PR Strategy: The Ultimate Guide to Public Relations in 2025

Public relations is all about connecting with people and building relationships through storytelling, information sharing, and marketing campaigns. It plays a vital role in creating a positive public perception of a brand, product, or service.

According to the most recent projections from IndustryARC, the global PR industry will be worth $214.9 billion by 2030, making it one of the most heavily invested fields in marketing and comms. And as social media, digital platforms, and influencer marketing all become more critical to brands' success, the level of investment is only going up.

Now, it's more important than ever that you understand what goes into building and maintaining a positive public image through the power of PR.

What is a PR strategy?

With a continuous increase in market saturation across the board, everything’s becoming commoditized (at least to some degree). So, companies need to be equal parts creative and savvy in how they connect with their target audience. Because, ultimately, the connection you have with them is your #1 differentiator.

That's where a digital PR strategy comes in.

Public relations is the process of building relationships between companies or organizations and the public by strategically communicating key messages to target audiences. It involves creating an effective plan to manage public perception in order to build and maintain a positive image for a business or organization.

An online PR strategy includes activities such as:

• Marketing campaigns (see also: PR vs. marketing)
• Storytelling
• Virtual and in-person events
• Press releases
• Media relations
• Content marketing
• Influencer promotion
• Behind-the-scenes activities

It also involves creating content for related advertising campaigns, as the two overlap in some ways. The main difference between PR vs. advertising, though, is that advertising is focused on promoting a product or service, while PR activities are aimed at building a long-term relationship with the public.

It’s important to note that a PR strategy is not only about protecting your brand’s reputation—it's also a great way to build relationships with customers, generate consumer demand, and let people know what you're all about.

How to Build a Winning PR Strategy

The importance of PR is well-known, but how exactly does it fit into your business objectives?

The exact mix of PR strategies and tactics that work for your organization will depend on your individual objectives, target market, budget, and timeline.

If you hire an agency for PR services, they will work with you to develop an action plan tailored to your specific goals and carry out the backend work that takes time, care, and an extensive network.

Nevertheless, these are the steps we use to build effective PR strategies at Influize:

Establish a goal-driven mission statement.

Your mission statement sets the tone for your PR campaigns. It should clearly communicate the purpose of your organization or product and serve as a guiding principle for PR decisions.

• Trying to build credibility with investors?
• Shifting public perception after a rocky launch?
• Launching a new product and need visibility in a niche market?
• Becoming a thought leader in your industry?

Your mission should connect the dots between media exposure and business results.

Setting clear timelines and goals for your digital PR strategy is also essential here. You want to keep others accountable for their responsibilities, and it provides a benchmark for evaluating the success of each campaign.

The best timelines include short-term goals to track daily progress, as well as long-term goals to measure the overall success of your PR strategy.

A few of the most critical KPIs to measure both short and long-term success:

• Reach: How many people are exposed to your message?
• Engagement rate: How many people actually interact with your content or brand?
• Sentiment: What do people think and feel about your campaign and/or brand?
• Leads generated: Are you generating more leads through PR activities?

There are several ways to quantify each of these, but the most important first step is to set a standard and track it over time.

Invest in the best PR tools

If you're running an in-house PR campaign, you'll live and die by your PR tools. Invest in the best options to equip your team with the tools they need to quickly and accurately monitor your brand's reputation, craft winning stories, identify key influencers, and measure campaign success.

If you hire a PR agency, ensure they invest in the best tools to help you reach your goals.

And if you aren't sure where to start, here are a few of the most important ones to consider:

• Social media management: Software like Sprout Social or Hootsuite helps you monitor your brand's social channels and craft engaging messages.
• Media database software: Platforms like Muck Rack and Prowly make it easy to find and connect with relevant journalists, outlets, and influencers.
• Press release distribution services: Services like PR Newswire make it easier to distribute press releases to a wide range of media outlets and track their performance. If you outsource your PR strategy to a specialized company, they'll take care of this.
• Influencer identification and outreach tools: Services like Traackr or NinjaOutreach help you quickly find and connect with the right influencers for your campaigns.
• Analytics software: Tools like Meltwater and Google Analytics are essential for tracking success metrics and identifying which strategies work best for your brand. You can also use specialized PR measurement tools like Cision or Meltwater.
• Social monitoring tools: If your other social media and digital PR tools don't have this feature, you'll need a social media monitoring tool to track conversations about your brand and key topics in real time. Especially if you fall victim to dark

PR or some sort of predatory attack, you'll need to be able to respond quickly.

