PR
Media Release Template With Examples
Copy this media release template, see the standard media release format explained, and use two worked examples for a business announcement and an event.
PR vs marketing comes down to purpose. Marketing promotes products and services to customers to drive sales, mostly through channels you pay for or control, such as ads, your website, email and social media. Public relations (PR) builds and protects an organisation's reputation with a wider audience, including media, community and staff, mostly through attention it earns, such as news coverage. They work best together.
What is the difference between public relations vs marketing?
| Marketing | Public relations | |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Sales and leads | Reputation and trust |
| Audience | Customers and prospects | Media, community, staff, investors, government and customers |
| Channels | Paid and owned: ads, website, email, social media | Earned: news coverage, interviews, events, community work |
| Control | You control the message | Journalists and others decide what's said |
| Measured by | Leads, sales, cost per lead, return on ad spend | Coverage, sentiment, share of voice, relationships |
| Timeframe | Campaigns, often short term | Ongoing, long term |
Are public relations and marketing the same thing?
No, but they share tools and goals. Both tell your story and both want people to think well of you. The difference is who they're talking to and why. Marketing asks "will you buy?"; PR asks "will you trust us?".
Is public relations part of marketing?
It depends on the organisation. In many small businesses, PR sits inside marketing and the same person handles both. In larger organisations, PR or communications is often its own team that reports to leadership, because it deals with issues beyond sales, such as staff, government and crises.
The overlap is sometimes called marketing public relations: using PR tactics, such as media coverage of a launch, to support marketing goals.
What is PR in marketing?
PR in marketing is the credibility layer. When a local paper covers your new service, a respected industry site mentions you, or a community group thanks you publicly, that third-party voice makes your marketing more believable. Public relations in marketing often shows up as:
- Media coverage of launches, openings and milestones
- Expert comment from your team in news stories
- Sponsorships and community partnerships
- Awards and recognition
- Online mentions and links that support SEO
What's the difference between a PR campaign vs marketing campaign?
A marketing campaign usually has a sales goal, a paid media budget and a fixed end date, such as a four-week ad campaign for a summer sale. A PR campaign aims to change awareness or opinion, relies on earned coverage and relationships, and often runs longer, such as a community campaign around a new facility. Many launches use both: PR for the announcement and credibility, marketing to turn interest into sales.
Marketing or public relations: which does your business need?
Choose marketing first if you need leads and sales now. Choose PR when you need trust: a new business introducing itself, an organisation that relies on community support, or a business facing a reputation problem. Most growing businesses need some of both, and they work better coordinated than apart.
What we see when regional businesses combine PR and marketing
In regional towns, the line between PR and marketing is thin. A story in the local paper is often seen by the same people who see your ads, and a sponsorship at the footy club can do more for your reputation than a month of posts. The businesses we see doing well treat news, community work and advertising as one story told in different places.
That's how we work. Our public relations team, with decades of PR and journalism experience between them, works alongside our marketing team, and our marketing partnership plans (from $4,500 + GST a month) include press releases alongside social media, SEO and advertising. Read more about what public relations means, or how to get media coverage for your business.
Frequently asked questions
What is PR and marketing?
PR and marketing are two ways an organisation communicates. Marketing promotes products and services to drive sales; PR builds reputation and relationships with the media, community and other stakeholders.
Does public relations fall under marketing?
Sometimes. In small businesses PR is usually part of marketing. In larger organisations it's often a separate communications function, because it covers staff, government relations and crisis management as well as customers.
Is PR or marketing better for a small business?
Marketing usually comes first because it drives leads directly. PR adds credibility and is especially useful for launches, community-focused businesses and anyone rebuilding trust.
Is marketing vs PR a career choice?
They're related careers with different skills. Marketing leans on data, campaigns and selling; PR leans on writing, media relationships and judgement under pressure.
Can one agency do both PR and marketing?
Yes. A combined agency can keep your news, advertising and social media consistent. Check that the PR side has real media experience, not just marketing staff writing releases.
Want PR and marketing working together? Contact Rock Solid Marketing to talk about your goals.
