What does a PR plan contain?
A PR plan is built around six components. Together, they answer a simple question: what to say, to whom, when, and how to measure it.
- Objectives : what media visibility is intended to achieve (preparing for a funding round, recruiting, supporting sales, establishing a market position).
- Key messages : the two or three ideas the company wants to associate with its name.
- Media targets : the list of journalists and media outlets relevant to the target audience.
- Angles : the stories that make the company interesting to those journalists.
- Schedule : key milestones (announcements, events, industry trends) and the cadence of communications.
- Metrics : how performance will be measured (quality of coverage, share of voice, referral traffic).
Why build a PR plan?
Without a plan, PR often boils down to one-off efforts triggered by specific announcements. Yet, it is consistency that builds credibility with both journalists and your audience.
A plan allows you to anticipate windows of opportunity, align PR with other channels (especially LinkedIn), and measure progress over time rather than article by article.
How do you build a PR plan?
Start with business goals, not media outlets. Define what you want visibility to achieve, then work backward to your messaging, target audiences, and story angles. Set a realistic schedule and measurable KPIs from the start.
For practical implementation of your schedule, see our guide on the PR editorial calendar. To understand the role of professional support, see what a PR agency does.
