Every PR dreams of the nationals.

The idea is exciting, the pitch gets traction, and then come the follow-up calls, the hold music, the clock watching whilst waiting for journo feedback.

Then finally you can breathe, the piece has gone live.

The client’s pleased.

The coverage book looks strong.

The reach figure?

Massive.

But once the initial buzz fades, there’s often a quieter moment of reflection: did it do what we actually needed it to do?

The honest answer?

Sometimes yes, sometimes not really. (You didn’t really think I had solved the PR ROI conundrum in 800 words did you?)

The reality is that not all visibility leads to value. And the longer we measure success by the sheer number of eyeballs on a piece, the more we risk missing the audiences that truly matter, writes Mathew Thomas, senior account manager at Ingenuity.

That’s why businesses must consider fame versus fortune. Fame is about perception, reputation, and reach. Fortune is about commercial impact. You need both, but they serve very different purposes. And when one gets prioritised over the other, the picture becomes skewed.

Reach isn’t the same as relevance

There’s no denying the credibility that comes with a national mention. It gets attention in a pitch deck. It helps shape how a business is perceived from the outside. It adds weight, and creates a broader visibility push. Fame, in this sense, is useful. But it’s not always what drives action.

A single well-placed piece in a sector-specific publication might never be seen by millions. But if it’s read by the right handful of decision-makers, it can outperform a national in real terms. It might get shared on a client’s internal email, spark a conversation at an event, or trigger a direct approach. Quiet results, loud impact.

The challenge is that reach numbers are easier to count. Influence isn’t. Which is why PR still leans heavily on top-line metrics, even if they don’t always reflect what matters most.

Understanding where influence lives

Many senior marketers aren’t browsing the nationals for their day-to-day industry thinking. They’re embedded in their world. They skim specialist newsletters, read what their peers read, and stay across the trade coverage that reflects their own priorities. The PR that shows up here has a different kind of power. It isn’t background noise.

It’s trusted, relevant, but most importantly it lands.

This is why the best PR strategies begin with curiosity, not coverage targets. Who is the audience? What do they care about? Where do they go to get insight?

These questions help shift the approach from scattergun to strategic, and is where true PRs can demonstrate their mettle as a strategic partner over a mere supplier.

It also changes the way we view sector-specific media. These titles might have smaller audiences, but those audiences are engaged. They notice who’s featured. They notice what’s said. And when they see something that resonates, they act on it.

Fame is great for visibility. Fortune happens when visibility intersects with the right audience.

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The myth of the ‘perfect piece’

There’s often pressure, from clients, leadership teams, sometimes ourselves, to land the biggest hit possible. And sometimes that makes sense. But PR isn’t a one-size-fits-all game. What looks impressive doesn’t always work. What works doesn’t always look impressive.

That’s where expectation management comes in. Not in the sense of lowering ambition, but in redefining what good actually means. The best coverage isn’t always the one with the biggest logo. It’s the one that aligns with a specific goal, supports a longer-term plan, and reaches the people that influence outcomes.

There’s also something to be said for focusing less on campaign fireworks and more on consistent presence. Showing up in the right spaces regularly. Earning trust, building momentum. That kind of reputation pays off. Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is an effective PR plan.

Precision beats volume

None of this means ignoring high-reach opportunities. The best PR plans find a balance. Sometimes you need the high-gloss feature in a business title to reposition your business. Other times, it’s a well-argued opinion piece in a trade publication that nudges a potential client to get in touch.

The trick is knowing which to use, when to use it, and why. That takes proper planning, strong relationships, and a clear understanding of what the business is trying to achieve. It also takes the confidence to push back when the coverage wish list starts to feel disconnected from the brief.

PR is at its best when it’s aligned with real outcomes. That doesn’t always mean more. Often, it means better. Better placed. Better timed. Better targeted.

Success isn’t just about being seen. It’s about being seen by the right people, in the right context, at the right moment. Fame is valuable. But fortune is what moves the needle.