It's a phrase I hear over and over again from many entrepreneurs, small businesses owners and inventors: "I'd love to hire someone to launch our publicity campaign professionally, but we can't afford it, so I'm just going to have to do it on my own."
Over the past several months, I have been conducting an informal survey among entrepreneurs and business owners who have contacted me about my services. I have found that due to their lack of information or knowledge on the topic, many businesses typically over-estimate or over-budget the cost of a prospective public relations/publicity campaign. During my PR consultation with them, I asked: "How much do you think it will cost to launch a solid, effective PR/publicity campaign for your product/business?" Of the 102 people I've queried:
The truth is -- you can get a publicity/PR campaign in all of those price ranges. What you get for your money and how effective the campaign will be is the real question. It is true that the more you pay the more you get. But getting the most publicity/PR exposure doesn't mean you have to get most expensive PR agency or specialist.
A good rule of thumb is to align yourself with a PR business that best reflects your business size. Most times their rates will be in line with your prospective PR budget. If you are a small business owner with two employees, you need not hire a high-dollar PR agency with dozens of employees. Find a PR business whose office size and capabilities closely resemble your business.
Case in point -- there is a large PR agency in a fancy building downtown a few miles from my office. Frankly, we are not even competition to each other ? in fact we have even referred clients to each other. Why? They typically work with large corporations and implement campaigns of around $10,000 per month. My business works with smaller businesses/individuals -- a PR/publicity campaign with my company would be about $10,000 for an entire year ? not just a month. Mechanically, the downtown firm and my business do the same thing when it comes to PR campaigns: professional media release composition; extensive media market research; articulate personalized distribution to the media; months of media relations (article placements/interview scheduling/media request fulfillment, clipping/tracking of media placements, etc.).
Signing up with the big firm doesn't mean you'll necessarily get an experienced associate working on your campaign. So are you getting what you are paying for? A friend of mine who works at a major PR firm gave me the following breakdown of billing fees in his office:
Compare those prices to many small PR shops or individual PR specialists. Many have started their own PR businesses after years of experience in the industry and typically charge $50 - $100 per hour to professionally launch and maintain your campaign. Many times, you can get a seasoned PR veteran who will work directly with you and your staff for cheaper than the "Intern/Junior" executive rate at a downtown firm.
However, one word of advice -- when choosing a smaller firm or individual to do your PR, make sure they have the same tools that the bigger agencies do: updated media lists/contacts; personalized media distribution capabilities; professional clipping/tracking services to get copies of each of your media placements (articles, tapes from TV/radio shows) as well as the intangibles of expert communication/media relations skills and professional pitching prowess. If they are cheaper, but don't have all the tools to help you in the best manner possible, you are probably better off spending a little extra money to make sure your campaign is launched and maintained correctly.
The major benefits of hiring a professional (individual PR specialist or PR firm) to launch your campaign are:
One caveat when it comes to choosing a professional PR agency or individual to work with ? signing up for a higher priced campaign doesn't necessarily mean you will get better results than a cheaper campaign. And the inverse is true as well. Over the past year or so, many "low-cost PR/publicity services" have begun to pop up all over the Internet. Ones that promise to write and launch a press release for as low as $99. They are low in cost ? because frankly many are low in quality. Bigger is not necessarily better, and cheap does not always mean a good bargain.
If you have the time, tools and talent to launch and maintain your own campaign, you should definitely do so. If not ? there are a number of public relations/publicity firms, specialists and services out there. Research to find the one whose services and fees match your business plan. Once business owners, entrepreneurs, and inventors learn more about their options when it comes to launching a PR campaign -- many find that they can't afford NOT to have one.
About The Author
Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc.. His business specializes in generating media exposure and publicity for innovative products, businesses, websites and inventions.
(785) 842-8909, todd@spreadthenewspr.com
move in cleaning service Mundelein ..A press kit is an essential press relations tool. While... Read More
The media (newspaper, radio, television) can be of enormous help... Read More
Publicity seekers know that Christmas can provide a bonanza of... Read More
You have been if you're a business, non-profit or association... Read More
Gaining news coverage on a successful press tour requires planning,... Read More
Excerpted from "Selling Goodness- The Guerrilla PR Guide To Promoting... Read More
NOTE: Brad Phillips was a Producer for CNN's The Capital... Read More
Early in my career as a public relations consultant, I... Read More
I define public relations failure this way:key audience perceptions are... Read More
We rely on all kinds of tools and advice to... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get... Read More
What's a press release? This is generally a one page... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, let the tacticians... Read More
Whenever a recession or volatility threatens the economy, companies immediately... Read More
Where is there a business, non-profit or association manager who... Read More
As the year starts to wind down, many businesses and... Read More
Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More
A well structured press release in an excellent way of... Read More
You're trying to recruit a downline into your program, you've... Read More
The public relations bar, should such a proficiency measure ever... Read More
Some financial planners think that they shouldn't share their top... Read More
Have you fantasized about spreading word of your business on... Read More
Question: Why should your business issue a press release? Answer:... Read More
Are there secrets to gaining media coverage or is it... Read More
The wind of changes...The digital world has changed the form... Read More
insured cleaning company Highland Park ..The Today show? The New York Times? Vanity Fair? What's... Read More
Tis' the season for business and corporate gift-giving! If you... Read More
Everyone has something that drives them up a wall. You... Read More
Would you like to expand the volume of your business?... Read More
"Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, do you see... Read More
If you're like most publicity seekers, you probably think oneproject... Read More
Yes, that's what public relations really is when it tracks... Read More
It can bite you and waste your public relations budget... Read More
Would you like to be the next Dr. Phil, Suze... Read More
There's good news for public relations execs, marketing professionals and... Read More
The power of public relations is its ability to alter... Read More
I am often asked by clients to target USA Today... Read More
If your reading this, you must be online and most... Read More
I believe this about public relations.People act on their own... Read More
What's the real reason some managers shy away from public... Read More
It is virtually impossible to succeed professionally and personally without... Read More
Public Relations (or P.R.) is a wonderful, yet often overlooked... Read More
Keep these few crucial details in mind when writing and... Read More
Use journalistic styleReporters are busy. Just like you.So when you... Read More
If you're seeking to promote yourself or your new business... Read More
1. Appearing in other types of media is the best... Read More
A wise friend of mine has often said, "There is... Read More
The fast changing dynamics of the world economy is forcing... Read More
Have you ever noticed that when someone is interviewed on... Read More
Public Relations |