When companies first talk to a PR agency, the ask usually sounds like “we need more visibility” or “we want to be in the press more.” That’s a fair starting point, but visibility alone isn’t a goal. Visibility with whom and to what end? What’s your destination, your business goal?
Every organization has one. Your company might be preparing for a funding round, for example, or looking to hire 50 engineers in a competitive market.
Each destination requires a very different PR program to help you get from point A to B. In this blog, we’ll break down four destinations we help our clients reach, what each requires, and how to tell which one should drive your PR program now.
Why Does Every PR Program Need a Destination?
First, though, let’s talk about why having a destination matters to the success of every PR program.
PR without a defined destination tends to drift. Coverage gets measured by volume instead of impact, tactics get chosen because they are familiar, and six months in, nobody can confidently say whether the program moved the business forward.
Defining the destination up front changes that. With a destination in mind, you can accurately figure out which audiences and outlets to target, which tactics to use, and what success looks like at the end of the road.
A predetermined destination also keeps everyone aligned. When leadership, marketing, and your agency agree on where you’re headed, every press release, award submission, and webinar has a clear purpose.
Destination 1: Raising Money or M&A
If your goal is a funding round or an acquisition, your most important audience is the people evaluating your company as an investment. That means targeting your message and PR outreach to strategic suitors and financial buyers, and the business and financial publications they read.
A PR program designed for this destination focuses on credibility. That means issuing press releases around key milestones, engaging with industry analysts, working with business media, and exploring awards for third-party validation. When investors or acquirers start their research, they should find a company that looks established and worth a conversation.
Destination 2: Revenue Growth
When the goal is revenue growth, PR needs to reach buyers where they research. For most business-to-business and business-to-government companies, that means targeting a specific vertical market instead of just chasing broad coverage.
The campaign is built on useful content, such as customer case studies that show results, podcasts and webinars that address customer challenges, and outreach to the trade media your buyers read. Paired with inbound marketing, account-based marketing (ABM), and search engine optimization, the program connects visibility directly to pipeline. Top-tier coverage is great, but if your buyers read a niche trade publication, that is where you need to be.
Destination 3: Recruiting Talent
Many companies don’t think of hiring as a PR goal, but in a tight market, reputation often decides whether a candidate picks you or a competitor. The audience here is local, so the program focuses on community outreach, regional publications, social media (especially LinkedIn), and the various other channels candidates use to research employers.
A strong recruiting program touts what makes your organization stand out from the rest. For instance, pursuing Best Places to Work awards and creating culture videos all give candidates a real sense of why they should want to work for you.
Destination 4: Thought Leadership
If your goal is to become a true leader in your market, thought leadership needs to be one of your destinations. Focusing on building your thought leadership credentials is especially valuable when a company is pivoting or entering an adjacent market, because it builds credibility in a new space before the sales conversations start.
This destination is about executive visibility and reputation. Speaking engagements, award submissions, authored articles, and executive social media engagement all position your leaders as experts and voices worth listening to. Done well, it means that when a reporter needs a source or a buyer needs someone to explain a complex issue, your executives are the first names that come up.
Can You Have More Than One Destination?
Yes, and most companies do. A growth-stage company might be raising money while hiring quickly and building a pipeline. The key is to prioritize, because giving every destination equal weight usually means none get enough attention.
The good news is that the tactics overlap. For example, awards support and revenue growth can all tie back to thought leadership. Likewise, recruiting and raising money are closely related. In fact, we often help our clients reach a combination of destinations, because it’s rare that a company is only interested in achieving one thing.
Choosing Your Destination
The most effective PR programs start with a clear answer to one question: where are you trying to go? Once you answer that, the audiences, outlets, tactics, and metrics follow naturally.
If you’re not sure which destination should be driving your PR right now, or you’re juggling more than one, REQ’s team can help you map the route. Reach out to start the conversation.
