Within the four P's of Marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion), PR helps meets the marketing communication needs of promotion (along with components of the other P's) to advance sales of products and services. PR plays a role in advertising, publicity, packaging, point-of-sale display, trade shows, and special events. Also called Marcom.

Conducting outreach or responding to the news media on behalf of your organization or client. Media relations is often considered a specialized function within a public relations campaign. 

Typically representing an organization's management to inform and motivate the organization's employees through internal communications, training, awards programs, and other events.

Anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes and issues that might impact, for good or ill, the operations and plans of the organization.Counseling management at all levels in the organization with regard to policy decisions, courses of action and communication, taking into account their public ramifications and the organization’s social or citizenship responsibilities.Researching, conducting and evaluating, on a continuing basis, programs of action and communication to achieve the informed public understanding necessary to the success of an organization’s aims. These may include marketing; financial; fund raising; employee, community or government relations; and other programs.Planning and implementing the organization’s efforts to influence or change public policy. Setting objectives, planning, budgeting, recruiting and training staff, developing facilities — in short, managing the resources needed to perform all of the above.