Why do clients see PR as a DIY side hustle?

Kanika Chawla, founder & CEO of Brand Beetle Technology, says bluntly, " AI and social media have made communication incredibly accessible, but they haven’t democratised PR expertise. Today, a brand can identify a journalist, DM a creator, organise an event or even generate a press note within minutes. But PR is far more than getting visibility.

It is about knowing how to position a brand, which audiences to build credibility with, whom to approach, and how to turn one piece of coverage into sustained relevance.

We recently experienced this firsthand with a young startup that initially worked with us across PR and influencer marketing. Once the brand started receiving significant media and creator interest, with stories and features that felt like a dream, they felt the process was straightforward enough to manage independently. Within two months of pausing the engagement, the momentum had almost disappeared, and they returned to us. They had the access, but what they lacked was the strategy, relationships and expertise behind it.

Especially in today’s creator-led marketing ecosystem, brands can certainly do more themselves. But PR isn’t about being everywhere or simply being famous - it’s about being relevant, credible and remembered by the right people. The tools can be DIY; strategic PR still isn’t.”

Most leaders think they can do PR because they think of it as media relations, and talking to a journalist feels easy. 

Vivek Pradeep Rana, managing partner at Gnothi Seauton, says he understands that but points out that "No CEO does their own audit or their own legal work. Reputation deserves the same care.

Leaders underestimate this because the cost of getting it wrong arrives late. A deal stalls, a hire says no, a journalist stops calling, and nobody links it to the interview the CEO gave six months earlier. That is why an industry exists for this. Our job is to spot that early and tell leaders what they cannot see from inside.”

"A while ago, we got a founder featured in a leading business publication. It wasn't easy. The first pitch didn't land, so we changed the angle, then changed it again. The journalist needed numbers the client hadn't put together, so we sat with their team and built them. The interview got rescheduled twice. It took weeks of follow-ups for one story.

It came out well, and the client was happy. A few weeks later, the founder and the journalist had connected on LinkedIn, and I got the question I've heard many times: "We know her now, so why do we need to pay you now for this story?" shares Sahana Rai, founder and CEO of Glocal Brand Solutions.

Rai adds, "I'll be honest, the first reaction is hurt, because you know what went into it and they don't. But I've learnt not to react in the moment and let it pass.

Why does everyone think they can do PR? Partly because when it's done well, you can't see the work. We're also to blame. PR people are very tolerant. We put up with how some journalists treat us and take things from clients we shouldn't because we're scared pushing back will cost us. So we stay quiet, and the effort stays invisible. Maybe we need to start talking about the work, not just sharing the coverage."

Shraddha Jadhav,  director & business head, Ashwini Publicity, has a similar story: "I’ve had senior clients tell me, “We can manage this internally. We know the media.” 

 After 20+ years in PR, I’d say the real value of PR is often the work that never gets seen: the story we don’t pitch, the angle we change, the statement we advise against and the reputation issue we spot before it becomes a crisis.

A good example was a campaign we worked on for Ultra, where the marketing team had created a satire ad with a funeral setting, which was originally planned as the launch film. We felt the creative could have a much stronger cultural and media moment if we changed the timing and context. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we suggested positioning it as a spoof on lost love.

It gave the film an entirely different relevance and made the timing part of the story. What I particularly loved was that we didn’t change the creative; we simply shuffled the order and timing of the three ads. That small strategic intervention helped us create a larger media narrative, and we were able to generate coverage around all three films rather than treating them as three isolated advertisements.

That, to me, is the difference between simply doing PR and having a PR professional at the table. The expertise isn’t just in getting something published; it lies in understanding what should be said, how it should be positioned."

"One common situation is when a senior client believes that just because they have a strong announcement, media coverage should automatically follow. 

We have had instances where clients wanted us to “just send it across” without shaping the story, understanding the publication, or identifying why it would matter to that journalist’s audience.

I think everyone feels they can do PR because the visible part looks deceptively simple: write a note, send an email, make a call. Access can be built quickly; credibility and media understanding take years", concludes Yasin Hamidani, director, Media Care Brand Solutions.