How To Hire The Right Public Relations (PR) Firm For Your Company

Public Relations firm works to create and maintain your brand image and spread awareness in public about your products and services. Quite often, people misunderstand PR with marketing. However, they are the two different yet critical elements of a business. In this blog, we will discuss the difference between Marketing and PR, PR agency roles and responsibilities, and how to find perfect PR for your business?

Let’s begin with understanding PR and its roles and responsibilities.

Marketing v/s Public Relations (PR)

• Target Audience

The biggest difference between the both is their core audience. Marketing works for customers and the products and services whereas PR sees the market as a whole; customers, business offering, stakeholders and most important right social media channel.

• Motive

Marketing works to increase sales. PR works to spread brand communication, build relationships, make company reputation, and spread awareness.

• Strengths

Marketing has the power to sell products through ads and commercials. PR dominates the market with its influential words and channels. 

With the above explanation, we assume you have got an idea of how PR can be differentiated from Marketing.

Before deciding whether you genuinely need a PR firm or not, you must know their roles and responsibilities to upscale your brand image.

What A PR Firm Can Do For Me?

• Creating PR campaigns and strategies
• Developing keynote speeches, press releases, and promotional drafts
• Organise PR events
• Seek opportunities such as partnerships, advertising, sponsorships, etc.
• Address inquiries 
• Follow industry trends and track media coverage
• Make and submit PR Reports
• Handle PR controversies and public issues

We could start the blog with the steps to hire a PR firm only, but we introduced PR as a service first to help you understand your requirements and see if PR is the right department to approach or not.

If you have gone through the blog till here, and are willing to read further. That means, you have understood what a PR firm can do for you and are sure that right now, you need a PR firm only. Let’s discuss how a business can find the right PR firm?

How to Hire a PR Firm

Hiring a PR firm is not a tough row to hoe but not an easy task too. You can not randomly pick any firm and give a contract to them for maintaining your business image. You must know how to hire the right PR firm for your company. Following are the key steps you should adhere to while selecting a PR firm for your business.

1. Set Your Goals

Without goals, everything is just a wastage of time, money and effort. When we say “goals” it should be specific. For example, you want to spread awareness of the business in at least five neighbouring countries or get rid of a false controversy. Be it anything, but it should be specific. You can also use Insights tools for instagram or any other social media platform to find improve your growth. 

2. Set Your Budgets

Usually, people feel they must get the quotes from the market then figure out the budgets. Whereas, it should be in a reverse manner. Prepare your budgets (it must be a bit flexible) as per the goals; make sure they are realistic and attainable. Include all hidden costs and the cost that will incur to find a PR firm. Most importantly, do not combine marketing and PR budgets.

3. Hunt For PR Firms

Look for references, recommendations and online platforms like LinkedIn to get good leads for the PR firms available. Make a list of the firms you approached or you got approached. Send them your inquiry, look forward to their quotes. 

4. Price Is Not The Only Factor

While selecting the PR firm for your business, do not consider the price as the biggest factor. Even it should be considered in the last. 

Below are the following aspects that will help to judge the ability of the firm:

– Their Brand Image

PR firm’s job is to create your brand reputation. If they perform well so they must have a good brand image too. Judge on their own brand image and if it’s a small or a startup PR firm, ask them how they will help you to establish your brand name. 

– Previous or Existing Clients 

Check which clients and industries they are serving, how well those companies performing, and seek their feedback and testimonials.

5. Prepare A Questionnaire 

After shortlisting the companies, meet them and ask questions to them as per the requirement. Make sure you ask everything and clear all the doubts. It is better to stay transparent from the beginning, to avoid conflicts further. 

After meeting all the shortlisted companies, track their answers. Further, shortlist the companies.

6. Make Negotiations

Once you finalise the company, Call them to discuss the commercials. Working together is a mutual benefit for both you and the PR agency. Hence, there are high chances that you get a better deal to sign the contract.

7. Make Arrangements For The PR Firm

Hiring a PR agency doesn’t mean your job is done. PR professionals know their work, but they need someone from your team to make them understand the business, and coordinate with them if they need any assistance.

In The End…

As we already said, finding a perfect PR is not difficult but need a strategy and a plan. You should not start finding a PR agency randomly without any specific goal. It will be a complete wastage of valuable resources. Further, you must meet multiple firms and then shortlist a few for the meet. Discuss your requirements with them and accordingly finalise the PR agency for your business.