The difference between what you say and how the world hears it

Think about a business you love. Maybe it’s a restaurant you’ve been going to for years, or a shop you found yourself recommending to a friend before you even realized you were doing it. Chances are, you trust them. Not just because of what they sell, but because of how they make you feel. The way they talk about what they do. The sense that there’s a real person behind it, with something genuine to say.

That feeling doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built – quietly, intentionally – through communications.

Communications is the foundation of how a business or brand speaks. It’s the voice, the message, the values put into words. It’s what you say to your customers, your community, and sometimes your own team. It’s not a campaign or a one-time project. It’s the ongoing work of showing up consistently, so that over time, people know exactly who you are and what you stand for.

If communications is the voice, public relations is how people receive it.

Public relations, commonly referred to as “PR”, takes that foundation and carries it further. It’s the work of building reputation and trust through the people and places your audience already pays attention to. A story in a local publication. A partnership with someone your customers respect. An event that puts your brand in the right room at the right moment. PR doesn’t change who you are, it makes sure more of the right people get to know you.

Together, they answer two of the most important questions any business faces: What do we want to be known for? And how do we make sure the right people know it?

That’s the work. And it matters as much for the business that’s been here long enough to remember when things were quieter, as it does for the ones just arriving.The scale changes. The need doesn’t.

At salt & story, we work across both – helping businesses and brands find the right words, then helping those words travel.

Sydney HarpsUpshur is the founder of salt & story, a communications and public relations studio in Bethany Beach, Delaware.