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5 Tips on Choosing the Right PR Firm (Part 1 of a 2 Part series) by Marsha Friedman
You have seen it all over the news: The economy is under stress. The economy is in a recession. Stress and economic trouble all over the place.
On the other hand some businesses are doing just fine and are thriving.
Getting YOUR product supported by the right PR and Publicity can be a powerful thing!
In fact, there is nothing that could be more PR-effective than National and Local Media Attention that gives all your marketing and sales efforts the exact leverage needed to move your company to a higher level. Are you ready for real expansion?If you are one of the hundreds of businesses looking to gain national media attention for your business, corporation or product then you are probably facing the difficult decision of finding the right public relations firm. What can make this decision difficult is that there are so many different kinds of public relations firms out there. Some are local, some national. Some retainer based, some project based. So how do you know which public relations firm will be the best fit for your publicity objectives ? Here Marsha Friedman, founder of Event Management Services Incorporated, a local and national PR firm , will share her first 5 tips on how to choose the RIGHT public relations firm to get your message the media coverage that you desire
1. Find a firm that specializes in your industry. “For example,” says Marsha Friedman,” if you have a technical Business to Business then you should find a national public relations firm that specializes in Business to Business . If the public relations firm regularly works with companies that are in your industry, they will be familiar with how to communicate your message to the media.” Another great thing is that they will be able to get started immediately . “If you choose a national or local public relations firm who is unfamiliar with your industry , be prepared for them to spend some time researching your industry in order to get a full handle on your topic” adds Marsha Friedman. And guess who will be paying for the public relations firm’s research time: you! “Most firms charge a costly monthly retainer, so the longer it takes for them to get started the more money that will be coming out of your marketing budget. Just to give you an idea the minimum is around $3,000 per month, the industry average is approximately $5,000 per month and the large public relations firms can charge anywhere from $20,000-30,000 per month.”
2. Choose a firm that specializes in your medium of choice. If you are ready to hire a public relations firm, then chances are that you have given a bit of thought as to what medium you want to use. “By the time you start looking for a PR firm you will probably have a good idea if you want to use talk radio, television, newspapers or magazines to get exposure for your topic. It is useful to know that not all public relations firms work with all types of media,” says Marsha Friedman. “A whopping 95% of firms specialize exclusively in magazine and newspaper attention .” So if you are interested in doing radio or television you need to find a firm that specializes in these mediums. “The best way to find out,” says Friedman, “is to ask the public relations firm if their specialty is radio, TV or print !simple as that!”
3. Make sure you request sample campaigns. “Before choosing a public relations firm, request to see some sample promotional campaigns that the firm executed for their clients,” says Friedman. “This is the best way to find out the quantity and quality of their work.” When you are given a campaign it is important to know what the duration of the campaign was. “For example, if they show you a public relations campaign that has one huge newspaper placement (such as USA Today or The New York Times) and the duration of the campaign was 2 years - think twice. “If it took 2 years to get one major media placement, based on the minimum retainer level, you would have paid a massive $72,000 for that one newspaper hit.” Sample public relations campaigns are a great indicator of the effectiveness, especially the cost effectiveness, of a public relations firm’s work.
4. Find a pay-for-performance public relations firm! The costly monthly retainer can put a crunch on your finances, so it is good to know that there are other options out there. Marsha Friedman says, “There are a handful of public relations firms out there that get paid based on their performance . My PR firm is one of these and it really works for our clients . The reason is that they only pay for the media exposure that my public relations firm actually secures for them. So instead of paying a monthly fee, they pay for the results that my public relations firm obtains for them.” By choosing a non-retainer based firm you are truly making your public relations firm put their money where their mouth is!
5. Speak to the public relations firm’s clients. When you are choosing a national public relations firm it is very important to ask to speak to some of their clients, past or present. When you get them on the phone, ask the public relations firm’s clients what sort of media exposure they received and how long it took for the public relations firm to obtain it for them. Marsha Friedman adds, “Great questions to ask are; How well did the public relations firm’s staff interact with them? Did they seem interested in the campaign? Were the pitches quality? These answers will give you valuable insight as to how the public relations firm will handle your campaign.”
There you have it ! The first five tips on how to choose the right public relations firm for you! Make sure to look out for Part 2 when Marsha Friedman will share her final five tips . If you would like to learn more about gaining national or local media attention for your company, product or service, without the financial burden of monthly retainers, Marsha Friedman is here to help . Feel free to contact her directly at mfriedman@emsincorporated.com or visit her firm online at http://www.emsincorporated.com. As a public relations expert Marsha has the ability to get the media attention that you desire without costly monthly retainers . Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook “How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest” visit http://www.emsincorporated.com
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