Is PR worth it?

It can be really easy to get frustrated with your publicist or PR agency. It can seem like you throw thousands of dollars at these people, and end up with an article or interview or two. And it’s true there are bad publicists, just like there are bad doctors, bad accountants and bad teachers. But most of the time, I find that people simply don’t have the right expectations. And they don’t have the right expectations because they aren’t using accurate measurements. As we near the end of the year, it’s a great time to look at your PR results, see if they’re delivering ROI, and make adjustments for the new year. And you should do this if you’re doing your own PR as well. As a business person, your own time is much more valuable than your money.

I’ve included a couple articles on this topic in this month’s newsletter and I encourage you to visit KD Paine’s blog and newsletter often. She is a genius at explaining complex measurement techniques in simple, understandable language. But to avoid the yearly scratching your head at your PR bill, let me give you a few ways to measure your results that are easy and quick to do.

• Set long-term and short-term goals. Understand what you’re after. Do you want to be in the top ten natural search for Google? Do you want to establish credibility for you and your product or service online? Drive traffic to your website? You must identify what you hope to gain from public relations. If it’s a book, measure your Amazon orders, but don’t expect PR to create immediate sales. Unless you get on Oprah or Ellen, you need to use PR to complement your sales and marketing activities, not replace it.

• Stay on top of your public relations efforts. Check in with your publicist on a regular basis to see what he or she is working on, and what seem like likely placements in the next 60 days. At the same time, be patient. Placements take time, and if you haven’t done any media outreach before, it can take a while to get you on the radar screen.

• Have a “wish list” of key target publications and outlets. A lot of people don’t understand their demographics well enough to do this, but you must have that list identified, if nothing else than to focus your own or your publicists’ efforts. And don’t try only for Oprah or Ellen. Pick media outlets that are attainable. Shoot for the moon, but spend most of your time on reasonable targets for you.

• If your public relations firm tells you the hook needs to be more unique, believe them. Don’t think you are special or that there aren’t 10 or more people doing what you do. I’m sorry if this is blunt, but it’s true. Too many people get defensive when their publicist is hunting around for angles. Trust that they know when a story’s been done. Otherwise you’ll end up paying them to send outreach that is not compelling.

• This is implied from my other comments, but don’t just sit back and wait for results. Be ACTIVE in your publicity campaign. If you want to get into a particular magazine, read it often and make suggestions on particular angles. Watch the shows you want to be on. Become an expert in your targeted media outlets.

• Write, and if you can’t write, hire someone who can write for you. Custom content can be much easier to place in trade magazines and online. Come up with ideas for new articles, and make them unique.

• Finally, be upfront and honest with your PR firm. If you feel things just aren’t getting going, don’t get frustrated. Sit down with them, review your goals, and if they can’t show marked progress, let them go. (and then call me.)

Bonnie Harris is the president of Wax Marketing, a marketing and PR agency for small business. She also operates waxcoach.com, a DIY marketing and PR site for entrepreneurs. Bonnie can be reached at bonnie@waxcoach.com.

Is PR worth it? - To learn more about this author, visit Bonnie 's Website.

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