By Caleb Yorke, CEO and founder at Influence Haus.
Public Relations is having a bit of a trust crisis.
Too often, PR agencies overpromise results, pitching clients with big claims about guaranteed media coverage and top-tier placements. But here’s the thing: PR is earned media, not paid media, and that means no one can promise a front-page story in any outlet!
Unlike advertising, where you can pay for guaranteed exposure, PR relies on journalists, editors, and influencers choosing to cover a story because it’s genuinely newsworthy.
Yet, many agencies utilise business development managers (BDMs) to sell PR services as if they can control the media, making promises and not relaying the promises made to new clients to the account director or account managers actually working on their account, which is leading to frustrated clients, unrealistic expectations, and a growing credibility issue in the industry.
If PR agencies want to maintain trust and deliver real value, it’s time to get honest about what’s possible, set clearer expectations, and stop treating media coverage like a transactional service, when it’s not.
One burnt client, one bad agency, one bad egg, it ruins it for the rest of the industry.
PR isn’t an ad buy, so stop selling it like one
One of the biggest misconceptions about PR is that hiring an agency is like placing an ad… Pay the fee, get the coverage. That’s not how it works. A journalist’s job isn’t to promote brands. It’s to report on stories that are relevant, timely, and compelling to their audiences.
Good PR pros know how to craft and pitch those stories, but ultimately, the decision to publish is out of their hands. A journalist might love a pitch one day and scrap it the next. A breaking news event might push a planned feature off the agenda. Even the best PR strategies are at the mercy of the media cycle.
But instead of making this clear to clients, some agencies lean into the false promise of guaranteed results. And when those guarantees fall through? The client blames the agency, the agency blames the media, and the industry takes another hit to its credibility.
When agencies overpromise and underdeliver, it doesn’t just damage their own reputations it lowers trust in PR. Clients who feel misled are less likely to invest in PR again.
So, how can PR agencies can be more transparent?
So, how can agencies fix this? It starts with radical honesty.
Setting the right expectations from day one and ensuring clients understand how PR works. Here’s what that should look like:
1. Be clear about what PR can and can’t do
Instead of promising guaranteed media hits, agencies should educate clients on how earned media works…
Journalists decide what gets published, not PR agencies. Not every pitch will land, no matter how good it is. Also, PR success isn’t just about quantity, it’s about quality and long-term reputation building and brand building.
A good agency doesn’t promise the world. It builds realistic strategies that align with media trends and audience interests.
2. Stop selling PR like a paid ad
PR and advertising are not the same thing. Agencies need to make a clear distinction between earned media (which is free… but not guaranteed) and paid media (which is guaranteed but lacks the same credibility).
If a client wants instant media exposure and full control over messaging, they need to invest in advertising, not PR. Agencies that fail to make this distinction upfront are setting themselves, and their clients up for a massive failure.
3. If it’s pay-to-play or advertorial, say so
There’s nothing wrong with paid media opportunities, when they’re labelled as such. If a client is paying for an interview or feature, they deserve to know that it’s not the same as organic press coverage.
Ethical agencies should never pass off advertorials as genuine media hits. Full transparency builds trust and helps clients make informed decisions about their PR investments.
4. Measure success beyond just media hits
PR’s impact goes beyond article placements. Agencies should help clients see the bigger picture, including things like, Thought leadership, positioning executives as industry experts.
As well as things like:
• SEO benefits: Quality backlinks from reputable media sites.
• Brand perception: How PR efforts shape audience sentiment.
• Long-term credibility: Building a media presence that lasts.
PR needs a transparency makeover
The PR industry has a choice: keep selling empty promises and dealing with frustrated clients, or start having honest conversations about what PR is, how it works, and what’s realistically achievable.
Clients don’t need guarantees. They need trusted advisors who can guide them through the unpredictable world of earned media. That starts with transparency, ethical practices, and a commitment to delivering real, measurable value.
It’s time for PR agencies to stop overpromising and start being upfront about what they can deliver. Because in the end, honesty isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business!
For too long, the allure of guaranteed coverage has overshadowed the more nuanced and valuable aspects of public relations. Which is building trust, enhancing reputation, and fostering meaningful connections between brands and their audiences.
In doing so, PR professionals will not only protect their own reputations but will also contribute to a healthier, more sustainable media environment. One in which earned media is celebrated for its integrity and authenticity.
The stakes are high, but the rewards, both in terms of client satisfaction and long-term industry credibility, are well worth the effort.
At the end of the day, overpromising does more harm than good, not just for one agency, but for the whole industry. Every time a PR team fails to deliver on big claims, it fuels the stereotype that PR is all talk and no substance. And when media outlets start doubting the credibility of the pitches they get, it doesn’t just hurt the bad players, it makes journalists more sceptical of PR in general. That means great stories might get overlooked, and the real value of PR, building trust and credibility, gets lost in the noise.