PR vs. Advertising: What Are the Differences?

The average consumer’s attention span is 8 seconds. This short attention span means businesses must use multiple channels to reach customers.

Public relations and advertising both put your brand in front of more people. Both industries continue growing because of the results they provide for businesses.

Should you use PR, advertising, or both. We’ll share the details in this pr vs. advertising analysis.

What Is Advertising?

Businesses use ads to scale growth. You can show your product or service to a target audience. Ad platforms ask for payment in exchange for the extra visibility.

You can run ads on various platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Pinterest. CTV advertising opens up new possibilities and can emerge as a dominant player in the future.

It can get complicated to create and monitor your ads. Many agencies like Nomadic Advertising help companies with ad setups. Some businesses make this investment so they can focus on other areas.

Most brands don’t see an immediate payoff from their ads. It takes several ads before a profitable one emerges. Businesses can use profitable ads to scale their reach and revenue.

Profitable ads are the holy grail for many businesses. You feed the ad platforms with more money and increase the output.

Advertising requires the least work once you get them right. Then, it’s a matter of reviewing the data to ensure everything works smoothly. Advertising makes more sense if you enjoy crunching the numbers or can afford an agency.

What Is Public Relations Marketing?

Some companies hire agencies to help with PR, but you can also do it yourself. Public relations prioritizes relationship building as a path to visibility and revenue.

The main objective behind PR strategies is media exposure. Business owners reach out to podcasters, magazines, and other publications.

Most brands make the mistake of aiming too high in the beginning. They only aim for big-name TV channels and magazines.

Local magazines and media provide low-hanging fruit. All media entities need content to survive.

Prominent publications get more requests than they can acknowledge. Local media outlets don’t experience the same volume. You can locals and build up your credibility.

Some businesses use local media placements to secure national media placements.

PR is a numbers game. The more pitches you send, the more opportunities you get. Some business owners build relationships with reporters and editors to increase their chances.

PR is a people-oriented business. If you’re great at talking with people, PR is a great marketing channel for you.

PR Vs. Advertising: Closing the Debate

The PR vs. advertising debate highlights two viable channels for your business. Both provide opportunities for visibility and revenue.

Advertising requires a pay-to-play approach while PR works for any budget. Ads allow you to scale your efforts and get more results without putting in more time.

PR requires continuous pitching as you can’t assume people will find you. It takes longer to reach this stage with PR compared to advertising.

Want to learn more about PR and advertising? Continue reading this blog for additional insights and resources.