“Advertising is what you pay for; publicity (the result of public relations) is what you pray for.”
So goes a common business saying.
Both can play a part in your marketing efforts, but it is important to understand how they are different. Here are four primary ways:
1. Paid vs. Free — With advertising, you pay to deliver your message (your ad). This can be a variety of channels, including print, radio, online, billboard or TV. By contrast, public relations (PR) is known as “free” or “earned” media. It is when a third party or media outlet/channel delivers your message or “story” through an article, editorial or news segment.
2. Credibility — When your message is shared through a news story, it typically holds more credibility than an ad because it comes from a third party. Rather then you saying how great you are, someone else, not affiliated with your practice, is saying how great you are.
3. Control — With advertising, you have control over the content of your ad as well as when and in what media channels it will appear because you have paid for it. With PR, you may tell your story to a reporter, but that reporter has final control over what appears. And you typically don’t have the opportunity to review or edit it.
4. Frequency — Again, with advertising, you can run your ad/message as many times as your budget will allow. With PR, however, you should only submit a specific story idea to a reporter once, and it will typically only air/appear once or for a limited time determined by the media outlet. Of course you can extend the story’s shelf life by sharing it on your Web site and social media and making copies/reprints available in your waiting rooms, marketing packets, etc.
Explore both advertising and public relations opportunities for your practice to determine the right combination to achieve your specific goals.