A PR statement is more than just a few sentences. It's a perfectly curated message crafted for one's audience, where each word carries a lot of weight. In these situations, anything and everything can have an impact on a company, leading to either a favorable image or a tabloid crisis.
This guide breaks down how to write a clear, credible, and effective PR statement—complete with real examples and expert tips.
TL;DR:
Learn how to structure a professional PR statement in 5 key parts
Understand when and why to issue one—crisis, campaign, or company news
Discover tone strategies that build trust and avoid backlash
See good vs. bad PR statement examples from Shopify and BrewDog
Get practical tips on tailoring messages to media, customers, and stakeholders
Explore how tools like Prowly help monitor sentiment and manage communications
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A public relations (PR) statement is an official message from a company designed to shape public perception. Typically written by a media relations or communications team, it's used in response to crises, product launches, or news events involving the brand.
So, why write a PR statement? Here are some common scenarios:
To generate media buzz around a new product launch
To reinforce a positive reputation after an ESG or DEI campaign
To address negative press and clarify your company’s position
Whether proactive or reactive, a well-crafted PR statement can build trust, redirect narratives, and ensure your voice is heard first.
A strong PR statement can make or break public relations and crisis communications for your brand. Whether it's an official statement from government officials, or a few sentences to reduce negative publicity, it needs to follow a structure that prioritizes transparency, empathy, responsibility and direction.
Here are five essential elements every effective PR statement should include—plus ways to support each stage with smart planning, cross-functional alignment, and the right tools.
5 key building blocks of a PR statement
#1 Acknowledge the situation
Start by clearly stating what happened, when it occurred, and—if relevant—where. This shows transparency and sets the stage for the rest of the message.
Example: “On Sunday, January 12, one of our representatives made false claims about our organization and its employees.”
🛠️ Many PR teams begin this step inside a press release creator with real-time editing support—like Prowly’s AI Assistant, which helps structure key messages and maintain tone consistency while drafting.
#2 Explain the impact
Address who was affected and express empathy. A human tone goes a long way in showing your brand takes the matter seriously.
Example: “We understand this outage caused delayed and canceled flights, disrupting many travelers’ plans.”
🛠️ Empathy also comes from listening. Media monitoring tools like Prowly’s help teams surface early reactions and keyword sentiment across channels, making it easier to reflect real concerns in your messaging.
Avoid deflecting blame. Instead, be direct about what went wrong and your company’s role in it.
Example: “We recognize that our actions didn’t align with the values we stand for.”
🛠️ Tracking media responses to your messaging helps teams understand whether the tone of accountability is resonating—or needs recalibration.
#4 Outline your response
Let your audience know what steps you're taking to fix the issue. Even if the situation is ongoing, communicate the direction you're moving in.
Example: “We’re issuing full refunds to everyone affected and reviewing our response process to prevent future incidents.”
🛠️ Once your response is outlined, you’ll likely need to communicate it to multiple groups—media, partners, or customers. Prowly users can distribute statements through branded newsrooms or targeted journalist emails, keeping the message aligned across channels.
Personalized emails in Prowly
#5 Commit to change
Wrap up with a clear statement of what will be done long-term. This helps restore trust and signals accountability.
Example: “We’re implementing new safety protocols company-wide and will report back on progress.”
🛠️ This step isn’t just about saying the right thing—it’s about proving it. Reporting tools like Prowly’s let you track and visualize earned media coverage over time, so you can demonstrate how public sentiment shifts as changes roll out.
Different audiences consume information differently. Consider creating:
A headline summary for social or media alerts
An executive summary for internal or investor updates
A full-length version for press releases or newsroom use
👉 Know your audience
Customize your statement based on who's reading:
Customers want to know if their service or product will be impacted
Employees need reassurance and transparency
Investors look for signs of stability and future-proof planning
👉 Use media monitoring to stay ahead
Once your PR statement is live, the job isn't over. Use a media monitoring tool like Prowly to track how the message is being received across social media, online news, and even broadcast and print. This helps you adapt quickly, manage sentiment, and stay in control of the narrative.