If you don't want to subscribe to all of these different tools (most are paid), hiring an agency brings down the total cost of PR — while making your life easier, might we add.

A tip from our PR experts: The "best" tools for you are ones that integrate with one another and with your CRM and marketing stack. Take the time to research and find tools that work together seamlessly, or else you'll end up with tons of manual work and operational silos.

Structure your PR campaigns

Your PR effectiveness will largely depend on how you structure your campaigns. This iterative process will change slightly over time, so don't worry about perfecting things too much.

Start by developing a PR plan that outlines your objectives, strategies, tactics, and timeline. This should include specific goals for each campaign and strategy you develop.

Then create content that upholds your message and brand standards to differentiate yourself from competitors.

Don’t create content for content’s sake. Only produce what aligns with your campaign goals.

Focus on creating high-quality stories, press releases, and media materials that grab the attention of your target audience. But only focus on content that actually moves the needle for your business.

When your content is ready, use paid promotion and PR outreach to get your message across to the right people. Paid promotion and influencer marketing work especially well together since they can reach a wide range of people quickly while also ensuring you're reaching the right ones.

Real-world example: When skincare brand The Ordinary launched in the U.S., it paired influencer partnerships with behind-the-scenes founder interviews.

For instance, TikTok creator @hydrationceo shared a sponsored post emphasizing the affordability and effectiveness of the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum.

And in a notable conversation with The Italian Rêve, CEO and co-founder Nicola Kilner discussed the brand's commitment to scientific integrity and transparent communication, shedding light on campaigns like “Everything is Chemicals,” which aimed to educate consumers about the ubiquity of chemicals in everyday life.

When you're done, use our checklist to see if you're ready to move on.

Always have a B plan

Like we said, PR is an iterative process. But that doesn't mean it's a one-and-done kind of game. It's essential that you always have a backup plan in case something goes wrong because unpredictable events, poor reception from your audience, and operational hiccups happen no matter how much you plan the campaign.

Running a paid promotion campaign and the results don't match your expectations? You should have a plan to adjust it. This could include switching out creatives or targeting different audiences until you find the sweet spot for maximum ROI.

Did the audience interpret your message the way you intended? Be ready to publicly respond to the issue and take ownership of your mistake.

Sometimes, changes can even happen mid-campaign. In early 2025, Vita Coco planned a Valentine's Day influencer gifting campaign to promote their new Strawberries & Crème Treats.

Recognizing a shift in public sentiment against extravagant influencer promotions, they pivoted from that. Instead, they set up a DIY vending machine in New York's Washington Square Park, offering free samples directly to consumers.

Their community-centered approach generated more organic buzz. But it also reinforced the brand's authenticity and connection with its audience.

Pick the right influencers.

There are two basic types of influencers you may want to consider:

• Micro influencers: These are often everyday people with a few thousand or tens of thousands of followers. They can be used for targeted campaigns and localized marketing efforts, but generally have less clout than macro influencers.
• Macro influencers: These are well-known figures in the industry with at least tens or hundreds of thousands of followers. They come at a higher price tag but can help you generate more buzz and attract a much wider audience (sometimes).

When picking the right influencers for your campaign, make sure to research their track record to ensure they are a good fit for your brand message. It's also important to consider how their followers may react to sponsored content or endorsements from them.

When to use micro influencers

• Your business operates in a niche market.
• You're looking for localized campaigns.
• You have a smaller budget.
• You want to spread your brand exposure across multiple influencers.
• You can't handle too much exposure or aren't looking for it.

When to use macro influencers

• Your brand is well-known and you want more exposure.
• You need the help of a larger influencer network.
• Your company can afford the higher price tag.
• You have the capacity to handle a massive influx of traffic.
• You're scaling rapidly and need the help of high-profile partners.

A tip from our PR experts: Work with influencers who embody your values and have an audience that matches your own. Campaigns convert more when the product feels like a natural fit.

Don’t skimp on quality content.

