Public relations is the strategic practice of shaping how a company is perceived across audiences and channels. Media relations is one part of PR that focuses specifically on working with journalists and publications.
For B2B SaaS and AI companies, PR drives reputation, credibility and visibility across customers, employees, investors, and AI systems that surface information in tools like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews.
What is Public Relations?
Public relations builds mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its audiences.
It’s not limited to press coverage. Modern PR shapes perception across every place a company shows up, including owned and earned media and emerging AI-driven discovery channels.
For B2B SaaS and AI companies, PR often includes:
- Corporate communications
- Crisis communications
- Executive communications and thought leadership
- Internal communications
- Investor relations
- Media relations
- Content creation and brand journalism
- Events and speaking programs
- Awards and recognition programs
- Analyst relations
- Social media strategy, both brand and executive
- Reputation management
- Speechwriting
- Short-form video and multimedia storytelling
What is Media Relations?
Media relations is a subset of public relations focused specifically on building relationships with journalists, editors, producers, and modern media creators such as podcast hosts and newsletter writers.
It includes pitching stories, securing interviews, contributing expert commentary, and earning coverage in:
- National and business press
- Industry trade publications
- Podcasts and YouTube channels
- Digital newsletters and independent media platforms
Traditional vs. Nontraditional Media Relations
Traditional media relations refers to working with established legacy publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. These outlets still matter, particularly for credibility and broad awareness.
Nontraditional media relations expands beyond legacy press into digital-first and decentralized channels such as:
- Podcasts
- Substack and beehiiv newsletters
- YouTube creators and video interviews
- SaaS company blogs and partner publications
- Industry forums, Reddit and niche communities
As journalism becomes decentralized, media relations is no longer a fixed list of publications. New channels emerge, audience attention shifts, and technology changes how people access information.
Differences Between Public Relations and Media Relations
Public relations is the umbrella strategy. Media relations is one execution channel within it.
- PR uses multiple channels. Media relations focuses on one.
Public relations spans owned, earned, and shared channels. That includes company blogs, executive LinkedIn content, webinars, events, and internal messaging. Media relations focuses specifically on earned third-party coverage through media outlets. PR allows companies to communicate directly with stakeholders. Media relations uses third-party validation to extend and reinforce that message.
- PR defines the message. Media relations amplifies it.
PR shapes narrative, positioning, and messaging. Media relations distributes that narrative through external voices, which increases reach and trust. A quote in a tier-one publication or respected industry podcast sometimes carries more weight than a message published on a company-owned channel.
- PR is the rectangle. Media relations is the square.
Media relations is a subset of PR. All media relations is PR, but not all PR is media relations. A strong PR strategy includes media relations, but also expands into analyst relations, executive positioning, and AI-era visibility strategies that go beyond press coverage.
How Does PR Help SaaS and AI Companies?
For B2B SaaS and AI companies, PR supports both brand and revenue outcomes by directly impacting credibility, pipeline, and discoverability.
It helps companies:
- Increase awareness among target buyers
- Build credibility with enterprise decision makers
- Strengthen executive visibility
- Generate inbound interest from customers and investors
- Support sales conversations with third-party validation
- Improve analyst and industry perception
- Increase visibility across AI-driven search tools
- Attract stronger job candidates
What Does PR Success Look Like for SaaS and AI Companies?
PR success includes both measurable outcomes and broader perception shifts.
Measurable outcomes:
- Volume and quality of media coverage
- Share of voice versus competitors
- Message pull-through in coverage
- Referral traffic from earned media
- Executive interview requests
- AI visibility and citation frequency
Business and perception outcomes:
- Increased trust during sales cycles
- Stronger performance in RFPs and enterprise deals
- More recognition in industry conversations
- Faster deal velocity due to prior awareness
- Improved employer brand perception
- Stronger analyst positioning over time
In our work with The Predictive Index, PR helped shift perception from an assessment tool to a broader talent optimization platform.
Case study: Original research and media impact
When Should a SaaS or AI Company Invest in PR?
PR becomes especially important when companies are:
- Entering a competitive category
- Launching a new product or repositioning
- Scaling outbound and ABM efforts
- Struggling to break into enterprise deals
- Seeking credibility with investors or analysts
- Preparing for expansion into new markets
The earlier a company invests in PR, the more control it has over how its narrative is shaped in both human and AI-driven discovery systems. But time investment and resource allocation are major consideration factors, as PR cannot operate in a silo.