The Public Relations Blog

Reputation, credibility, and media relationships develop over time. Companies expecting immediate results from PR often misunderstand how earned media actually works.

Many executives approach public relations expecting quick results, similar to advertising. In reality, earned media works differently. In this article, Axia Public Relations explains why successful PR strategies unfold over years and why consistent effort produces the strongest results.

How you connect with reporters should follow a pattern.

In this episode, Brett Farmiloe joins host Jason Mudd to discuss the comeback of HARO and smarter PR pitching.

Tune in to learn more!

Your company doesn’t always have big announcements, but you still need attention in top-tier publications. A strong PR strategy doesn’t rely solely on launches or major milestones. Consistent earned media and strategic media relations protect and grow your brand’s authority, credibility, and visibility.

When you don’t have big news to share, manufacture timeliness, refine your pitch structure and voice, use credible data, and follow up thoughtfully to secure media coverage.

Years ago, our firm represented a logistics company whose CEO was featured in a local newspaper’s business section. The coverage wasn’t national, and it wasn’t promotional. It was a short piece highlighting the company’s growth and its leader’s role in the regional economy.

A few days after the article ran, another CEO from the same metro area called the logistics company. He explained that he’d been looking for a new partner and recognized the name from the story. That introduction, created by a single earned media placement, led to a business relationship worth more than $1 million annually.

Learn how a top public relations firm builds on-camera credibility, from local news segments to national TV, with a clear PR roadmap and tips.

Marketing leaders often ask how to land their CEO on CNN or Good Morning America. The truth is that national TV almost never starts with a cold pitch and zero on-camera proof. Network producers are not trying to be gatekeepers. They are trying to protect their shows from awkward, off-message, or frozen guests who damage credibility in front of millions of viewers.

If you work in corporate marketing, you’ve likely received an email that looks like an exclusive media opportunity. It promises national TV exposure, professional production, and access to millions of viewers. The catch: there’s a hefty fee.

It happens all the time. A company lands a feature story in The Wall Street Journal, and everyone celebrates: “Look at this result!”

But here’s the truth: That coverage isn’t a result. It’s an output.

Understanding this distinction is one of the biggest mindset shifts a company can make about public relations. It changes how you define success, how you invest in PR, and how you align communications with business growth.

AI-generated answers rely heavily on trusted sources. Muck Rack’s "What Is AI Reading?" study shows that more than 89% of links that leading AI systems cite come from earned media, and 27% of all citations come specifically from journalistic content.

Many readers assume these two categories are interchangeable. They aren’t.

This post explains the difference so PR and communications leaders can understand how each one supports AI visibility.

In this episode, Serena Ehrlich joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss how AI-powered search engines take data from press releases, and how they decide on what to show their users.

Tune in to learn more!