Five important things to look out for before engaging a Public Relations firm

Hiring a PR consultancy is essentially one of the smartest decisions that you could make for promoting your brand organically. Rise above the benefits of getting innumerable media clippings and invest in the right PR firm to establish your brand in the market.

There is no doubt that they reach out to media outlets, journalists and industry influencers to share your brand story but how much impact does that reach make on your brand is quite a tricky question.

There are several ideas and ways existing in the world of publicity but it is not required to navigate through each option for a brand promotion. This criterion is highly ignored in the industry from both the sides – whether it is the brand or the PR firm itself.

You must consider five important things while handing over your brand promotion to any PR professional/consultancy.

1. Assess the right time

There is always a right time to hire a PR firm. Start-ups who are fascinated with start-up columns in media publications and portals make a huge mistake of approaching a firm even before they are ready to enter the market. Consequently, they end up wasting their resources and their morale goes down before hitting the market.

It is always good to have a PR team ready before you launch your brand or any product in the market but firstly it is highly important to be ready with the completion of your backend and operational work. If the brand or product is not ready, it becomes a headache for PR consultancies to pitch your brand story; hence, the brand positioning might face a big time failure.

2. Quality over size

One of the most common misconceptions, business leaders have before hiring a PR firm is about the size of the firm. Many companies that have no prior experience in dealing with PR consultancies have conventional mindset to hire a consultancy with a larger team. However, dealing with small teams is much more convenient and pocket friendly as they handle their client’s mandate at utmost priority.

Small or mid – sized PR firms can work on customised PR plan and campaigns to align your PR budget with your business goals. They are flexible when it comes to working together, giving the desired attention, therefore, taking the brand to a next level.

3. The team lead

The PR team is the face of your brand in media and other important publics. While listening to the pitch from different PR firms, companies often forget to give much attention to the details of the team. Just the name of the consultancy or the work that the consultancy does for another brand is not enough for your brand promotion.

Do some research in knowing the experience of the team that is going to handle your account. As you will be constantly connected with that team, it is highly essential for you to know the professional summary of the PR team who will be taking your brand to the next level.

4. Area of expertise

It is vital to know the PR consultancy that you’re hiring has a quality experience in your respective market. The consultancy that has a direct knowledge about your market would always result in good PR or campaign strategies due to their extensive insights about the competitive landscape and the industry insights.

Understand – A PR firm having expertise in tech would not be able perform well for a Fashion or Lifestyle client. However, in order to make money and add clients in their portfolio, some PR firm often agree to take up the client.

5. Go for connections not location

When inviting for PR pitches, companies are often seen stressing upon the location of the consultancy. If a consultancy is located close to the client’s workplace, it wins extra points than the one located little far away. Some even think that a PR firm located in a posh corporate area will have more creative minds than a firm based in a residential locality.

In today’s world, connections work better than location. Identify the consultancy that has good connections and influencer outreach. Try to find out their networking partners or key influencers who are going to benefit your brand promotion now or in the near future.


The views expressed here are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of Reputation Today.

Sanya Bajaj
Founder & CEO at Column Inches
Sanya is highly experienced in formulating and executing meaningful PR strategies. With a unique understanding of media and business dealing, she specialises in handling media relations as well as business operations of the company.

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