You’ve probably Googled it yourself already: “What does a PR agency actually do?” And depending on what you find, the answer either sounds like “They write press releases” or “They basically handle everything related to communications.” Neither is wrong. But neither is particularly helpful if you’re currently trying to figure out whether PR is a worthwhile lever for your company.

In this article, we’ll break down the basics so that by the end, you’ll be able to do three things: First, you’ll understand what a PR agency actually does (and what it doesn’t). Second, you’ll get a clear picture of what a typical collaboration looks like — from positioning and topics to media relations. And third, you’ll recognize the classic myths and pitfalls that often lead to disappointment with PR (even though the real problem was somewhere else).

So if you’re currently stuck between “We should become more visible” and “But what will we actually get out of it?” — this is exactly what this article is for.

Why This Question Matters in the First Place

Many companies don’t have a story problem. They have a positioning problem.

Internally, everything is clear: product, roadmap, features, target audience. Externally, however, they often come across as interchangeable: “Something to do with software,” “Something to do with consulting,” “Something to do with sustainability.” And when people can’t clearly understand where you fit, something happens automatically: less trust, less recall, fewer referrals, and fewer chances that third parties (such as the media) will see you as relevant in the first place.

PR is the discipline that creates this clarity. Not through volume, but through a clear point of view: What do you stand for? Why does it matter? What’s your perspective on the market? And what evidence do you have to back it up?

“We Have a Great Product, but Somehow Nobody Knows About It”

This happens a lot, especially with scale-ups and SMEs: The product is strong, customers are happy, but growth and awareness remain elusive. The natural reaction is: “We need press coverage.”

But what PR actually does in a situation like this is something else. It doesn’t start with the media; it starts with relevance. Because a “new feature” is rarely a story. A story is more like: What change does this feature represent? What problem does it bring to light? What’s currently going wrong in the industry — and why? A product update then becomes a thesis with context, proof points, and a clear voice.

The result isn’t just an article. It’s recognizability. And being recognizable is a significant advantage in the market.

How Does a PR Agency Actually Work?

Good PR often looks simple from the outside. A few articles here, a podcast there. But behind the scenes, it’s not a matter of chance. There’s a process that makes communication consistent and reliable.

It almost always starts with clarifying your goals and target audiences: What do you want to achieve with PR, and who needs to believe in you for that to happen? PR goals are rarely more press coverage (that’s a means, not an end), but rather things like building trust, establishing thought leadership, supporting recruitment, convincing investors, or mitigating reputational risks. It may sound abstract, but it’s actually highly concrete, because it determines which topics make sense and which channels can genuinely move the needle for you.

Then comes the part many companies underestimate: messaging. If you’re not crystal clear internally, your PR will either feel generic or overly complicated externally. Good agency work translates the business into clear guidelines that make you easier to understand: a compelling core message, a few clearly defined topic areas, and real proof points. These become the foundation for building recognizability — even when you’re talking about very different topics.

On this basis, topic development becomes something you can plan for. And by that, we don’t mean “create an editorial calendar and stick to it religiously.” We mean developing topics so they work beyond your own bubble — with a clear angle, context, relevance, and timing. Depending on the company, that might mean commentary, case studies, interviews, guest articles, or data-driven stories. The format matters less than the underlying logic: there needs to be a reason why someone outside your company would find the story interesting.

Only then does traditional media relations really come into its own: identifying target outlets, building relationships, pitching, coordinating, and following up. And here, too, the key is that good PR isn’t a scattergun approach. It’s about the right fit — the outlet, section, journalist, timing, and value. That also includes all the coordination around it, which rarely sounds glamorous but is crucial: spokesperson briefings, Q&As, alignment, interview preparation, and proper follow-ups. A lot of work.

And because PR often fails in reality due to internal misalignment rather than a lack of ideas, a good agency also takes care of the assets: fact sheets, figures, background information, quotes, and visuals. In other words, the material that editorial teams (and other multipliers) can actually work with. Everything that shortens the journey from “interesting” to “publishable.”

What You Should Know About the Scope of a PR Partnership

Costs and pricing models are a topic of their own (don’t worry, we’ll cover that in a separate article). For now, the basic idea is enough: PR agencies typically work either on a project basis (e.g. for a launch, report, or repositioning), as an ongoing engagement (retainer), or through packages designed for strategic sparring and peak support. (GetPress)

More important than “the number” is almost always the question: What’s included in the scope? Is it purely media relations? Or does it also cover positioning, topic development, content creation, spokesperson setup, monitoring, and strategic iteration? The clearer the setup, the easier the collaboration becomes — and the easier it is to assess the level of effort fairly.

If you want to know exactly what models are available, what’s typically included in a retainer, and which factors push pricing up or down, we’ll cover all of that in a dedicated article on PR costs.

Mistakes & Myths

We’ve been working on the PR agency of the future since 2017 — and we know there’s still plenty of work to do across the industry. A few PR myths are particularly persistent and cause expectations and reality to miss each other.

The classic one: PR is essentially “writing press releases.” Sure, press releases exist. But without a genuine angle, context, evidence, and thoughtful outreach, they’re often just… a piece of text. And let’s be honest: there’s certainly no shortage of text out there. PR doesn’t start with writing; it starts with finding the right perspective: Who outside your company would care about this — and why?

Just as common is the idea that an agency can “secure” media coverage. That’s not only wrong; it’s also the wrong way to think about PR. Editorial teams aren’t advertising space. An agency can nurture relationships, develop stories with a journalistic angle, and improve timing and fit — but nobody can order coverage. If someone tells you otherwise, they’re selling you more of a feeling than a process — or seriously taking you for a ride.

Then there’s the idea that “PR is only worthwhile if we have big news.” In B2B, the opposite is often true. Many of the strongest PR setups work precisely because they don’t depend on individual big moments, but build trust through consistency: clear perspectives, recurring topics, and genuine substance. PR isn’t simply an amplifier for news. PR is the engine that establishes you as a relevant voice in the first place.

And finally: “We’ll outsource PR, so we won’t have to do anything internally.” Much of the execution can absolutely be outsourced. The substance can’t. Without access to expertise, data, case studies, and decision-makers within the company, PR quickly becomes superficial. The best PR happens when the agency and the internal team work closely together, with clear roles but a shared ambition.

FAQ

What’s the difference between PR and marketing?

Marketing often focuses more strongly on conversion and operates with a campaign-driven mindset. PR, on the other hand, works through trust, context, and external credibility. The best setups combine both, while recognizing that each plays by different rules.

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What services does a PR agency typically provide?

Strategy and positioning, topic development, media relations (pitches, interviews, guest articles), content assets (press kits, fact sheets, quotes), spokesperson setup, monitoring — and, depending on the need, crisis communications.

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When is PR particularly worthwhile?

When trust is a key factor in the purchasing decision, when your offering requires explanation, when hiring is important, when you want to establish category leadership, or when you realize: your story is clear internally, but not externally.

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How do I recognize a good PR agency?

By the questions they ask, not the promises they make. Good agencies clarify objectives, challenge your positioning, explain their approach, manage expectations, and have processes that make impact repeatable. (But apparently, there’ll be another article on that too — or so the rumor goes.)

If you want to find out what a PR setup could look like for your company specifically: Let’s talk.