Glossary

PR terms, in plain English.

No jargon between us. Here is what the industry's shorthand actually means, so you can hold your own in any conversation about your own story.

Embargo: An agreement with a journalist that they may prepare a story in advance but not publish it before a stated date and time. Used to give reporters room to do the story properly ahead of an announcement.
Exclusive: Offering a story to a single outlet ahead of anyone else, usually in exchange for more considered, prominent coverage.
Byline: An article published under an executive's name in a third-party publication. The core unit of a thought leadership program.
Op-ed: A short opinion piece arguing a clear position, published on a publication's opinion pages rather than its news desk.
Ghostwriting: Writing in someone else's voice and publishing it under their name—standard practice for executive bylines, keynotes, and posts.
Pitch: A short, tailored note to a journalist proposing a story. Good pitches lead with what is new and why their readers should care.
Press release: A formal written announcement issued to media and published on the wire or your own newsroom. Useful as a matter of record, rarely the reason coverage happens.
Media kit / press kit: A packaged set of assets for journalists: boilerplate, executive bios, headshots, product images, logos, and key facts.
Boilerplate: The standard paragraph describing a company that appears at the end of every press release.
Messaging house: A one-page architecture that sets out the core narrative, supporting pillars, and proof points a company uses everywhere.
Proof point: A specific, verifiable piece of evidence—data, customer outcome, third-party validation—that supports a claim in your narrative.
Positioning: The place a company intends to occupy in the mind of its audiences relative to alternatives.
Tier one: Shorthand for the largest and most influential outlets for a given audience—national business press, major broadcast, and the leading trade titles.
Trade press: Publications written for a specific industry. Often more valuable than mainstream press for reaching buyers and specialists.
On the record: Everything said can be quoted and attributed to you by name. The default in any conversation with a reporter.
On background: Information a journalist may use but not attribute to you by name, usually described by role or affiliation instead.
Off the record: Information shared for the journalist's understanding only, not for publication. Must be agreed before it is said, not after.
No comment: A refusal to respond. Rarely the safer option—it usually reads as confirmation and forfeits the chance to frame the story.
Holding statement: A short, pre-approved response prepared for a developing situation, used while the facts are still being established.
Crisis comms: The planning and execution of communications during a serious incident: sequencing internal and external audiences, and keeping every channel consistent.
Media training: Preparing spokespeople to handle interviews: bridging back to key messages, handling difficult questions, and staying quotable.
Earned media: Coverage a journalist chooses to publish. Not bought, not owned—and the most credible of the three.
Owned media: Channels you control: your site, newsroom, blog, newsletter, and social accounts.
Paid media: Placement you pay for: advertising, sponsored content, and promoted posts.
Branded journalism: Editorial content produced by a company to real journalistic standards, on subjects its audiences care about rather than its own products.
Thought leadership: A sustained, public point of view on a subject a company has genuine standing to speak about.
Share of voice: How much of the coverage in your category features you, relative to competitors, over a given period.
Message pull-through: The proportion of coverage that actually carries your intended messages—usually a better measure of success than volume.
Newsjacking: Attaching credible expert commentary to a breaking story so your spokesperson becomes part of the coverage.
Desk-side briefing: An informal, non-news meeting with a journalist to build the relationship and context before there is anything to announce.

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