{"id":915,"date":"2024-01-30T12:44:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T12:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/?p=915"},"modified":"2025-05-06T17:53:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T17:53:24","slug":"what-is-public-relations-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/what-is-public-relations-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Modern Public Relations? 15 Definitions From Experienced PR Practitioners"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is PR nowadays? Can you share with me your public relations definition? I bet you do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in a constant communication cycle. Anyone can become the next opinion leader. In the face of these changes, the role of public relations is changing\u201d\u2013 declared our CEO, Joanna Drabent, last year. Quite logical. Communication is nowadays more contextual, personalized, geolocated, and just-in-time, and consumers are more enlightened and empowered than ever. We all have to adapt to the digital transformation<\/a>. But do we, people responsible for communication, understand it?<\/p>\n

Our small experiment with the fax proves that not necessarily. PR experts still use heavy, outdated office app suites and spreadsheets or even fax (yes!) to manage their daily activities. It takes too much time. (BTW: That\u2019s why we created Prowly<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Anyway, What Is Public Relations Today?<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe formal practice of what is now commonly referred to as public relations dates back to the early 20th century. In the relatively brief period leading up to today, public relations has been defined in many different ways, the definition often evolving alongside public relations\u2019 changing roles and technological advances, which we mentioned above.\u201d This is what PRSA<\/a> has to say on the topic.<\/p>\n

Different Organizations, Different Public Relations Definitions<\/h2>\n

IPR<\/a>\u00a0puts it simply:<\/p>\n

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In 1982, the PRSA National Assembly<\/a> adopted this definition: \u201cPublic relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.\u201d In 2011\u201212, PRSA spearheaded an international project aimed at updating the definition of public relations. It included a crowdsourcing campaign and a public vote that resulted in the following:<\/p>\n

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The Chartered Institute of Public Relations<\/a> (CIPR) stresses a different aspect of public relations. It underlines that every organization, no matter how large or small, ultimately depends on its reputation for survival and success. And in today\u2019s competitive market, reputation can be a company\u2019s biggest asset \u2013 the thing that makes you stand out from the crowd and gives you a competitive edge. Effective PR \u2013 we read in CIPR statement<\/a> \u2013 can help manage reputation by communicating and building good relationships with all organization stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Read related article: Public Relations. The Ultimate Guide for 2020<\/a><\/p>\n

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The main definition of public relations used by the PRIA is almost the same. However, with the massive change in the communication process brought about by the information era, public relations \u2013 explains the PRIA on its website \u2013 could be easily described as:<\/p>\n

\"poprawki2-51\"<\/p>\n

What Does Public Relations Mean to PR Practitioners?<\/h2>\n

For Jason Falls (the author of the article \u201cSocial Media Is The Responsibility Of Public Relations\u201d), what is most telling in your social media efforts, is the message. And that is for him most likely already being supplied by your public relations or communications arm<\/strong>. Falls underlines: \u201cAs soon as three to five years from now, I see social media marketing as an almost exclusive domain of public relations professionals, so long as we get our collective heads out of our asses and learn how to do it. Some of us are there. Many of us are not. Too many of us think social media is newspapers in Eastern Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Here Are 15 Public Relations Definitions From Experienced PR Practitioners:<\/h2>\n

\"Danielle<\/p>\n

Danielle Hibbert,\u00a0Senior Project Manager at Belfast-based consumer PR agency Clearbox<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

In 2006, for me, it was simply about building and managing a brand\u2019s reputation<\/a> \u2013 how companies or individuals are perceived, how they perceive themselves and how any disconnect between the two can be addressed. This relied heavily on strong media relations and resulted in positive coverage in newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio. Job done.<\/p>\n

In 2016, reputations are still at the heart of PR, but the road is longer and has many more twists and turns. Today, for me, PR is about the art of communicating, creating debate, shaping personalities, influencer relationships, producing quality content, and owning the conversation<\/strong>. We also can\u2019t ignore the rising importance of search engine optimization as an objective in our PR campaigns.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rafa\u0142 Sa\u0142ak,\u00a0Communications Lead at Prowly<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Public relations is communication of an intended message that aims to result in a shift of audience\u2019s attitude (towards a person, brand, event, etc.)<\/p>\n

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Jordan Townley,\u00a0PR & CSR Specialist<\/span><\/h3>\n

For me, the definition of PR is reputation management. It's ensuring that your brand has a clear message and successful PR is ensuring that message is effectively represented and interpreted to the right audience<\/strong>. Effective PR is about being proactive, not just reactive to situations or brand\/business activity<\/strong>. With the rise of PESO<\/a> (Paid, Earned<\/a>, Shared, and Owned), PR's need to focus on content with transparency is key.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udca1 Tip:<\/strong> Explore this article<\/a> to learn more about how reactive PR compares to proactive PR\u2014and how to put it into action.<\/p>\n

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Charlie de Mierre,\u00a0Creative Director at Porter Novelli London<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

PR is the art of convincing others (consumers, media, influencers, etc.) of a company, brand, or product\u2019s relevance, rather than simply telling them. PR agencies have always worked to provide their clients with reasons to be talked about and to help them identify and communicate a purpose in people\u2019s lives. It\u2019s been the only way to grab the audience\u2019s attention without paying for it. And in a rapidly evolving digital world, this is what consumers are demanding more and more<\/strong>. They have become disillusioned with companies who have crumbled in the face of social and digital transparency and are now proactively choosing brands that are authentically on their side. They want brands with a purpose, brands that give customers good and relevant reasons to choose them. And that\u2019s why PR is becoming an increasingly powerful discipline \u2013 because we\u2019ve been doing just that for years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Stephen Waddington,\u00a0Chief Engagement Officer at Ketchum<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Public relations is the practice of understanding the purpose of an organization and its relationships within society<\/strong>. It is the planned and sustained activity of engagement between these two parties to influence behavior change, and build mutual understanding and trust. Engagement<\/a> between an organization and its publics is the core of public relations practice<\/strong>. It is a two-way process by which an organization communicates with its publics and vice versa.<\/p>\n

Ian Mude,\u00a0Group Development Director at Be Heard<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Katarzyna Kami\u0144ska,\u00a0Contributor\/Writer at 150sec.com<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Angu Ransom,\u00a0Founder at\u00a0RANSBIZ<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
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@edyta_kowal<\/a> @KataKaminska<\/a> @JimmySpeath88 @HashtagCuisine<\/a> @azehrams<\/a> Done well: clear, consistent message. Done badly: the opposite.<\/p>\n

— Ian Maude (@IanMaude) March 1, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n