Public relations are a broad term that includes aspects like brand awareness, public relations, media relations public relations, corporate communication, and many more. As it can be costly to have an in-house relations team, smaller and mid-sized enterprises generally outsource their public relations requirements. For larger enterprises, it may make sense to have an internal team that will collaborate with an outside PR company, execute media outreach, carry out organization goals, create key messaging, and support crisis communications and other communications.
A well-trained PR company can be a huge benefit to any business regardless of size. Because public relations encompass many functions it can be difficult to comprehend the specifics of what PR agencies accomplish. This article will discuss the top 7 PR services offered by PR agencies and give you nine tips to hire the right PR company for your company. We’ll conclude by describing the price to engage a PR company.
Hiring a PR Agency: 10 Tips
If you don’t have a PR company or an internal PR staff it is recommended that you hire one. Finding the best PR agency and publicists isn’t easy and we suggest asking your contacts to get suggestions. If you’re looking for the right company, there are 9 suggestions that can make the process of the process of hiring a PR Agency much more simple.
1.Set Goals Before Anything Else
Like any other marketing strategy, it’s important to determine your goals prior to making any hiring decisions regarding an agency and publicist to handle PR. Create a list of goals you’d like to achieve through a PR company and then narrow your list to the publicist who is most relevant to you. Here are some suggestions to help you get started:
- Enhance brand awareness
- Be recognized as an influential thought leader
- Pay attention to a certain product or service
2.Consider All Options
There are basically three options regarding hiring PR:
- An internal team of publicist
- A PR agency
- A mixture
Each option has an associated price and requires the involvement of different departments within your business. The best choice to consider, if you are able to afford this, is to use both external and internal PR experts (even in the event that you have just one PR employee within the company). A PR professional and publicist from within has more understanding of your marketing strategy for your business and can collaborate with an external PR agency to develop an effective PR plan for your company’s brand.
3.Calculate Your PR Budget
The process of hiring a PR company and a publicist is expensive. If you don’t establish the budget and then communicate your budget to potential PR firms, you could be able to get way too far in the process of selecting a PR agency and publicists that you cannot afford, and wasting your time and their time of theirs.
When you are calculating your PR budget make sure you include:
- Base retainer
- Expenses/incidentals
- Overages
- The plan will outline what to do when the PR agency and publicist is required to go over the budget
4. Decide on an RFP (or No-RFP) Process
If you’ve never worked with an agency for PR, you’ll likely need to go through the formal RFP procedure. This is the fundamental process:
Write down your goals and what you would like the PR agency and publicists to accomplish.
- Prepare a list of possible PR agencies (aim at 10 agencies)
- Contact the potential agencies you’ve identified to find out if they’re taking on new clients. Also, ask for details about their qualifications
- Once you’ve gathered information about each agency you’re considering Select the three that stand out the most
- Ask for suggestions of your three top options
5. Ask For The Right Information in Pitches and RFPs
If you select a firm by means of a formal RFP procedure, it is likely that you will receive presentations from all of the finalist firms where they will pitch you on the services they can provide. What information will they give you? If you’re in the process of preparing for the presentation part of the procedure, it’ll help you save time if you ask three items:
Ask the agency presenting you to restrict how much information they provide about their agency. You didn’t choose them out of the air and already know that they’re part of the PR companies that you’d like to work with and you don’t require to convince yourself of their worth now.
Request that the pitch is given by the person who will handle your account. Everyone is eager to present their best However if you’re taken in by the hard-hitting people who will not actually work with you on the account you’re in, you could not be content with the team you’re paired with.
Request that all the team members who will be working on your account be part of the presentation. This is an excellent chance to have a better glance at the group dynamics and learn the strengths each member of the team can offer and what they are thinking.
6. Choose a PR Agency Size
There are both big and small PR agencies, however, don’t believe that if yours is an entrepreneur with a small budget, an agency with a smaller size is the right choice for you. Every PR agency has a distinct team and an individual method of public relations. The larger PR firms tend to have more reach and greater networks, however smaller PR agencies might be able to provide better services to an industry that is a niche with local knowledge and more of a personal connection.
7. Find a Likable PR Agency
It is essential to have a skilled and competent PR agency team, but it’s also crucial to enjoy them and desire to collaborate with them. Think of your PR company as an integral part of the team rather than of an outsider. If you were planning to build an internal PR team, would you hire these people? If you don’t enjoy them, you’re unlikely to have a pleasant experience having them on your team.
8. Make Sure They Offer at Least One Really Good Idea
During the pitch meetings, the PR agency and publicists will provide marketing campaign concepts based on the RFP. Do not judge them too harshly. Remember that they’re entering the game solely with the information you’ve shared. But, they must be competent enough to think of at the very least one campaign concept that truly impresses you.
9. Understand Your Contract
When you have decided on the PR agency and publicists you’d like to work with, you’ll require an agreement or a declaration of the work. The agency already has this document ready for you to use. Make sure you take the time to read it and speak with an attorney if you can. Although it’s unlikely that the PR company is trying to trick you but it’s still sensible to look over the contract to:
- Cost
- Duration
- Team
- What you get
- Reporting
- Don’t be shy to ask for changes to the contract if you find that some parts do not work for you.
10- How Much Is The PR Company in New Technologies?
PR agencies and publicists can use AI and analytics that are predictive to aid clients to find new opportunities to boost their mindshare and make an informed decision about crisis management and tweak campaigns based on real-time feedback. Customers who work with PR companies that utilize these tools will have an advantage, especially considering how uninformed the majority of PR professionals are about the value to use these technologies. In the same USC report, for instance, only half of the PR professionals believed that the real-time experience of marketing strategy to be an important ability for them to master. In contrast, only 34 percent and 24 percent believed the same for Artificial Intelligence and Software programming, and vice versa.
