How to create a PR strategy that aligns with your business goals
Let’s be honest: if your PR strategy isn’t closely tied to your business goals, it’s not really a strategy at all, it’s more like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.
Sadly, it’s far too common: businesses who are doing great things, innovating, growing, disrupting industries are however struggling to communicate in a way that actually supports what they’re trying to achieve. And more often than not, it comes down to a lack of alignment. The PR efforts are happening in one corner, the commercial strategy in another, and the two just aren’t talking to each other.
So how do you build a PR strategy that’s actually working for your business? Let’s break it down.
Start with the bigger picture – not the press release
It’s tempting to dive straight into the doing – “Let’s get a press release out”, “We need to be in this magazine”, “Let’s post something on LinkedIn”. We get it, but if you haven’t first asked why you’re doing any of those things, you’re setting yourself up for wasted time and mixed messages.
Your first step is to zoom out and look at your actual business goals. What is the company trying to achieve in the next 6 to 12 months? Are you looking to grow your customer base? Enter a new market? Attract investment? Recruit top-tier talent?
Once you know what the business is aiming for, you can start to shape a PR strategy that supports those goals directly. PR isn’t just about visibility, it’s about influence, credibility, positioning, and trust, all of which are essential building blocks for growth.
Make your PR goals specific – and targeted
Once you’ve got clarity on the big-picture business goals, it’s time to ask: what does success look like from a PR point of view?
This is where we get specific, not just “we want more coverage”, but what kind, where, and why. Do you want to see your CEO quoted in specific magazines to grow awareness? Do you want to grow your brand’s presence on LinkedIn to drive B2B leads? Or get featured in verticals ahead of a product launch?
PR goals should be meaningful. Think in terms of outcomes, not just outputs. It’s not solely about the number of mentions, it’s about the impact they’re having on the business.
Know who you’re talking to
This gets overlooked more than you’d think. One of the most important questions to ask when building a PR strategy is: who are we actually trying to reach?
Understanding your audience in detail, their behaviours, challenges, media habits, and preferences, means you can shape messaging that actually resonates. If your aim is to influence potential investors, for example, you’ll need a very different approach than if you’re targeting potential clients or partners.
Tailoring your strategy to your audience isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s essential, and it makes the difference between noise and influence.
Tell a story that supports your strategy
Once you know who you’re talking to and why, you need to get your messaging right.
This is where PR becomes storytelling. But the story PR tells cannot be just any story, it should be one that aligns with your business strategy. What do you want people to understand, feel, or do as a result of engaging with your brand?
It’s not enough to talk about what your business does, you need to show why it matters: How are you solving a problem? What makes your approach different? What’s the bigger picture you’re contributing to?
Your messaging should be consistent, but flexible – strong enough to anchor your comms, but adaptable enough to work across different channels, from media interviews to social media posts.
And remember: clarity beats cleverness. Always.
Pick the right tools for the job…
With your goals and messaging in place, it’s time to look at tactics, but instead of doing everything, focus on what will actually bring you one step closer to your specific goals.
This might mean:
- Working with journalists to tell your story in the media
- Building a presence on LinkedIn to reach industry peers and partners
- Creating expert content (think blogs, whitepapers, articles) that positions your leadership team as authorities
- Attending industry events, whether with a stand, speaking on stage, or joining panel discussions, to build visibility and credibility in your sector
The best strategies are focused. You don’t need to be everywhere, just in the right places, saying the right things, to the right people.
…and If you’re getting help, choose the right agency
If you’re bringing in a PR agency to help deliver your strategy (and many businesses do), make sure they’re not just good at generating coverage, but good at listening. The right agency should understand your business inside out, challenge you when needed, and always link creative ideas back to commercial outcomes. Look for a team that gets your sector, asks smart questions, and isn’t afraid to push beyond the obvious. Chemistry matters too, this is a partnership, not a transaction. When the fit is right, the results follow.
Measure what matters
We hear it all the time: “PR is hard to measure.” And yes, it’s not always as clear-cut as paid advertising. But that doesn’t mean it’s unmeasurable.
The key is to track indicators that actually matter to your business, not just vanity metrics. For example:
- Are you getting coverage in the verticals that matter to your audience?
- Are your key messages coming through clearly in that coverage?
- Are people engaging with your thought leadership?
- Are inbound enquiries increasing following key campaigns?
The more closely your PR metrics are tied to business outcomes, the more valuable your PR function becomes, both internally and externally.
Bring the whole business along for the ride
Finally, remember that PR doesn’t work in isolation. The more your comms team collaborates with the wider business, the more powerful and aligned your efforts will be.
For example, your sales team might be hearing customer challenges that could inspire a brilliant thought leadership angle, while your experts might have powerful client success stories that support your brand.
When PR is integrated across the business, it becomes a strategic asset, not just a support function.
In summary, creating a PR strategy that aligns with your business goals isn’t about overcomplicating things. It’s about clarity, focus, and intention.
Start with your goals. Understand your audience. Tell the right story. Use the right tactics. Measure what matters. And collaborate across the business.
At OutspokenPR, we believe great PR isn’t just about making headlines, it’s about helping you grow, shift perceptions, and unlock opportunities. If you’re ready to make PR work harder for your business, we’re here for a chat – drop us a line at team@outspokenpr.com