When Do You Need a Hand with Communications and PR?
Are you expecting significant change in your business this year?
I hope for your sake that you are. With continuing changes driven by the economy, new technology like AI, and new workforce needs and expectations, you probably have a lot of new things happening.
Now, are you ready to talk about those changes in a way your customers, investors and employees will understand and support?
As I start my new consulting business, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about when getting public relations and communications support really makes sense — and when it doesn’t.
Most organizations don’t need PR support all the time. They really need it when something big is changing. Change can be represented by:
- Leadership transition
- A new market opportunity
- An innovative product
- A significant project or development
- An unexpected crisis
- An intentional push for growth and expanded market share.
In each case, the challenge isn’t activity — it’s articulation. Your story needs to be told differently, often to people who don’t yet understand need or value of the change the way you do.
This is where a PR consultant should add significant value so you can sleep better.
Internal leaders are often too close to change issues to see where assumptions exist or where clarity is missing. An outside perspective helps surface the questions new audiences will ask — and shape answers before confusion or skepticism fills the gap.
That perspective is especially critical in high-impact industries, where perception and trust have real-world consequences:
- Construction and development
- Nonprofit organizations
- Companies providing services to citizens or government agencies
- Educational institutions
- Public agencies where public acceptance is critical to success.
In these environments, communication isn’t about promotion — it’s about alignment. Employees, media, customers, funders, regulators and community stakeholders all need to understand what’s changing, why it matters, and what comes next.
PR, at its best, isn’t about spin or visibility. It’s about helping organizations explain themselves clearly at moments when clarity matters most.
If your organization is changing — or preparing to — the right time to bring in outside PR support is often earlier than you think.
