Your 15 minutes of fame.
Seeing your name in lights.
The phone ringing off the hook after your industry publication ran a cover story about your business.
All of your peers, competitors, and colleagues patting you on the back after a major national publication does an in-depth interview with you.
This is something every business owner dreams about and every one thinks, “If that happens, we’ll have it made!”
So you go out, hire a PR professional or firm, and wait for the magic to happen.
And you wait. And you wait. And you wait.
With some of the best publicists, stories will appear and you’ll feel good about them.
But you’ll be left wondering, “What’s next? When does the cash register begin to ring?”
When that happens there are two things going on:
- You have unrealistic expectations of what your PR professional or firm can do for you; and
- Your PR professional or firm hasn’t been honest about what you should expect.
What Business Leaders Need to Know About PR
Later today, an article by Rebekah Iliff publishes, in which she talks about the current stage of public relations—and how it’s more than media relations.
Yet, every time a business leader decides they’re ready to get out there, they talk to a few knowledgeable folks, and everyone says the same thing, “Oh! You need PR!”
But what does that mean?
Is it to build awareness? Or to have celebrities talking about you? Or is it truly to make the cash register ring?
Based on my experience and conversations with gazillions of business leaders throughout the years, I’m willing to bet most think it’s the latter.
But, depending on what type of communicator you invest in—and what your expectations are (assuming you’ve been clear about them)—is where the results lie.
And, traditionally, getting your name in print does not make the cash register sing.
Following are six things you should consider before you engage in public relations.
Know What PR is in Today’s Digital Age
Yes, a good majority of PR firms will still pitch themselves to you as a media relations house.
They’ll call themselves a PR firm, but all they’ll do for you is pitch stories on your behalf.
If you hire a firm that only does media relations, you will think it’s a huge waste of time and money about six months from now.
Business owners say this all the time, “Oh they were great at getting stories about us, but it didn’t really do anything. It was a waste of money.”
Seeing your name in print is great for your ego, but it does not make the cash register ring.
If the firms you interview don’t talk about how to integrate media relations into a larger communications (or marketing) program, you will feel like you’ve wasted your money.
Be Ready to Share Your Business Goals
This means even in the introductory meetings.
Have them sign a non-disclosure agreement, if that makes you feel better, but don’t hide your goals.
A strategic PR professional will need access to your business plan, your goals, your analytics, your database, and your metrics.
Without those things, it’s impossible to be successful on your behalf.
Have Realistic Expectations
If the PR firm is worth its salt, you will spend some money on it and you can expect a return on your investment anywhere from two to five times what you pay them.
BUT it won’t happen overnight.
It won’t even happen in 90 days.
It will take at least six months for you to begin seeing a return.
That said, most will be able to give you metrics to track from day one that show whether or not you’re on the right path.
Ask for those.
Ask Yourself if You Have Time to Spend on PR
Communications does not happen in a vacuum and your involvement is necessary.
You should expect someone from your organization to spend at least an hour every day on PR.
Without your help and your involvement, the PR firm will only get so far.
They don’t know your business as well as you do and, as it turns out, customers, prospects, journalists, and influencers would rather talk to you than some middle man.
Your PR firm can create those conversations for you, but you have to have them.
Be Willing to Take Some Risk
Technology has completely changed the way a PR professional does his or her job.
Using the web—and social media, in particular—means you’re going to build your brand and gain awareness much more quickly than in the past.
It also means you’ll be under some scrutiny.
Make sure your PR firm has experience with crises on the web and be willing to let them get you out there.
The more uncomfortable it is for you, the more likely it is to work.
Be Uncomfortable
There is nothing worse for us than a prospect saying they want out-of-the-box thinking, and then asking for really boring, non-sexy strategies.
If the PR firm doesn’t make you a little uncomfortable when you meet with them the first few times, nothing you do together will be extraordinary.
It’s the discomfort that gets us to stretch beyond what we think we can do.
Let them guide you down that path.
PR is More than Your Name in Print
PR no longer is just about getting your name in print.
It’s a strategic and measurable part of an overall marketing program.
Know exactly what you want before you hire someone to help you with it, and you will find success.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
