How to Pick a PR Firm
December 18th, 2008 by JeremyAs the Internet and self-publishing tools have flourished and caused massive ripples to the journalism industry, the next wave of the ripple is hitting PR firms. During this transition, the number of journalists went from few to many. At the same time, the number of companies & new products needing media coverage went from few to many. And this has happened quite rapidly, so the industry as a whole has not had a chance to catch up.
It is my opinion that many PR firms will begin to suffer as a result. The needs of the times are no longer met by “old-school” PR methods, and few firms have enough internal talent to recognize the changing needs. This is natural and normal of any evolving industry. Even now, at the end of 2008, few PR firms truly recognize “the bloggers” and most are barely scratching the surface of “social media” as a means of communication (but of course it’s in their pitches to win new business).
What surprises me the most is the number of companies who still hire these firms. If you are in need of a PR firm, either for the first time or in order to replace an existing one, I’ve put together a handy little comparison chart you can use to help make your decision.
| Activity | What “bad” firms do… | What “good” firms do… |
| Building target media list | Purchase lists from big databases | Build lists by researching topics |
| Finding contact information | Purchase lists from big databases | Check blogs/sites for preferred contact methods |
| First engagement w reporters | Press release | Personalized introduction |
| Exclusives | Use them with “top tier” publications | Never use them |
| Selecting clients | Take anyone willing to pay | Pick companies whose products/technologies are a good fit |
| Press release structure | Traditional, all-text | Incorporates links, and possibly photos/videos |
| Approach bloggers | Top-tier only | All tiers |
| Outreach | Mass-blast of content | Custom-tailored to the individual, using email, IM, twitter, etc |
| Report coverage to clients | Every single mention of the content, including republished press releases | Actual coverage |
| Follow-up policy | Numerous follow-ups, regardless of response | Extremely limited follow-ups, based on relationship/comfort level; solicit feedback on interest for future stories |
| Embargoes | Used for everything | Used extremely conservatively/focused |
| Definition of “relationship” | Has ever interacted before | Has met; joked with; discussed topics; played video games; drank a beer; etc |
| Specialization | None | Specialize based on narrow verticals. |
Consider these as baseline criteria for picking your next PR firm (or judging the one you have currently). Of course there are many other aspects that go into any service relationship including budgeting, team/personality fits, area of expertise, etc. But you should know before you even start the relationship whether, as the ad goes, your salsa is made in New York City… or in San Antonio by folks who know what salsa is supposed to taste like.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
It took a huge effort to move from old PR to new PR — but at the end of the day the approach is the same: respect the people you are pitching, know who they are and understand if they would care about your client, and if so, why. In B2B PR, there’s never been a need for “blanket” pitching, which is possibly why firms that are focused on B2B communications and thought leadership have this in their DNA.
December 18th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Well thought out. Very instructive. Good piece. Kudos.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
This is a well thought out and informative piece. There are far too many agencies who claim to have “relationships” and barely know that a media outlet exists!
December 21st, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I was going through the list mentally ticking off what my agency does - and they scored good on each point! go us!
I think the list provides a great starting point for agencies to judge how 21st century they actually are.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:17 am
I would also ask how long each member of the team has been there. A lot of firms are dumping people who have been around for a while for young newbies who can be paid for less. These newbies do not have the experience or the connections to get the job done.
Dr. Wright
The Wright Place TV Show
http://www.wrightplacetv.com
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February 5th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
what’s the ballpark costs associated with hiring a PR firm?
April 6th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
@pat In the UK you’re looking from about £2.5k per month upwards
July 1st, 2009 at 10:10 am
What about as far as availability i.e. googling a keyword and finding them.