You’d be hard pressed to find a PR pro who got into the business because it’s easy. We may love the art of messaging and the challenge of putting people in the press, but staying ahead of a relentless news cycle and changing tactics as the media market changes are exhausting.
On top of that, you may be dealing with a boss whose expectations are unrealistic or who doesn’t respect and understand what public relations can bring to the table.
A 2023 survey by the Public Relations Society of America dialed into the problem: 62% of PR professionals felt their contributions were undervalued by leadership, often because managers didn’t understand the strategic importance of PR. This gap widens in smaller firms, where PR is more likely to report to someone whose job has nothing to do with communications.
So what do you do when your boss seems ready to dismiss your work as “just press releases"? You could choose to take orders—like a waiter at a restaurant. You could burn out and throw in the towel. Or you can take control of your career by developing the professional and psychological skills that show decision makers that you—and your function—play an important role in the company’s overall success.
Break Free from the 'Order-Taker' Trap
The key to being seen as a strategic asset is to show that you benefit the organization. For example, the next time you get the order to write a press release about the latest product launch, go ahead and write it. But first:
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Determine how the press release fits into the overall launch campaign.
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Define the outcome desired from the press release—not just republished wire pieces, but something concrete and impactful like securing five pieces of coverage at the industry’s top 10 trade outlets.
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Think through why that outcome matters to the product launch’s success. Don’t forget that you’re an important part of the sales team.
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Identify the resources necessary to squeeze every drop out of the press release’s potential value. Are there outside partners who should be included in the release? Can you quote the engineering team to show what really makes the product different?
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Arm yourself for success by making key recommendations to the boss, like:
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Which outlets should get the release exclusively in advance, which gatekeepers should be targeted at those outlets, and why.
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How the release could be repurposed with the marketing team.
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As you master the tactics of public relations one by one, you’ll also start noticing where the assigned tactic is the wrong one. That’s where you can become a strategist—not just for executing above and beyond, but for recommending something entirely different to execute where necessary.
“An order taker is someone who is told to do something and salutes,” said Stephanie Roberts, Chief Communications Officer of Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems. “But a strategic communications professional asks whether that’s the right answer—and then thinks through each step, from campaign and company goals to the best message and methods to reach target audiences, as well as how to create broader impact of the project and how to share that impact with internal audiences”
Speak the C-Suite’s Language
Once you’ve taught yourself to think strategically, it’s time to make sure the strategy resonates by speaking the language of company leadership. The C-suite prioritizes revenue, efficiency and competitive advantage. So ditch the PR jargon and learn to speak the language they understand best.
They’re not likely to care about “impressions” or “media hits,” but they’ll pay attention if you can show a 15 percent website traffic spike, correlating with a 5 percent rise in sales inquiries. Even when PR’s impact is hard to quantify, highlight efforts that set up results. For example, show how this month’s placements reached key target audiences with the right narrative and supported marketing outcomes. Or, for a softer outcome, lay out how the op-ed (and subsequent LinkedIn posts) positioned the CEO as a thought leader, paving the way for partnerships marketing can measure later.
Second, help your boss speak his or her boss’s language by providing data-driven talking points, or join him to pitch the campaign to the C-suite. This foresight shifts you from order-taker to indispensable partner in the boss’s (and the organization’s) success.
“The key to being part of leadership decisions is understanding what the business truly values,” said Kristin Gallucci, founder of consultancy Modern Marketer. “That helps you not only drive better outcomes—because you’re aligned with what matters—but also prove the value of those outcomes in terms of risk, growth and impact. Over time, you’ll build a value system they trust, and that’s when you’re no longer just executing—you’re shaping the strategy from the start.
Build Alliances to Amplify Your Value
Finally, don’t just have a linear relationship with the company hierarchy. Otherwise, you’re at the mercy of the boss’s ability to understand what you do and his or her desire to bring you up the corporate ladder.
Remember when writing a press release was part of the sales strategy, and you made recommendations to the marketing team? Take that to the next level by engaging with other departments so you can find better story ideas that will rocket the company forward. Over time, you’ll see that they start coming to you with ideas and requests— making the PR job that much easier and more effective.
“Showing your value to the boss and the organization isn’t something that can be done with words,” said Kateryna Byelova, CEO of Sage XP. “It can only be done through doing great work that you turn into outcomes that matter to the business. By becoming a growth driver instead of a cost center, you become a partner who everyone relies on, from those in your direct chain of command as well as those in other departments.”
Remember, everyone is part of the sales team. The more that stakeholders—from staff and investors to key customers and journalists—see you as a reliable partner, the more credit you’ll get from everyone as the organization grows.
Own Your Value, Inside and Out
A 2025 PRSA report showed that C-suite executives increasingly rely on PR pros, and that will increase as LLMs continue to reward high-quality media coverage. But leadership also doesn’t really understand what we do.
This means that every PR pro has an opportunity to dial into what management already sees as valuable and reshape their view of what PR is. Otherwise, we really will just be order-takers.
Dustin Siggins is Founder of Proven Media Solutions.