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Earned coverage is written by a journalist who chose the story. You cannot control the timing, the angle or whether it happens at all, and that independence is precisely what gives it weight with readers. Paid placement is advertising: you control the message, you pay for the space, and readers discount it accordingly.

Sponsored content sits between the two and is where the rules concentrate. The publication produces something that looks like editorial while the advertiser pays for it, and the FTC's concern is that consumers may attribute the content to the publisher rather than to the advertiser. If your PR agency offers guaranteed placements in named outlets, ask directly whether money changes hands, because the answer determines what label the piece has to carry and who is accountable for the claims in it.

The FTC's guidance is specific about placement and prominence. Put the disclosure near the focal point of the ad, typically above or before the headline, and on the image itself where the image is the focal point. Use clear, unambiguous language with strong contrast against the background, and leave video disclosures on screen long enough to be read and understood. Keep the disclosure attached when the content is republished on another platform, because the ad can be reached without ever passing the publisher's own labelling.

The reason this matters to PR specifically is that the same rules follow a piece around. A sponsored article shared to social, quoted in an email or reposted by an executive carries its disclosure obligation with it. Build the label into the asset rather than relying on the publisher's page furniture, and keep a record of where each piece ran and how it was labelled.

Crisis work is bought before it is needed or bought at a premium during. The preparation is unglamorous: a list of plausible scenarios, a named spokesperson and a deputy, pre-agreed holding language, a decision about who authorises a statement out of hours, and a clear rule that nobody else speaks. Most damage in the first hours comes from inconsistent statements rather than from the underlying event.

Accuracy under pressure is the hard part. Statements made during an incident are still subject to the same standard as any other public claim, so a denial that turns out to be wrong compounds the problem. Say what you know, say what you are doing, say when you will update, and do not speculate about cause. Keep a log of every statement issued and to whom, because you will need it.