Sometimes it’s difficult to open up a magazine and see exactly how PR can benefit your business. Clearly, it’s easy to notice the advertisements. And in some magazines, it’s hard to avoid them since they’re on every page.

Both PR and advertising work well when used together. People read the articles to get news on a variety of topics, ranging from politics, fashion, health to local events. And since they’re everywhere, a lot of people read the ads to find out the deals of the day. When you advertise, you tell people how great you are, but people know you are biased in saying that in your ad. In PR, someone else is telling people how great you are. With advertising, you pay a set price to run your ad in the paper, or on the radio/television. In PR, you call up a reporter and tell them about a great story they should write, with your help of course. So when that story gets printed or produced, the reporter talks about your company.

There are positives to using both strategies together. When you advertise, you’re able to speak directly to your customers and say exactly what you want. In PR, you get excellent third-party credibility by having a trusted source talk about you. The best marketing strategies include integrating both PR and advertising methods.