News flash: Public Relations isn’t what it used to be.
Over the course of my career, I’ve been asked one question more than any other: “What is public relations?”
My answer has changed over time.
Early in my career, I described PR through its most visible activities: developing relationships with reporters and editors, placing positive stories in targeted media, writing press releases and planning special events. These were visible, measurable tactics. When a story appeared in the news or an event drew attention to an organization, the value was tangible.
Those tactics I once leaned on to define the profession are, of course, still important. But they are far from the whole story today.
Public Relations Was Never Just Publicity
PR is often associated with publicity. I think of two of my favorite fictional practitioners, Samantha in "Sex and the City" and C.J. Cregg on "The West Wing." Yet the profession has always been rooted in something deeper. Much like the evolution of advertising, dramatized so well in "Mad Men," early PR leaders understood that their work extended beyond publicity to shaping public understanding and institutional trust.
Working with Industrial Age clients such as the Rockefeller family, Ivy Lee championed the radical idea of transparency and honest communication with journalists at a time when many organizations preferred secrecy. Though his legacy is sometimes filtered through the lens of work that bordered on propaganda, Edward Bernays introduced research and behavioral insight, recognizing that communication influences how people understand issues and institutions. In the early 1900s, writer Doris Fleischman helped professionalize the discipline and expanded leadership opportunities for women in communication. Later, Ofield Dukes demonstrated how strategic communication could advance civil rights and broaden political representation for historically marginalized communities. Inez Kaiser, who founded one of the first Black-owned public relations firms in the country, drew upon her home economics background and popularized the term “Soul Food” in her cookbook, “Soul Food Cookery.”
These pioneers helped legitimize PR by advancing ethical standards, professional accountability, research-based practice and human connection. In doing so, they shaped public understanding, strengthened relationships and helped institutions engage more responsibly with society.
Public Relations Today Is Strategic Communication
Today, when I’m asked what PR really is, I describe it as strategic communication.
At its core, strategic communication is intentional storytelling designed to help people understand an issue, recognize its relevance and ultimately take action. It aligns leadership decisions with the people they affect to build trust and drive meaningful outcomes. It is direct, honest and transparent, grounded in facts whether in moments of success, change or crisis. Through well-planned tactical execution, organizations meet people where they are, using the channels and platforms they prefer.
Today, stories live everywhere. They unfold through earned media, social media, digital platforms, workplace culture, community engagement and public processes, among many other forms. When practiced well, strategic communication ensures the right story reaches the right audience at the right time.
Strategic Communication Starts at the Top
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my career is that strategic communication belongs at the leadership table. Every organizational decision carries communication consequences. Decisions influence employees, communities, partners, policymakers and the public long before any formal announcement is made.
When communication is integrated early, leaders can anticipate how the people who matter most to the organization may respond. This creates the opportunity to align internal and external priorities and make better-informed decisions. When communicators are excluded or brought in after decisions have already been made, communication invariably becomes reactive. Organizations then find themselves responding to misunderstanding, managing avoidable risk or rebuilding trust that could have been protected from the start.
Earning a Seat at the Table
There’s a reason that a seat at the leadership table is not granted automatically to communication professionals: it must be earned.
Strategic communicators must equip themselves with knowledge that extends far beyond messaging. They must understand the full organizational landscape, including operations, governance, finance, policy context and the expectations of the people who matter most to the organization.
When communication leaders understand big picture and understated nuances of organizations, they help leaders see around corners. They anticipate how decisions will be interpreted and where risks and opportunities may emerge.
I’ve grown alongside the PR profession. Over the course of my career, I’ve moved from technician to strategist, in line with a profession that today demands strategic advisors at the highest levels of leadership, well beyond the traditional public relations role. It’s no longer simply about tactics; it’s about reputation, trust and outcomes.
PR has grown into its rightful place at the center of organizational leadership.
A Conversation Worth Having
If your business or nonprofit is navigating growth, change, uncertainty or opportunity, it may be worth asking a simple question: Is communication shaping your decisions, or reacting to them?
If you’re ready to explore what strategic communication could look like within your organization, I would welcome the conversation.
