An article in Les Échos about your startup. An interview with your CEO on BFM Business. A profile in Maddyness when you raise funds. That is public relations. And it isn't advertising: that is precisely why it is valuable.

The difference between an ad and a press article isn't just a matter of format. It's a matter of credibility. Everyone knows you paid for advertising. A press article is a journalist deciding that your story is worth telling. This external validation is what public relations produces, and what no advertising budget can buy directly.

Here is the comprehensive definition of public relations: what it is, how it works, what it is used for in practice, and how to measure its impact.

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What is public relations? The comprehensive definition

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The definition in one sentence

Public relations refers to all actions taken with journalists and media outlets to obtain editorial coverage for a company, product, or executive, without using paid advertising space.

It is the discipline of telling a story in a way that is compelling enough for a journalist to decide to share it with their audience. This is known asearned media : coverage that is earned through the quality of your story and your relationship with the media, as opposed to paid media (purchased advertising) and owned media (your own channels like a blog or social media).

A PR officer or PR agency does not guarantee placements. They build the conditions for placements to happen: the right messages, the right angles, the right journalists, at the right time.

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Public relations vs. public affairs: what is the difference?

The two terms are often confused, even by professionals. The distinction is simple.

Public relations (or PR, in the broad sense) refers to all communication actions taken by an organization toward its various audiences: journalists, investors, employees, public authorities, and the general public. It is a broad scope.

Media relations are a component of public relations, focused exclusively on the media and journalists. All media relations are part of PR, but PR is not limited to media relations.

In practice, for a tech startup, the two terms are used interchangeably: most of what is called "doing PR" consists of working with the media.

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Media relations vs. advertising: why they are not the same thing

The confusion stems from the fact that both aim for visibility. The difference is fundamental in three respects.

Message control. In advertising, you control everything: the copy, the visuals, the placement, and the timing. In media relations, the journalist does the writing. You cannot review the article before publication, nor can you guarantee the angle they will choose.

Credibility. This is where media relations clearly win. According to the Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report, 66% of consumers trust editorial content, compared to only 43% for online display ads (source: Nielsen, Global Trust in Advertising). An article signed by an independent journalist provides an endorsement you cannot give yourself.

Cost. Advertising has a direct cost proportional to visibility: you pay for every click, every impression. Public relations have production costs (agency fees, time, strategy), but a feature in Les Échos does not cost you in proportion to the audience reached. That is why the ROI of PR can be very high when the strategy is well executed.

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What is the purpose of public relations?

The theoretical definition is clear. What interests a startup founder is what PR actually produces for the business. Here are five concrete effects.

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1. Building credibility that advertising cannot buy

This is the primary objective. When a journalist from Les Échos or TechCrunch writes about your company, they are implicitly telling their readers: "this company deserves your attention." This signal of external validation is impossible to manufacture any other way.

The Edelman Trust Barometer measures public trust in various information sources every year. For over a decade, independent media have consistently ranked as the most credible sources, far ahead of direct corporate communication (source: Edelman Trust Barometer 2024).

For a startup, this earned credibility translates directly: a prospect who discovers you through a Maddyness article does not have the same level of skepticism as a prospect who clicks on a Google ad. Context changes perception.

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2. Gaining visibility in media that matters to your sector

Public relations allow you to reach audiences that your own channels do not. An article in Les Échos Start potentially reaches hundreds of thousands of readers you would never have converted into LinkedIn followers or website visitors.

This point is particularly strong for B2B markets and high-value-added markets, where decision-makers consume specialized media as their primary source of industry information. A CFO looking for a treasury tool reads Frenchweb and Les Échos before performing a Google search.

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3. Attracting investors and facilitating fundraising

The link between public relations and fundraising is well-documented and well-known to investment firms. A startup that appears regularly in benchmark media before raising funds is perceived as more credible, more mature, and already validated by independent third parties.

PR before a funding round serves two functions: it signals to investors that the company has a compelling story, and it creates media coverage that provides reassurance during due diligence. A startup with ten articles in reputable media outlets inspires more confidence than a startup unknown to journalists.

