As the founder of an emerging tech company, you likely need to spread awareness about your brand, acquire new customers, and build credibility. PR and advertising can help you achieve those goals - but in different ways.

Simply put - you can't afford to be ignorant of the media landscape.

The antagonistic relationship between the press and tech companies develops when there is no clear boundary, understanding, or knowledge of or mutual respect for the incentives and goals of the founder vs. the press.

When you mistake PR for advertising, you risk pouring your budget into paid promotions, expecting the credibility and trust only earned media can provide. Treating PR like advertising will only burn journalists and publications with unrealistic demands, expectations and misconceptions.

Understanding when to use one versus the other will empower you to craft an integrated marketing strategy that drives real results.

First things first - we need to level set on what exactly PR and advertising entail.

Public relations focuses on shaping perception and generating goodwill through unpaid media coverage and community engagement.

• Earned media: Working to secure press mentions in news outlets, podcasts, etc.

• Thought leadership: Positioning execs as industry experts through conferences, contributed articles, and interviews.

• Community building: Engaging target audiences through social media, events, and strategic partnerships.

The goal is to build brand awareness and trust by communicating your narrative through third parties.

Advertising relies on purchased media space to promote your product or service through your own messaging.

• Paid ads: Buying search, display, video, and social media advertisements.

• Sponsorships: Paying to associate your brand with certain events, causes, or publishers.

• Direct mail: Sending promotional materials directly to potential customers.

You control the messaging and pay to reach your audience through owned channels.

The main distinction lies in how brands communicate through earned vs. owned media.

PR earns media through building relationships with journalists and securing features and mentions in unpaid external outlets. This third-party credibility is more likely to drive awareness and trust.

Advertising owns media by purchasing ad space, where it fully controls the messaging. Increasingly, customers ignore paid ads or feel bombarded, limiting their effectiveness.

These different media strategies lend themselves to different marketing objectives.

PR takes a long-term approach to brand building. Press hits might not convert readers instantly, but positive coverage shapes perception over time.

Advertising offers a short-term lead generation play. You can directly track how many people click your ads or redeem a coupon code, yielding measurable conversions.

The breadth of audiences reached also differs between the strategies.

PR tends to reach broad, untargeted groups. When you secure press mentions, you gain visibility among that news outlet's entire readership.

Advertising allows you to target specific demographics - industry, seniority, location, interests, and more. You can also tailor messaging to different subgroups.

Now that you understand the core differences, how do you know when one strategy is a better fit than the other?

• Increase brand awareness: Press coverage introduces you to broad new audiences in a credible way.

• Establish thought leadership: Position executives as trusted industry experts by securing contributed articles and speaking opportunities.

• Build credibility: Earned media makes people more likely to trust you over paid ads.

• Promote new products: Press coverage drives curiosity and interest when launching something new.

• Defend reputation during crises: Proactively get your narrative in the media to mitigate negative news.

• Drive direct conversions: Use targeted ads, coupons, and calls to action to get immediate purchases.

• Remarket to past customers: Upload lists to run ads promoting new products to proven buyers.

• Test or target specific messaging: Tailor value props and offers to different customer segments.

• Promote time-sensitive deals: Run short-term campaigns pushing seasonal sales or expiring promotions.

• Expand reach quickly: Buying more ad space lets you scale audiences faster than chasing press.

The most effective marketing strategies combine earned and owned media to maximize results. Here are 3 ways to integrate PR and advertising:

• Turn press hits into ads: Quote or highlight media wins in paid social posts.

• Convert ad leads into case studies: Follow up on high-converting ads to get customer stories for PR.

• Promote brand journalists: Ensure your press team lists their credentials and expertise on your website.

Avoid treating PR and advertising as isolated channels. Find creative ways to synergize them into a cohesive strategy that builds trust while driving immediate business value.

• PR focuses on earned media and brand building, while advertising uses owned media for lead generation.

• Integrate PR and advertising to raise awareness through credible press while directly driving conversions.

• Use PR to establish thought leadership, increase trust, and promote new products long-term.

• Use advertising for short-term lead generation, conversion optimization, and targeting specific customer segments.

• Creative ways to connect PR and advertising include highlighting press wins in ads and promoting your media-savvy team.

The lines between earned, owned, and paid media will continue to blur.

That's inevitable.

But taking a strategic approach to PR and advertising based on your goals will enable breakthrough results.