👉 Align internally before publishing
Make sure your marketing, legal, and leadership teams are on the same page before anything goes public. The faster your internal alignment, the quicker—and safer—you can respond.
👉 Enhance with visuals
Infographics, video messages from your CEO, or a visual timeline of events can help clarify complex updates and build connection with your audience.
Add social media posts and visuals with a few clicks in Prowly Press Release Creator
In public relations, creating a PR statement is just a piece of the puzzle.
For public relations professionals, it means they need to communicate in a way that aligns with what the company believes it, while at the same time protecting its reputation and strengthening relationships with journalists, the media, and the public.
Your public relations statement might check all the technical boxes—but does it genuinely build trust?
A defensive or overly polished tone can backfire. Audiences are quick to sense when a message feels performative or insincere. True accountability and transparency are the foundation of trust, especially during a crisis or high-stakes announcement.
Trust signals that strengthen PR statements
To make your message more credible and trustworthy, include these critical elements:
Be specific: Use concrete timelines, name the individuals or departments responsible, and clearly state what actions have been taken.
Create follow-up mechanisms: Keep your audience informed over time—not just in the moment. This could mean posting updates, issuing secondary statements, or using a newsroom.
Understand your audience: Speak directly to the concerns of your stakeholders—customers, employees, investors—not just what you think they need to hear.
Maintain tone consistency: Your statement should align with your brand’s voice, previous communications, and core values. Sudden shifts can feel disingenuous.
Brands that are transparent and credible follow up on the state of things. For example, when a company isn't clear on ethical practices and receives backlash for a questionable product launch, your company needs to prove they will take actions that will increase customer satisfaction and strengthen broken relationships.
Even if our public relations statement is written according to all the rules and with the best intentions, sometimes the media can misconstrue it anyway. Sometimes, the best public relations specialists can't predict what will go wrong (or right).
Here are some contrasting examples of public relations statements that journalists picked up and made into headlines:
Good PR statement: Shopify CEO’s layoff message
In 2022, Shopify announced they were laying off around 10% of their employees. However, instead of creating a PR statement full of jargon rarely anyone understands, Tobi Lutke, the CEO, released a company-wide message that was received as raw, full of reflection, and something that doesn't happen often in the tech industry: humanity.
Instead of sugar-coating and spilling out a bunch of words that wouldn't make anyone feel better in that situation, he explained (or the PR professionals on his team did) that they miscalculated the acceleration of e-commerce growth during the times of the pandemic.
He took full responsibility for what happened, showing honesty and humility. The communication was direct and easy to understand without reading in between the lines.
“Ultimately, placing this bet was my call to make and I got this wrong,”he wrote.
Plenty of public relations specialists have analyzed it and examined it since, highlighting that it was the greatest response in crisis communications in many, many years. Additionally, the company received less backlash than other tech layoffs have seen in social media (which is always a win).
Bad PR statement: BrewDog’s apology after toxic workplace claims
Contrast that with BrewDog, which faced intense criticism in 2021 after more than 60 former employees published an open letter accusing the company of fostering a culture of fear, pressure, and exploitation.
But the tone fell flat. It was too vague, too sanitized, and lacked any real accountability. The statement didn’t address the specific allegations raised. Nor did it outline steps the company would take to improve working conditions or repair internal culture.
Critics quickly pointed out that the apology felt more like damage control than genuine reflection. The lack of a forward-looking plan—and the absence of emotional acknowledgment—only intensified the backlash.
Conclusion – writing for the moment and the memory
A great PR statement shows customers how your organization handles pressure, public scrutiny, and shows accountability.
In crisis communications, the language you choose shapes perception and helps build a favorable public image that can outlast the headlines which are damaging to your company.
When writing a PR statement, PR professionals need to conduct thorough research to craft the type of communication that respects the urgency of the situation and the long-term well-being of their audience. It's a tough balancing act, and this type of communication is certainly difficult to write.
It doesn't matter if your company is addressing journalists, employees, customers, or simply keeping stakeholders informed — a well-crafted reactive PR statement or a proactive holding statement can make or break the business you're doing public relations for.