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4. Recruit the talent you need more easily

Top talent chooses companies they’ve heard of. Candidates, especially senior-level professionals, research companies on Google before an interview. Finding articles in respected media outlets makes them more eager to join the team and adds legitimacy to your offer.

In a competitive tech recruitment market, media visibility is an underrated employer branding lever. It costs less than a LinkedIn Ads campaign and delivers more lasting results.

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5. Improve your SEO through earned backlinks

Press articles generate high-quality backlinks to your site. A link from outlets like Les Échos, Maddyness, or TechCrunch France carries significantly more domain authority than most backlinks acquired through other means.

The SEO impact of PR is direct and measurable in Google Search Console: increased Domain Authority, higher rankings for target keywords, and growth in organic traffic. It is a collateral benefit of public relations that strengthens all your other channels.

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How does public relations work? Tools and methods

Public relations relies on a set of tools and practices that every leader should understand, even if they delegate the execution.

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The press release

This is the fundamental tool. A press release is a short document (typically 400 to 600 words) that announces news: a funding round, a product launch, a partnership, a new hire, or a key milestone. It is sent to journalists to spark coverage.

A good press release is not written like a sales flyer. It is written in a journalistic style, featuring a clear headline, a quote from the leadership, and factual information that makes it easy for media outlets to pick up the story. The goal is for the journalist to be able to write their article directly from the release without needing to rewrite it.

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The press kit

The press kit is the comprehensive version of your company presentation intended for journalists. It typically contains: the company overview, key figures, founder biographies, products or services, visual assets (logo, photos), and press contacts.

It is not sent out systematically. It is made available to journalists who wish to learn more after an initial contact, or handed out directly during an event or press conference.

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Pitching journalists

This is the most critical and least formalized practice. Pitching involves contacting a specific journalist to propose a story, an interview, or an exclusive piece of information, with an angle tailored to their editorial line and audience.

A good pitch is not a press release. It is a short, personalized message that proves you know the journalist and their work. "I read your latest article on fintech trends, and I think angle X might interest your readers for the following reasons..." is infinitely better than a generic email sent to 200 addresses.

The quality of pitching is what distinguishes a PR agency with a real network from an agency that mass-distributes press releases.

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Interviews and media appearances

When a journalist wants to explore a topic in depth, they request an interview. This can take the form of a phone call or email exchange for a written article, a filmed interview for digital media, or a TV or radio appearance.

Interview preparation (media training) is an essential component of PR. Speaking to a journalist cannot be improvised: you need to know which messages to defend, how to handle difficult questions, and how to adapt your tone to the format (30 seconds on BFM, 20 minutes on a specialized podcast).

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Digital press relations

PR is no longer limited to print and broadcast media. Modern press relations integrate the entire digital editorial ecosystem:

• pure players such as Maddyness, Frenchweb, L'Usine Digitale, and Numerama
• The newsletters specialized with highly targeted audiences (fintech, deeptech, SaaS, HR)
• The podcasts business and industry-specific, which have seen strong growth since 2021
• The expert blogs and high-reach LinkedIn posts in specific verticals

For a tech startup, these channels can be just as impactful as an article in a major national newspaper, because the audience is often exactly the right one: industry professionals, investors, and decision-makers.

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Who handles it? In-house vs. PR agency

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What an in-house PR manager does

In large companies or well-structured scale-ups, a communications or PR director/manager handles media relations in-house. They write press releases, maintain the media contact list, coordinate interviews, and track coverage.

The advantage: intimate knowledge of the product and the team. The disadvantage: the lack of the external network that an agency builds over years of relationships with journalists.

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What a PR agency brings to the table

A PR agency brings three things that an internal resource cannot provide on its own.

An established network of journalists. Journalists are more responsive to people they already know. An agency that has been working for five years with tech journalists at Les Échos, Maddyness, or TechCrunch France isn't introducing itself—it's following up. This difference in response rate is significant.

Sector-specific expertise. A good specialized PR agency knows what each media outlet covers, what each journalist is looking for, and how to tailor a story's angle for every publication. This knowledge is gained through years of practice, not through training.

Continuous execution capacity. Maintaining active press relations requires consistent work: monitoring, pitching, tracking coverage, and identifying speaking opportunities. It is a full-time job that few executives can manage alongside their primary responsibilities.

