The Difference Between Marketing and PR

If you’ve ever felt confused about the difference between marketing and PR, you’re not alone. When I first started working with small businesses, most people used those two words interchangeably. They’d say, “I need marketing,” when what they really needed was PR—or sometimes the other way around. The truth is, both matter, but they serve different purposes.

Here’s how I like to explain it: marketing is what you say about yourself, and PR is what others say about you. Marketing is about promoting your product or service. PR is about shaping your reputation and building trust. One drives sales, the other builds credibility.

Marketing focuses on getting a direct response. Think ads, email campaigns, social media promotions, or special offers. The goal is to get someone to take action, like buying, booking, or signing up. It’s measurable and immediate, which makes it powerful—but it’s also short-term.

PR, on the other hand, plays the long game. It’s about building awareness, connection, and trust with your audience. That might come through press features, interviews, podcast appearances, partnerships, or community involvement. It’s less about selling and more about storytelling. The magic of PR is that it positions you as credible, memorable, and worth talking about.

Here’s the part most people miss: marketing works best when it’s backed by good PR. You can have the best ad campaign in the world, but if people don’t know you, like you, or trust you, it won’t hit the same. PR builds that foundation of trust so your marketing has something solid to stand on.

When you blend the two, that’s where real growth happens. PR makes your audience care about who you are, and marketing gives them a reason to take action. Together, they tell a full story—one that not only sells but also inspires loyalty.

So if you’re building a brand right now, take time to think about both. Ask yourself, what’s my message, and what’s my story? Marketing will spread the message, but PR will make people believe in it.

At the end of the day, marketing is about visibility, but PR is about credibility. You need both to grow something that lasts.