8 Types Of Public Relations And How They Work

What pops into your mind when you hear the term public relations?

If you’re like most people, you probably think about things like press releases and crisis management. While these are certainly important aspects of PR, public relations as a category is much broader.

Keep reading to learn more about all things public relations, including eight different tactics today’s leading PR teams use to tell their stories to great effect.

What is public relations?

Public relations (PR) is the strategic management of communication between an organization and its audiences to build trust and maintain a positive reputation. Through a combination of strategies — including media outreach, social engagement, and consistent messaging — PR helps organizations connect with their customers and the general public and effectively shape how they’re perceived.

Differences between public relations and marketing

While public relations and marketing are similar, they’re not the same; the key difference lies in their focus and approach.

For example, PR aims to build and maintain a positive reputation for an organization by managing its relationship with various audiences — including media, employees, and the public. Ultimately, its goal is trust and goodwill.

Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on promoting products and services to drive sales and generate revenue. It involves targeted campaigns and direct messaging designed to attract customers.

While PR is all about long-term credibility and long-lasting relationships, marketing focuses on measurable outcomes — like customer acquisition and sales — and often leverages PR as part of a broader strategy.

8 types of public relations

Public relations includes several distinct methods that organizations use to build strong, lasting connections with the public and strengthen their reputations. In this section, we explore eight of the more common types of public relations, along with real-world examples of what they look like in action.

1. Media relations

Media relations focuses on building and maintaining relationships with journalists and media outlets to secure positive coverage for an organization. It involves pitching stories, coordinating interviews, and proactively publishing press releases to shape public perception.

Companies often work with reporters to get coverage on things like new product launches or philanthropic initiatives they’re planning. For example, Patagonia — a company with a firm commitment to protecting our planet — made waves in 2022 when founder Yvon Chouinard announced he’d be transferring the clothing company’s ownership to two nonprofits that fight climate change.

In response, Patagonia racked up reams of earned media coverage — a byproduct of the investment they’ve made in media relations over the years.

Patagonia CEO Yvon Chouinard fly-fishing in the Snake River. In 2022, Chouinard famously gave away ownership of his company to climate-oriented nonprofits.

2. Strategic communications

Strategic communications involves crafting and delivering high-impact messages that align with an organization’s goals and values. It focuses on long-term reputation management and brand positioning across all communication channels. While all of PR is strategic to some degree, strategic communications aims to laser-focus carefully scripted messaging to an influential target audience in order to deliver maximum impact.

For instance, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has long expressed his hope to see humans become a multiplanetary species. This strategic messaging aligns strongly with SpaceX’s corporate mandate to design, manufacture, and launch advanced rockets and spacecraft.

Musk shares this talking point regularly in interviews and media appearances. He also leverages unconventional techniques to get the message across — like launching a Tesla Roadster into space to demonstrate SpaceX’s rocket capabilities and commitment to pushing humanity forward.

“Starman” achieves orbit in a Tesla Roadster in a PR stunt that commanded the world’s attention.

3. CEO PR

CEO PR is a subcategory of public relations that seeks to shape the chief executive’s reputation in a favorable light. It entails a variety of different tactics — including communication strategies, earned media, executive thought leadership, crisis management, and stakeholder engagement — all of which help CEOs get more media coverage and improve how they’re perceived by the public.

Among today’s leaders, one who exemplifies the power of CEO PR is NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang. By integrating media interviews, podcast appearances, an active social media presence, and even a distinct wardrobe (i.e., his trademark black leather jacket), Huang effectively leverages his voice to cut through the noise and advance company goals.

4. Crisis management

Crisis management involves addressing negative situations that could harm an organization’s reputation — like product recalls or public controversies. The focus is on transparent, timely communication to mitigate damage and rebuild trust.

For example, in 2017, Equifax Chairman and CEO Rick Smith kicked off a PR blitz by releasing a video detailing the company’s notorious data breach — including what happened, what the company was doing to help impacted customers, and the steps the organization was taking to prevent such an incident from occurring again in the future.

When an event like this happens, customers’ frustration can easily flame up. By quickly releasing a transparent video, expressing remorse, and offering a path forward, Smith made sure the fire didn’t get any bigger than it already was.

Rick Smith, Chairman and CEO of Equifax, addresses customers in the aftermath of the 2017 cyber incident that impacted the personal data of 147 million people.

5. Corporate communications

Corporate communications refers to internal and external messaging designed to maintain a positive business reputation, in particular among employees and community stakeholders. It includes internal communications like employee newsletters, as well as public-facing statements around charitable and social initiatives.

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, T-Mobile announced it would donate $25,000 for each home run hit during the World Series and would contribute up to $1 million more if fans texted the word RALLY to a mobile number. By committing to help folks in the impacted regions, T-Mobile demonstrated its willingness to help and generated goodwill.

6. Government relations

Like the name suggests, government relations involves engaging with policymakers and government agencies to influence regulations, secure support, or promote the organization’s interests. Activities that fall under this umbrella include lobbying, cultivating relationships with government decision-makers, participating in official forums and hearings, and hosting events.

A recent example: in October 2024, the popular crypto exchange Coinbase shared a blog post called “Crypto is Here to Stay” that announced a $25 million donation to a nonpartisan super PAC, Fairshake, a group committed to advancing legislation favorable to cryptocurrency. At the same time, the company also announced its intention to help drive new members for Stand with Crypto, a crypto advocacy organization. Taken together, these moves serve amount to a clear government relations strategy designed to influence legislation and government action.

7. Investor relations

Investor relations is the process of communicating with current and potential investors, shareholders, and financial analysts in a transparent and effective manner. It includes sharing data about financial performance, growth strategies, and market updates to give a clear picture of where the business has been and where it is going. The goal here is simple: to encourage investors to bet their capital on your business.

You can’t really talk about investor relations and skip over Warren Buffet, who’s written a famous annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders since 1965. Every year, shareholders, the investor community, and financial analysts look forward to seeing what the Oracle of Omaha has to say about the markets. To highlight how popular these letters are, Buffet even published a book that includes the letters he wrote between 1965 and 2014.

8. Social media relations

Social media relations involves managing an organization’s presence on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. The goal here is simple: engage with your audience, reach new prospects, and shape public perception in a positive manner. This includes posting content, responding to comments, and running campaigns. You also have to analyze results regularly, using data to iterate and incrementally improve.

Recently, investment firm ICONIQ Growth shared a post about Pharrell Williams speaking at the Black Ambition Founders Conference. ICONIQ also called attention to two CEOs from its portfolio companies who spoke at the event. By leveraging a celebrity, two portfolio companies, and a popular conference, ICONIQ quickly and concisely conveyed what its brand is all about, while increasing the chances more eyeballs see the post.

Craft your public relations strategy today

Since you’re reading these words, you’re no doubt interested in figuring out what you can do to enhance your PR strategy. Perhaps you’ve even identified a few elements that are missing in your efforts today and already know what you need to work on.

Whatever the case may be, crafting a PR strategy on your own is a tall order. By partnering with a dedicated PR agency that has expertise in executive thought leadership, personal branding, and social media management, you can rest comfortably knowing that your PR efforts are in good hands, entirely taken care of. Learn more here.

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