Publicity Versus PR

Often I see a lot of confusion in the way the services of a public relations practitioner are described. The most common example is the thinking that public relations and publicity are one in the same. This is most typically portrayed by the people who are in a position to purchase the services of a PR pro, so I believe it's to the industry's advantage to clearly delineate the services of each.

Public relations involves wide-ranging programs, only part of which is media relations. Other services that are commonly used include the creation of newsletters and other external material, arranging speaking engagements and setting up meetings with industry and financial analysts. All of this works toward the overall goal of advancing understanding of a client's goods and/or services. In short, even when PR practitioners are dealing with intellectual capital, as they do when working with law firms, all the work they do is done on behalf of the entire firm, not just advancing the cause of one individual.

Publicity, on the other hand, involves the representation of an individual or a group of people and focuses more on the management of their reputation. So, for example, you'll see publicists trying to keep their clients both in and out of well-known columns like "Page Six," which appears in The New York Post.

Since many people who engage a PR pro's services are often doing so for the first time or have limited experience with this type of professional, it's to the industry's advantage to make sure everyone is clear on exactly what is and isn't part of a PR person's job and a PR program.