Rethinking imposter syndrome in PR: are we misdiagnosing fear as fraud?

Every day in PR, we pitch bold ideas, manage crises, sell stories to sceptical journalists, and navigate shifting audiences. This industry rewards confidence and composure.

Yet more than 80% of marketing and PR professionals say they have experienced imposter syndrome at work. Nearly two-thirds link it to stepping into a new role. That is a striking statistic in a profession built on credibility and persuasion.

So what are we actually experiencing?

There is a difference between feeling nervous about failing and feeling like a fraud. The first is expected., the second suggests something more fundamental, that we do not belong.

I am not convinced we are diagnosing that difference correctly.

What many professionals describe as imposter syndrome often sounds like fear. Fear of failing, fear of being visible, fear of not living up to expectations. That is not a disorder. It is a human response to growth.

In PR, visibility is part of the job. We speak, we advise, and we make recommendations that carry risk. The stakes can feel high, even when outcomes are not fully within our control. Discomfort comes with that territory. But discomfort is not dysfunction.

Growth is uncomfortable, promotion is uncomfortable, responsibility is uncomfortable. That tension does not mean we are imposters - it means we are stretching.

I have never described myself as having imposter syndrome. That does not mean I have not doubted myself, I have. What I have experienced is not fraudulence, but a fear of not delivering at the level I expect of myself.

When I moved from a smaller organisation into the City, and into a sector I had not worked in before, I questioned myself more than I had in years. Not because I lacked competence, but because I cared about succeeding. The pressure was internal. I wanted to prove I could operate at that level.

That fear was not a sign I did not belong. It was a sign that I understood the responsibility. This is where language matters.

The term “imposter syndrome” is often framed as something women must overcome. It appears regularly in panels, conferences, and International Women’s Day discussions. The intent is positive, but the effect can be limiting. It risks positioning self-doubt as a personal weakness, rather than a natural response to stepping into environments that were not always designed with you in mind.

Research from Harvard Business Review has already questioned whether imposter syndrome is purely internal, pointing to the role of bias and workplace culture. Even in supportive environments, though, fear of failure remains part of growth.

When we label that fear a syndrome, we pathologise ambition.

In PR, where confidence and credibility are currency, that matters. If we interpret nerves as fraudulence, we hold back. We do not pitch the idea. we don't go for the promotion, we don't challenge the room. That hesitation is rarely about ability. It is about expectation.

Fear of failure is not the same as being an imposter, it is a sign that you care, that you understand the stakes and that you want to do well.

So the question is not how we cure imposter syndrome. It is whether we are mislabelling a normal part of professional development.

If we want confident, capable leaders in PR and beyond, we need to stop treating growth discomfort as something to fix. We need environments where ambition, visibility, and vulnerability can coexist without penalty.

The shift is not about fixing ourselves. It is about changing the narrative.