Why enterprise CMOs underutilize public relations agencies

Earned visibility lifts every channel: stronger narratives, higher trust, and better conversion outcomes.

Most enterprise CMOs do not ignore public relations agencies. They just keep PR in a small, safe box. News releases go out, a few reporters get pitched, and leadership likes a strong headline. Then the budget flows right back to paid media and demand gen.

We see a different picture. When PR is tied to clear marketing KPIs, it can move the same numbers CMOs care about every day: revenue, pipeline, deal speed, and brand authority. The problem is not that PR is rarely set up or measured as a true growth engine.

Marketing tech stacks, paid channels, and content ops are instrumented down to the decimal. PR often sits on the side, with vague goals and soft reporting. In this article, we walk through why that happens, what a modern PR mandate should be inside an enterprise, and how CMOs can turn PR into a long-term, compounding asset instead of a discretionary line item.

Why CMOs still treat PR as a tactical support function

Many CMOs inherited a narrow idea of PR. For years, PR meant:

• Writing and sending news releases

• Supporting events and trade shows

• Pitching product news to a few media outlets

• Reacting when there was a crisis or reputation issue

That history sticks. So even as marketing teams get more advanced, PR often stays stuck as a support function. Teams see it as helpful but not tied to the KPI dashboard that gets reviewed in the CMO staff meeting.

Budgets follow clarity. Paid media and demand gen appear easier to measure and control, so they pull the majority of resources. PR can feel ambiguous. It does not always plug cleanly into attribution tools, so it gets pushed to the side when there's pressure on spend.

On top of that, organizational design gets in the way. PR often lives in its own silo, separate from performance marketing, content, or revenue operations. That creates:

• Disconnected messaging across channels

• Storylines that do not match what sales is saying in the field

• Missed chances to stretch one strong idea across multiple programs

Finally, many enterprises still look at PR mostly through a risk lens. They keep PR close for crisis moments and brand defense, but not as a proactive driver of category leadership. That mindset holds back the real strategic power of modern PR agencies.

The strategic power of modern PR agencies

PR today is not just about getting your brand in the news. Done well, it's about building market momentum and clear leadership over time. Modern agencies work to create steady, trusted visibility that shapes how buyers think long before they talk to sales.

That means shifting the focus from one-off media mentions to a steady drumbeat of:

• Earned media that reinforces your core narrative

• Thought leadership that answers real market questions

• Digital visibility that shows up where buyers already search and learn

The key is KPI alignment. When PR strategy is grounded in marketing outcomes, you can tie it to things like:

• Branded search growth

• Account engagement inside named account-based marketing lists

• Share of voice against key competitors

• Influence on win rates in target segments

Thought leadership is a quiet, powerful revenue driver. When your executives and subject experts become trusted voices, they shape shortlists, partner picks, and renewal decisions. This matters even more for complex B2B deals, where trust and perceived expertise carry heavy weight.

For enterprise CMOs, PR should plug into major programs, not sit outside them. Strong agency partners align with:

• Product launches and category creation work

• ABM programs and key account plays

• Influencer relations

• Content marketing and sales enablement

That way, every dollar already spent on content, events, and paid media gets more leverage.

Making PR measurable, predictable, and ROI-positive

To pull PR into the core of the marketing engine, CMOs need it to show up in familiar business language. That starts with defining success using the same KPIs you already track. Instead of “more coverage,” think in terms of:

• Marketing-qualified lead quality and volume

• Opportunity creation in priority segments

• Deal velocity and conversion at key stages

• Net retention and brand preference among current customers

A performance framework helps make PR feel less fuzzy. Our recommended approach connects traditional media metrics with digital behavior, such as:

• Share of voice and message pull-through

• Reach and quality of outlets carrying your story

• Traffic and engagement on linked content

• Conversions, demo requests, or content downloads tied to coverage

AI and digital PR programs now make those links clearer. You can see how thought leadership and earned stories move search performance, on-site actions, and even marketing automation journeys. When you pair that with your CRM and revenue operations data, PR stops being guesswork and starts showing patterns.

It also helps to split metrics into leading and lagging indicators. Before revenue impact becomes obvious, you should still see early signals, like:

• Growth in relevant media relationships

• Higher response rates from target reporters

• More share of voice in must-win topics

• Stronger engagement on executive content across channels

That set of markers gives CMOs confidence that PR is trending in the right direction, even as long-term brand and revenue effects build.

Turning PR into a long-term compounding asset

PR works best when you treat it as a long-term, always-on strategy, not a quick campaign. Brand authority, trust, and organic visibility do not spike and vanish; they build layer by layer with steady effort.

