PR Without ‘The Ick’

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

I really didn’t want to log back into social media after watching sunrises and sunsets and feeling free.

The sounds of the Sea Organ in Zadar, its mermaid like melodies and crystal clear waters came home with me.

It makes music from the movement of the sea. You don’t make it happen. You don’t force it. You listen. And it felt like a good reminder about communication.

We’re constantly told to speak up. Post more. Share more. Be visible. Have an opinion. Talk about yourself.

And if you run your own business, it can feel like there’s always something else you should be doing.

Another post. Another story. Another thing to share.

But I’m not convinced good PR means being constantly ‘on’.

I work in PR. I love finding the good stories in a business and helping the right people connect with them. But I think there’s a better way to do it.

Sometimes, less is more

Good communication isn’t always about saying something.

Sometimes it’s about listening. Sometimes it’s about waiting for the right story. Sometimes it’s about understanding what’s happening around you before deciding what you want to say.

And sometimes it’s about knowing when to stay quiet.

We don’t need to fill every silence. We don’t need to have an opinion on everything. We don’t need to turn every thought, experience or day into content.

Being visible isn’t the same as being heard.

It doesn’t always have to be about you

One of the things I love about PR is that it’s not simply about telling everyone how brilliant you are.

Your customers have stories. Your clients have stories. Your industry has stories.

There are things happening that affect the people you want to reach.

There are questions they’re asking and problems they’re trying to solve.

Those can be far more interesting than another post telling people how wonderful your business is.

The starting point doesn’t always have to be: “What can I say about myself?”

It can be: “What would be useful, interesting or meaningful to the person I’m trying to reach?”

That’s where storytelling and empathy come in.

PR shouldn’t become another job

We need to talk about the pressure. If PR and communications are making you feel like you need another four hours in the day, something probably needs to change.

You don’t have to be everywhere, post every day, jump on every trend or turn your personal life into content.

And you don’t have to become a version of yourself that you’re uncomfortable with just because someone told you that’s what good marketing looks like.

PR should work with your business. It should help you get noticed for the right reasons.

It might be media coverage. It might be a good story. It might be sharing your expertise. It might be speaking somewhere your customers actually are. It might be social media. But it doesn’t have to be all of it.

The question I’m more interested in is: “What is worth saying, who needs to hear it, and what’s the best way to reach them?”

A different kind of PR

I’m not anti-social media. I’m not anti-visibility. I just don’t think you should have to shout the loudest to be heard.

I believe in thoughtful storytelling. In paying attention. In understanding people. In finding the stories that are already there and working out why they matter.

And in knowing that sometimes the best thing you can do is say less.

That’s the kind of PR I do. For business owners who have something good to say, but don’t want to spend their lives talking about themselves online.

I call it public relations without ‘The Ick’.