How to Find and Hire a PR firm
By: Jamie Hooker
It’s a beautiful thing when a PR firm and a company join forces and together create awesome content to share with the public. It’s important that there is a harmony between your business and the firm you choose to hire. Without it, there will be disconnect and miscommunication, and that’s the last thing you want with your PR firm.
Where to start?
After your company makes the initial decision to make room in the budget for PR, the next step would be to research your options. A lot of PR firms have specialties or focuses, like hospitality PR or sports PR for example. If you stumble upon a firm that specializes in your business’ genre, that would be a good place to start. If this doesn’t exist for your business (at least not one that appeals to you), that’s ok! There are tons of general PR firms out there.
What does good PR look like?
Most firms have a list of clients on their website and what they’ve done for them. This is a good place to go when you want examples of a firm’s work. Case studies, campaigns and even a quick Google search of one of their clients can give you a lot of information to help you compare firms and see what they’re made of. Remember, a big PR agency is not always the best option, so don’t overlook the small, boutique agencies either. Strong social media accounts, positive mentions in the news and good relationships with publics are all signs of good PR.
You found one you like. Now what?
Honestly, us PR firms love when a business approaches us. It makes our jobs a little bit easier. That being said, we still want to prove to you that we can do great work. After a firm knows you’re interested, they will meet with you, either over the phone or in person, and learn your PR goals. Do you want help with social media? Are you a new business that just wants your name out there? Once the firm knows what you want, they can work on putting a proposal together. This document will show services the firm provides and a budget as well. If you like what you see, you sign the dotted line (in simplest terms).
Finding a firm that’s the perfect fit for you might be harder than is sounds, but it’s not something to rush. Having a good relationship with your PR team can be key to a successful business.