Public relations

Public relations, often called PR, is the practice of managing information to influence how people perceive an individual or an organization. These organizations can include businesses, government agencies, nonprofit groups, or public officials. The primary goal is to inform and persuade various stakeholders to maintain a favorable view of a company, its products, or its leadership. Stakeholders are the many different groups that an organization's success depends upon. These groups include customers, employees, investors, politicians, regulators, neighbors, and business partners like suppliers.

PR operates through specific mechanisms to achieve its goals. Professionals often focus on gaining "earned media," which means obtaining news coverage without paying for it directly. This is a key distinction from advertising, which is known as "paid media." While advertising involves paying to distribute a message, PR seeks to generate interest through topics of public importance. PR also maintains a close relationship with journalism through media relations. However, their core objectives differ significantly. Journalists aim to report events with objectivity and impartiality. In contrast, PR professionals present developments in a way that supports the specific interests of the organization they represent.

There are many different roles and disciplines within the field of public relations. Professionals can work internally for a company or externally at a PR agency. Internal roles include titles such as public relations coordinator, specialist, or manager. In agencies, workers might serve as account executives, account supervisors, or media relations managers. In the United Kingdom, common titles include Account Director and Account Manager. The daily responsibilities of these workers are diverse. They design communication campaigns and write press releases for the news. They also write speeches for leaders, act as official spokespeople, and manage company reputations during a crisis.

The history of public relations shows how the field has evolved over many centuries. While academics find roots in ancient persuasion methods like Aristotle's Rhetoric, the modern profession has specific milestones. Many textbooks point to the establishment of the Publicity Bureau in Boston in 1900 as the founding of the profession. In the United States, Ivy Lee is credited with establishing modern PR in 1903. He served as a corporate advisor and image maker for Rockefeller. Later, Edward Bernays spread these practices internationally after handling theatrical publicity in 1913. In the United Kingdom, Basil Clarke is considered the founder after starting Editorial Services in 1924.

Definitions of public relations have changed as the field became more professional. In the early 20th century, Lee and Bernays defined it as a management function to earn public understanding. By 1978, the World Assembly of Public Relations Associations called it an art and social science. This definition included analyzing trends and counseling leaders to serve both the organization and the public interest. In 1982, the Public Relations Society of America stated that PR helps organizations and publics adapt to each other. By 2011, a crowd-sourced definition called it a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships. More recently, in 2026, the UK's Public Relations and Communications Association described it as a discipline that builds trust and manages volatility.

Public relations is a global industry with different regional characteristics. In South Asia, there is rising spending on digital and influencer-led campaigns, especially in India. In East Asia, such as in Japan and South Korea, PR is often integrated into corporate communications and crisis management. Latin America shows high optimism and growth among PR leaders. The Middle East and North Africa market is evolving quickly, with work often conducted in both Arabic and English. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the profession is growing in hubs like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. These regional trends show how the practice adapts to different cultural and economic environments.

Modern technology has fundamentally changed how public relations works. In the early 2000s, press-release services began offering versions specifically for social media. The Cluetrain Manifesto predicted the impact of social media as early as 1999. By 2024, social media became a necessary tool for influence and direct engagement with customers. Today, PR professionals use these digital platforms to manage brand awareness and handle internal and external communications. This digital shift allows organizations to reach their many publics more quickly and directly than ever before in history.