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When should you switch to an agency?

Three signs indicate it is time to work with a PR agency.

You have major news to announce (fundraising, product launch, international expansion) and lack the network to get it in front of the right journalists.

You are looking to build a continuous media presence, rather than just a one-off event, to prepare for hiring, fundraising, or to establish thought leadership in your sector.

Your CEO or executives are being asked to speak publicly, but no one is coordinating these appearances in a coherent way.

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3 concrete examples of successful press relations

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Example 1: The fundraising announcement

A fintech startup supported by Linker raises 12 million euros in Series A funding. Six weeks before the announcement, the agency begins working with economic and tech journalists: in-depth articles on the target market, CEO interviews on sector trends. By the day of the announcement, the journalists are already familiar with the company. Result: 14 pieces of coverage in 48 hours, including Les Échos, BFM Business, and TechCrunch France. The announcement goes beyond a simple press release and becomes a story about the market.

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Example 2: Product launch with executive speaking engagement

A SaaS scale-up launches a new AI feature. Instead of sending out a product press release (which rarely interests generalist journalists), the agency develops an angle focused on the transformation of the HR sector. The CEO is positioned as an expert on the topic. The result: two op-eds in trade publications, an interview in L'Usine Digitale, and a podcast appearance that generates qualified leads in the following weeks.

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Example 3: Building long-term brand awareness

A cybersecurity startup executive wants to establish themselves as a leader in their field. Over 12 months, the agency builds a strategy of regular commentary: interviews, reactions to current events, and analyses published in specialized media. By the end of the year, this executive is the person journalists call spontaneously when they need a cyber expert. This status as a reference is built over time, not through a single article.

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How do you measure the impact of PR?

This is the question that comes up every time, and rightly so. PR does not produce a measurable cost-per-click like Google Ads. Its impact is real, but you have to know where to look.

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Quantitative indicators

The number and quality of media placements. How many articles were published? In which media outlets? An article in Les Échos is not worth the same as an article in an obscure blog. A good PR agency weights placements based on the quality and audience of the media.

Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE). AVE measures how much you would have paid for advertising space equivalent to the editorial coverage obtained. A half-page article in Les Échos represents tens of thousands of euros in ad space. It is an imperfect indicator (editorial content is worth more than an ad of the same size), but it provides an order of magnitude for return on investment. The AMEC (Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication) recommends not stopping at AVE and incorporating business impact indicators (source: AMEC, Barcelona Principles).

Reach and impressions. How many people potentially read the articles? The sum of the audiences of the media outlets that published the content provides an estimate of total reach.

Referral traffic. In Google Analytics, sessions originating from the URLs of media outlets that have published articles about you. This is a direct and measurable indicator.

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Qualitative indicators

The tone and angle of the articles. A factual article is good, an article featuring a quote from your CEO is better, and an article that positions you as a thought leader in your sector is excellent. The quality of the journalistic coverage matters just as much as the number of placements.

The quality of the media outlets reached. Being featured in Les Échos, TechCrunch, or L'Usine Digitale carries more weight than being mentioned in an obscure blog. A PR agency that only measures the number of clippings without assessing their quality provides a distorted view of the results.

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Real business impact

This is the most important level of measurement, and the hardest to isolate. PR contributes to several business metrics.

Inbound leads : an increase in direct and referral traffic following a feature in a major media outlet, and inbound contacts who mention having "read an article about you."

Sales conversion rate : prospects who arrive via earned media generally convert better than those from advertising, as their initial level of trust is higher.

Recruitment : an increase in the volume and quality of applications following a period of high press visibility.

Fundraising : investment funds regularly cite media visibility as a positive signal during their due diligence.

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What Linker does differently

At Linker, we work exclusively with leaders of tech startups and scale-ups. We believe that public relations work best when they are rooted in the leader's personal positioning.

A CEO who is visible in the right media outlets is not just a communication accessory: they are a business asset. Journalists don't just cover products. They cover stories, and the best stories are often told by founders who have a clear point of view on their market.

This is the Linker method: press relations and executive presence, built together so that every statement reinforces the next.

If you want to know what we can do for your company, let's talk about it directly.