PR or high-priced ad?

If you paid $5,000 for a TV segment on a network affiliate, you bought airtime. When a reporter requests to speak with you and includes you in a story, your expertise earns you media exposure. Paid = you get a receipt. Earned = a reporter knows your value to her story.

When you think of traditional public relations, paid space isn’t it. Ads have their place—with disclosure.

Shoutout to PR peer Michelle Garrett, who recently called out scams masking pay-for-play as “PR opportunities.” I think I yelled, “Thank you!” out loud when I read her post. 

Why don’t PR agents guarantee coverage? It’s a Reddit classic — and a fair question. With earned media, we learn your story and find angles worth sharing. We bring relationships and news know-how to every part of your outreach. The other guys? They write a release or advertorial, then buy space or ship it off to low-to-no-traffic websites.

So why wouldn’t you just pay the $5 grand for a TV segment and call it a day?

Because it’s a one-off — and that’s a waste. Even in a fragmented media world, stories we tell have legs. You can turn earned media into social posts and credibly reshare it forever. A paid ad might amplify your message for a minute but 1) most people know it’s paid and 2) reach is limited. Buy a display ad? It might be online and print or only one. Want to be sure it goes to both? That’s another $5,000. Or you could pay a good publicist and get transformational exposure. Ahem.

What if you’re required to buy an ad to be featured?

If an outlet requires an ad buy to run your story, that’s pay-for-play. “Best of” sections and localized Morning Blend-type shows? Those are pay-for-play, too. Industry pubs sell ads to your business partners when you land special section mentions. (Good industry pubs at least invest quality resources for the editorial part.) 

I know people who’ve paid for segments cloaked as news shows. To be honest, it feeds egos more than informs the public. You’re better off transparently sponsoring a segment, like the likes of Walmart do during national morning shows.

Is there a place for paid publicity?

Yes. But like Garrett said and Spin Sucks creator Gini Dietrich outlined in the PESO Model™, paid media only works when it’s part of a bigger mix. On its own, it limits exposure. Sold as “guaranteed publicity,” it’s disingenuous. 

Where ads can work:

Make them part of a story. Make them part of something people want to watch. Products show up in movies, SNL skits, even March Madness AT&T promos and KitKat bits.

Research shows audiences appreciate authenticity, so creative beats polish for a lot of campaigns. Regardless of business size, replicate that kind of placement on your own channels—YouTube Shorts, reels, newsletters, whatever. No need for big production and gloss. Just craft a message that sticks.

📈📉P.S.A. Our world has gone batty. Or, it’s battier. Take a page from our last period of uncertainty. Maintain — or crank up — your marketing and publicity. There’s truth to the cliche, out of sight, out of mind. Make sure people think of you when they’re ready to buy.

© 2025 Gail Sideman, gpublicity.com 

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