Over time, you build relationship capital that you can't buy overnight. Reporters, influencers, and community leaders learn which companies show up with real insight and clear stories. That pool of trust becomes a moat. When something important happens in your space, your leaders are the ones they call.

You also build content and message equity. Every:

• Interview

• Speaking spot

• Bylined article

• Panel or podcast appearance

can be reused and amplified across your own channels. That gives your team a library of proof points and stories that support campaigns month after month.

Planning with a seasonal lens helps. As mid-year planning and budget resets roll around, it is tempting to treat PR as a plug for leftover budget. A stronger move is to frame PR as a multi-year pillar that supports growth goals across planning cycles, not as an end-of-year test.

Designing a high-impact CMO-agency partnership model

To unlock the full value of PR agencies, CMOs need a different kind of relationship. PR should not act like a ticket-taking vendor. It should operate like a strategic partner accountable for shared outcomes.

That starts with how you structure the partnership:

• Agree on business outcomes first, then activities.

• Tie success to KPIs your board and CFO already respect.

• Build joint plans that connect PR to big marketing bets.

Integrated planning rhythms matter. Bring PR leadership into annual planning, quarterly business reviews, and go-to-market councils. When PR has context on product roadmaps, sales priorities, and pipeline health, it can shape storylines that support those goals instead of reacting late.

Cross-functional alignment is just as important. Your PR team should work closely with:

• Product marketing to sharpen positioning and messaging.

• Demand gen to support key campaigns and plays.

• Content to extend strong ideas into earned and owned channels.

• Sales enablement to arm the field with stories that match what buyers see in the market.

Finally, make sure your PR agency has real access to the C-suite and key experts. Strong, business-focused storylines come from leaders who are willing to share a point of view, not just product specs. When executives and PR partners talk often, the stories stay sharp, real, and aligned with strategy.

Elevate PR in your 12- to 24-month roadmap

At Axia Public Relations, we see enterprise CMOs get the most from PR when they pause and reset expectations. A simple first move is to audit your current state. Look at where PR sits in your org, how you measure it today, and how clearly it supports your top marketing and revenue priorities.

Then, reset the mandate. Define PR as a strategic function tied to long-term value creation, not only as support. Align on KPIs that tie into board-level conversations. From there, pilot a 12- to 24-month strategic engagement with a PR partner who can bring together media relations, thought leadership, digital PR, and AI-driven visibility in one integrated program.

The final unlock is consistency. Treat PR as an always-on growth function and give it the time and access it needs to compound. When you do, PR stops being a nice-to-have and becomes a core part of your enterprise growth engine.

Frequently asked questions

How do we turn PR into something the CFO and board will respect?

Start by defining success in business terms, then connect earned visibility to measurable outcomes such as branded demand, share of voice on priority topics, and conversion actions you can track. Axia’s measurement approach emphasizes proving ROI for news coverage instead of reporting “clips” in isolation.

What should we measure if we want PR to be predictable, not “soft”?

Use a blended scorecard: message pull-through, outlet quality, and share of voice alongside digital signals such as referral traffic, engagement, and conversion paths. Modern PR measurement frameworks and reporting make it easier to connect visibility to performance without pretending PR has perfect last-click attribution.

Does Axia Public Relations guarantee results or media placements?

No, and that is intentional. Outcomes depend on third-party factors no agency can control. Guarantees can conflict with PRSA ethics guidance. 

Related: The dirty truth about ‘guaranteed media coverage’

How does PR influence visibility in AI systems like ChatGPT and Google’s generative results?

AI systems tend to cite credible third-party sources, and 95% of AI citations come from PR-driven content such as earned media and executive thought leadership. That is why we built our AI Relations service and offer AI visibility snapshots to show where your brand is being cited.

How quickly should we expect to see momentum from a strategic PR program?

In the early months, look for leading indicators: sharper positioning, a repeatable thought leadership platform, and initial coverage that reinforces the narrative you want the market to repeat. PR is a long-term credibility asset that compounds when you stay consistent.

Turn PR from a line item to a growth engine

At Axia Public Relations, we focus on measurable outcomes, smarter budgeting, and long-term brand credibility. Let’s talk about how our team can support your goals and streamline your PR investment. 

For more information on how we can elevate your PR strategy, explore our services today or book a one-on-one consultation.

See also:

• Revenue leaders are underusing PR in marketing and communication plans
• PR attribution: How to build a cross-channel dashboard linking earned media to pipeline
• PR measurement without UTMs: A CFO-ready model to prove earned media impact
• Smart PR budgeting choices marketing leaders regret delaying until too late