Lessons From a PR Trailblazer with Julie Baron, Principal of Communication Works

Let's back up just a little bit.

I was telling Chris earlier that you and I have shared clients before we've been, we've worked together for a long time and you gave me some really good lessons about the difference between PR and advertising.

Can you kind of give the high level view of this?

Sure, sure.

So obviously advertising is paid for.

And, you know, the PR is getting editorial coverage, be that a podcast like this, be it, you know, a print newspaper.

So the difference to me is it's paid.

And that's the main thing.

But I even have a lot of clients that are like, okay, when you put this news release out for me, I want to be here in this publication or on this TV station.

It's like, well, if you want to be that specific, you should pay for advertising.

You know, it doesn't always land that way.

And there's a lot of other things that come into play where it might not happen.

You might have the biggest, most important news, but tomorrow a war hits or some other natural disaster or whatever it might be that impacts you getting the coverage you expected.

Has

journalism shifted to be more pay to play just in general or is it still kind of...

You know, I have some clients that say I refuse to pay for anything.

You know, they don't want to do a pay for play or they have very little budget for advertising and that's why they're filling in with me to get, you know, more of earned media, if you will.

The other thing too that is different, Chris, about it is, you know, the credibility of having a third party speak about your company, your leaders of the company, your services, your products, is different than paying for advertising.

I'm not saying advertising is bad.

It's needed.

And when all of these things work together, that is really powerful.

So

I love awareness.

And then there's a credibility piece, right? Yeah.

Like awareness is advertising.