How to Pick a PR Firm
How to Pick a PR Firm
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.
How to Pick a PR Firm - To learn more about this author, visit Jeremy Toeman's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
As 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.
How to Pick a PR Firm - To learn more about this author, visit Jeremy Toeman's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Jeremy's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
|
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Success & Happiness Why MLMs Fail Women Entrepreneurs Residual Income Strategic Alliance |
|
 | ||
 |
The Top 10 GTD Times Posts
Best Posts for Productivity | |
 |
Fortune Hunters
CBC Entrepreneur TV | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