This is the step that we see most businesses mess up on.

We'll give it to you straight here: If you hire a cheap freelancer or agency to write bylines, send press releases, make videos, or create PR materials for you, it's probably not going to be effective. We promise.

And no, this isn't a biased writer telling you this from behind the screen just because they're passionate.

You might be tempted to cut costs on a blog, video script, or advert after spending thousands on planning your PR strategy. But the reality is that the people who assemble your content are the real difference between you generating more buzz and you wasting all your time and money.

High-quality content doesn't come cheap, but it's worth the investment if you want your campaign to stand out from the competition and attract more customers.

There are four main types of content: owned, paid, shared, and earned.

You can’t control your shared and earned content, but you can invest heavily in controlling the narrative of your owned and paid content.

When looking for a copywriter or agency, make sure they have experience in PR writing and clearly understand your brand message.

The quality of your content is essential to the success of any PR campaign—it's how it ends up connecting with your viewers. Sometimes, one word or phrase is the difference between success and failure, and solid content marketers know that.

Take the time to review their portfolio and find one that can effectively communicate your message in an engaging way.

Always be more creative

Creativity is king. A great digital PR strategy needs to be built on a foundation of originality. You might have the best influencers pushing your message, but if it's something we've all seen before or doesn't carry any real value, it won't work.

There are several types of press releases:

• Timely releases that have something to do with the news of the day
• Reactive releases that respond to trends in the industry
• Proactive releases that announce upcoming events.

When writing your release, look for ways to make it stand out and be memorable. Try to add a unique twist or angle, such as using an interesting statistic or adding humor. And for that "virality" factor, don’t be afraid to push the envelope.

In 2021, Weetabix sparked a social media frenzy by tweeting a photo of their cereal topped with Heinz baked beans, captioned: "Why should bread have all the fun, when there's Weetabix?"

The unconventional pairing ignited a wave of humorous responses from major brands, including KFC, Domino's, and the NHS.

The viral campaign ended up leading to a 15% increase in sales for Weetabix during the campaign period and garnered multiple industry awards.

Don’t try copying your competitors.

Your business model isn't exactly like your competitors' and your PR strategy should be no different. Of course, there may be similarities. And you may draw inspiration from things you've seen before.

But don’t be tempted to copy what they've already done (it won't help you stand out). Instead, focus on your own goals and objectives.

• What do you want to achieve with your PR campaign?
• How can you differentiate yourself from competitors?

Think about the unique value that only your business can offer and create a plan that leverages that. Then, execute it in a new way that commands good attention.

5 Tried-and-True PR Strategy Examples

Although there are PR trends that come and go, there are several battle-tested PR strategies that have stood the test of time.

Here are four examples of timeless elements of any PR campaign:

Participate in community and industry events.

Whether it's a local festival, an industry conference, or a charity gala, participating in events is one of the best ways to increase visibility and build relationships with potential customers.

You can create memorable experiences that make an impression on your target audience by sponsoring events or providing thoughtful gifts.

And if you really want to stand out from the crowd, think about creating your own event—you can even use it to launch a new product or service.

Use press releases.

Press releases are the Holy Grail of PR. They provide you with a great opportunity to share your news and stories directly with the public.

You can use press releases to announce new products, launch events, or discuss important topics in your industry—all while establishing yourself as an expert.

Leverage influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing is one of the most cost-effective and powerful PR strategies. It allows you to leverage the influence of influential people in your industry or niche to spread the word about your product, service, or brand.

You can reach a wider audience by partnering with influencers who already have an established following. And you can do it while gaining valuable trust and credibility for your business.

Take advantage of social media.

If you partner with influencers, you'll probably end up using social media regardless. Nevertheless, you can use these platforms even without influencers to build an engaged community around your business.

Whether you're sharing news, hosting contests and giveaways, or simply engaging with your followers, social media is a must-have tool for any PR strategy.

Use visual content.

Social video content gets 1,200% more shares than images and plain text combined. And viewers retain 95% of a message when it's paired with video, compared to 10% with text alone.

This makes visual content a potent tool for any PR campaign. You can use videos, infographics, and other types of visual media to make your press releases, blog posts, and social media content stand out—and keep readers engaged!