How to Use PR to Build Trust, Visibility and Growth
For scaling businesses, cutting through a crowded market can be one of the biggest challenges. Paid channels can help create reach, but they do not always build the credibility needed to win trust at scale.
In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions by Cynergy Bank, Matt McKenna, Head of Communications and Content at Finder, explains how businesses can use Public Relations (PR) as a powerful growth lever, from earning media coverage and building journalist relationships to turning visibility into meaningful commercial results.
PR for business growth is not about shouting louder than competitors. It is about understanding what audiences care about, creating stories that feel relevant and earning attention through trusted media channels.
Key takeaways:
Focus on issues your audience already cares about, not just your product
Build relationships with journalists, not just one-off coverage
Create stories that pass the “pub test” and spark conversation
Share PR wins across the business to drive commercial impact
Why PR earns trust in a way marketing can’t
PR gives businesses access to large audiences, but more importantly, trusted audiences.
Unlike paid marketing, where messages come directly from the brand, PR relies on earning coverage through credible, relevant stories. That extra layer of scrutiny from journalists gives messages more weight and credibility.
You’re not guaranteed coverage. There’s nothing given to you in PR, so you have to really earn the coverage you get through smart, switched-on and interesting comms.
Matt McKenna
It also makes PR highly cost-effective. For scaling businesses with limited budgets, a well-executed campaign can deliver national visibility without the cost of paid advertising. But that visibility has to be earned. Strong PR isn’t about saying more, it’s about saying something that people actually care about.
Creating stories that cut through
One of the biggest challenges for growing businesses is getting out of their own bubble. It’s easy to focus on product updates or internal milestones. But audiences are rarely interested unless those stories connect to something bigger.
The more effective approach is to start with the wider issue. What’s happening in your industry? What problems are people talking about? Where can you add a useful or interesting perspective? From there, your message becomes part of a broader conversation, rather than a standalone announcement.
Creativity also plays a role. PR that performs well is often distinctive and timely, rather than repeating formats that have already been done. A simple way to test this is what’s often called the “pub test” - would someone naturally want to share this story with others? If not, it’s unlikely to gain traction.
We call it the pub test. Would somebody want to tell their friends about this? Would it actually spark a reaction if you were telling them over coffee or a drink?
Matt McKenna
Building relationships that lead to coverage
PR is not just about sending press releases. It’s about building trust with the journalists you want to work with.
As competition for coverage increases, relationships have become more important than ever. Understanding what specific journalists cover, what they need and how they work can significantly improve your chances of securing coverage.
That often means taking a more direct approach, speaking to journalists and meeting them face-to-face to build that familiarity over time. When those relationships are in place, the dynamic shifts. Instead of always pitching outwards, journalists may start coming to you for insight and expertise.
If when your email comes into their inbox, they recognise the name, they trust you, then you have such a head start over your competition.
Matt McKenna
Turning coverage into commercial impact
When PR results are shared across the business, they can support multiple teams, from sales conversations to investor discussions. Referencing media coverage in the right moments can help reinforce credibility and build trust more quickly.
Consistency also matters. PR rarely drives immediate results on its own, but sustained visibility in the right places helps build recognition over time. The strongest outcomes tend to come when PR is aligned with the wider business strategy, rather than operating in isolation.
A final thought for scaling leaders
PR can help scaling businesses build trust, visibility and credibility, but only when it is rooted in relevance. The most effective stories are not simply announcements. They connect a business’s expertise to the issues people are already discussing.
By building strong journalist relationships, applying the “pub test” and sharing coverage across the business, growing companies can make PR a more strategic part of their growth journey.
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