“My publicist will be in touch.” Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Many of us get the impression that only celebrities or CEOs of huge companies have public relations, or PR, for themselves and their organizations. But truthfully, every business can benefit from good PR!

And you don’t have to hire an expensive publicist for your team to handle the PR for you. You can market your business and yourself as a speaker on your own. That’s what we’ll talk about below: what PR is, how it’s different from marketing, and what you can achieve with it.

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What is PR?

PR stands for “public relations.” The very official-sounding definition of PR (from the Public Relations Society of America) is a “strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Hmm. Okay.

Let’s simplify that a bit further. I’d say that PR is engaging and influencing an audience. And that’s either between your audience and yourself, your business, or your entire brand. PR is all about shaping and framing how the public views you.

If you’re thinking that PR sounds an awful lot like marketing, you’re not the only one. They’re similar in that both involve communicating with your audience about your brand and business.

The key difference between PR and marketing? Marketing focuses on selling and promoting a product, service, or idea. The goal is to drive sales, usually. PR focuses on crafting and maintaining a positive brand reputation.

PR and marketing are sometimes intertwined and/or confused for each other. It makes sense, since the goals of each kinda depend on the other! It helps to have a positive reputation in order to sell your offers. And you can increase brand awareness by marketing your stuff.

Now that we’ve covered what PR is, why should you invest in it for your business?

What you can achieve with PR

Because PR is so similar to marketing and it feels like a luxury for many entrepreneurs, you may not know why you need it in the first place. But there’s actually a lot you can accomplish with the right PR strategy and opportunities.

Leave a better impression on your audience

When buying a new product, what do you trust more: an ad from the brand, or a positive customer review? I’m betting you chose the review.

That’s because positive word-of-mouth, positive testimonials, positive media coverage — all of these are more trusted than ads. In fact, PR is almost 90% more effective than advertising! That’s mind-blowing.

This is especially true for speaking. You’re more likely to inspire trust in your audience by sharing publicity and positive attention that you’ve earned, rather than simply targeting people with ads. Good PR proves how trustworthy and authentic you are to your audience.

H3: Stay at the top of search engine rankings

The more PR content you share on your website, social accounts, blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, the more chances you give people to find your business online. I’ve talked about the importance of SEO before in Episode 85 with my guest Tommy Griffith.

Consistent, positive PR that’s timely and relevant will help you stay at the top of search engine rankings — and help you stay top of mind with your customers.

Keep your brand reputation positive

Last but not least, you can use PR to maintain a positive brand reputation. We all know that one negative review, one negative comment, one angry audience member or customer can spread bad publicity in an instant.

A big part of PR is looking out for these negative reviews and dealing with it quickly before it spreads. It also involves managing what’s being said and sharing the correct information with your audience.

What about publicists?

If you’re wondering whether you should hire a publicist to handle all the PR for you…I can’t answer that. (Sorry!) It all depends on factors like your budget, timeline, goals for your brand, and PR needs.

What I can tell you is that a publicist can be a great asset to your brand if you need it. A publicist can help you build brand awareness, manage your reputation, handle press, and find speaking opportunities.

If you’re just starting out on your speaking journey, you’re already doing all of these tasks. And since you’re a newer speaker, you likely aren’t ready to have a publicist at your side just yet. You’re probably still working on honing your message and crafting an amazing presentation. (That’s the first step in The Speaking Strategy Academy, BTW.)

A publicist is going to work to amplify your speaker marketing. If you don’t have any of that in place already - you’re not going to see a good return on your investment with a PR professional. Trust me, I know. Your best bet is to do the deep work yourself to get started. Build a solid foundation and get clear on who you speak to, what you speak on, and what difference your message makes for your audience. Once you have a solid foundation in place it will make it much easier to outsource your PR efforts in the future.

So, what’s the verdict?

Do you need PR, yes or no? When it comes to speaking, I say yes! Having a solid PR strategy can benefit your speaking journey in so many ways. You can better influence your target audience, increase your brand reach, and maintain a positive reputation.

As for doing PR yourself or hiring someone to help, it’s up to you. If you have the budget and the experience, and you’re farther along in your speaking journey, you might consider hiring a publicist. They can help you hone your brand, book opportunities, and get you covered by the media.

However, you don’t need someone else (or the extra expense) to do that all for you. If your budget is limited, or you’re new to speaking for your business, I recommend taking on PR yourself for now.

If you’re a speaking newbie, there are definitely other areas of your speaking journey I recommend you focus on first. Your message, first and foremost. Once your message is solid, a perfectly crafted talk is next. Then comes pitching opportunities…and finally, you’re ready to deliver your talk with confidence.

How do you move through these four phases with ease and become a go-to expert and in-demand speaker? The Speaking Strategy Academy can help!

In fact, those four phases are part of our signature Speak to Scale Framework, just one of the many resources that will help you scale your business through speaking. When you become an Academy member, you also gain access to live group coaching calls, swipe copy and templates, educational trainings and videos, and lots more.

No matter your level of speaking experience, the Speaking Strategy Academy can help you make an impact from the stage…and use the right PR tools to establish your credibility and be seen as an expert. Join the Speaking Strategy Academy now!