A strong UK PR plan has 10 sections: commercial objectives, target audiences, core messages, target publications, tactics, spokespeople, timeline, budget, risk assessment, and measurement framework. Aim for 6-10 pages total — detailed enough to execute, short enough that team actually read it.
The 10-section PR plan template
- Commercial objectives — what business outcomes PR will support.
- Target audiences — who you need to reach.
- Core messages — what you want audiences to believe.
- Target publications — where your audiences actually read.
- Tactics — specific activities (pitches, releases, events, thought leadership).
- Spokespeople — named people available for press.
- Timeline — 12-month calendar with specific moments.
- Budget — fees, production costs, tools.
- Risk assessment — crisis planning, worst-case scenarios.
- Measurement framework — how you will evaluate success.
Common PR plan mistakes
- No commercial objectives (only PR metrics).
- Target audience “everyone”.
- Tactics list with no publication targeting.
- No risk assessment.
- Measurement tied to outputs, not outcomes.