[Editor's Note: Even experienced PR professionals need a refresher on the basics from time to time, as well as insights about newer concepts. Whether it's how to become a better writer or a review of PR ethics, PRNEWS aims to provide readers with content about a variety of topics and issues. Hence, our Explainer series was born.
Previous posts looked at Share of Voice, running a crisis drill and LLMs.
Today we review the definition of "a leak."]
What Is a Leak?
Basically, a leak is information that becomes public before an organization is ready—or willing—to release it. But as PR practitioners know, the definition gets complicated fast.
Kat Eller Murray, Founder at ROAM Communications (which includes work for tech founders and marketing leaders), frames it in terms of control.
"A leak is confidential information being shared outside an organization through a channel or person no one authorized," Eller Murray says. "As a result, the organization loses its ability to decide what to say and when."
Christine Kim, Chief Communications Officer at The ATTN Economy, offers a practical test for leaks.
"Did the company decide this moment or did somebody else decide it for them?" Kim asks. A planned early reveal—an embargo, a pre-briefing, a strategic rollout—still lets the comms team own the timing and the framing. A leak does not.
Leeann Silver, founder of L@Silver Communications and creator of The RECORD Framework, puts it plainly: "A leak is when the story starts before you're ready to tell it."
Intentional vs. Unintentional Leak
Not all leaks are accidents, and not all are malicious. James A. Pearson, CCO at Converge, draws a useful distinction: a leak is information released at a time the organization did not intend, "regardless of whether the release was unintentional (an accident, a mistake, an overzealous insider) or intentional (strategic, meant to appear accidental or by a whistleblower)." He adds that the information "ceases to be a 'leak' and instead becomes a story when the organization reacts to it"—a useful line for communicators managing fallout.
Adam Cormier, Principal at JAC Comm, which specializes in crisis and reputation strategy, notes that while most leaks are intentional—whether originating from within the organization or from a whistleblower—others happen through social engineering or a simple slip of the tongue.
Sarah Babbitt, VP of Agency Marketing at SHIFT Communications, points out that the source of a leak has also expanded well beyond the traditional insider.
"Someone inside of or involved with an organization—such as a board member—shares private or not-yet-released information to an external party," Babbitt says. "This could be a journalist, creator or, really, anyone now that we're all citizen journalists with plenty of options to publish."
Kiyomi Harrington, a tech communications consultant with over 20 years of experience, notes that leaks aren't always informational.
"It can be a product given to someone external ahead of a release date," she says.
She's seen it firsthand: a journalist once purchased unreleased products from a source and returned them to the company.
"Leaks can be malicious and financially motivated, because someone wants to show their access and knowledge, or simply because someone spoke out of turn," Harrington notes.
Why This Matters to Communicators
The stakes of a leak vary widely depending on its content, source and scale. Jessica Kowal, Founder of JMK Communications, offers a useful framework.
"Depending on scale, an unplanned leak can be a drip, a pipeline or a wave," she says.
Her advice for high-profile situations? Assume information will leak, and build in a key point you want to see out in the world.
Lindsay Wyskowski, Associate Vice President at Identity PR, is direct about the bottom line.
"If it's a leak, it's something that shouldn't be out there and likely needs to be patched in some way," she says.
Wyskowski distinguishes sharply between a leak and a strategic pre-share: "Those instances are part of a strategy and have a clear intention. I'd just call that creative positioning."
The consequences aren't limited to external audiences. Lizi Sprague, co-Founder of Songue PR and Lark, flags the internal communications dimension.
"Employees who realize news reached a reporter before it reached them don't forget—same for partners and investors," Sprague says. "One leak that burns an internal audience can break trust."
There are also legal and ethical considerations. Gökhan Timurhan, co-Founder of PResult, notes that in sensitive sectors like defense, both the individual who creates a leak and the one who disseminates it may face serious legal consequences.
Paul Oakley, CEO and Founder of Tiny Mighty Communications, specializing in industrial and manufacturing sectors, sums up what separates strong comms teams from the rest when it comes to leaks.
"The best communications teams don't just create headlines—they prevent the wrong ones," he says.
More PRNEWS resources about leaks and information management:
- 49% of Companies Have a Crisis Plan. But Is It Enough to Save a Reputation?
- Explainer: What Is "Off the Record"?
- The Crisis Threat Hiding in Plain Sight: Your AI Chat History
- Apple’s AI Problem Isn’t Siri. It’s the Story Apple Can No Longer Tell.
- How to Say ‘No Comment’ Without Actually Saying It
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.