Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization to the public in order to influence their perception. Public relations and publicity differ in that PR is controlled internally, whereas publicity is not controlled and contributed by external parties. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. The exposure is mostly media-based, and this differentiates it from advertising as a form of marketing communications. Public relations aims to create or obtain coverage for clients for free, also known as earned media, rather than paying for marketing or advertising also known as paid media. But in the early 21st century, advertising is also a part of broader PR activities.

जनसंपर्क का सीधा अर्थ है 'जनता से संपर्क रखना'। जनसम्पर्क एक प्रक्रिया है जो एक उद्देश्य से व्यक्ति या वस्तु की छवि, महत्व एवं विश्वास को समूह अथवा समाज में स्थापित करने में सहायक होती है। जनसंचार के विभिन्न उपकरणों के माध्यम से समाज या समूह से जीवन्त सम्बन्ध बनाने में यह सेतु का कार्य करती है।