspaper. In fact, however, a press release is simply a story idea that you send to a reporter, who then will pull inspiration from the press release and write his or her own story. It does not guarantee a written spot in a publication.
 
It’s important to understand that press releases need to be timely. For example, if a business is launching a new product, offering a new service, or hosting a new event, this is the perfect time to send out a press release. 
 
ADVANTAGES OF PR
 

• It Gives Your Company Credibility
  Sending press releases to reporters encourages them to write about you, and when a reporter writes a story about your company, it is more credible than when you take out an ad.
  
  
• It’s More Visible Than an Ad
  Think about advertisements in magazines and newspapers. You see them but often skim over them to read articles. When an article is written about your business readers acknowledge it as valuable content and read it.  

 
WHAT IS ADVERTISING?
First of all, let’s go over what advertising IS. It’s a TV commercial, radio spot, billboard, print display ad, online banner ad, etc. It is NOT a press release. Advertising is key to getting your brand recognized and seen by a larger audience, but in most forms of advertising you don’t have much time or space to explain much.

Advertising agencies help you create and write your ads for various mediums, and they also help determine the best spot to place your ads to reach your desired audience.
 
One type of advertising that does allow you to explain more about your business is an advertorial. An advertorial often appears in print publications like a magazine. It looks likes a piece of editorial content but is actually an ad that someone paid for.
 
ADVANTAGES OF ADVERTISING
 

• Reach The Right Audience
  Advertising agencies help you reach the exact audience and demographic you want to reach. Unlike PR, where you have no guarantee that a certain newspaper or magazine will run your story, buying advertising guarantees that your message will appear in a certain publication.
  
  
• You Control the Message
  Again, unlike PR, where the reporters have the ultimate authority over what they say about your, with advertising you can control your own message.