Should You Do PR Internally or Find a Suitable PR Agency?
The use of PR is particularly interesting for small and medium-sized companies. Does it make sense to handle press work within the company, or should the work be outsourced to an external service provider?
Why Does PR Agency Exist?
PR can play a decisive role, especially for small and medium-sized companies. Journalists in their role as multipliers are essential to them, precisely because small companies often do not have such a broad reach. Also, because the basic idea of presswork does not cost anything at first, it is – in contrast to some other marketing tools – very interesting for small companies.
The company itself can do this, but there are also numerous specialized PR agencies and freelancers who take care of communication for companies.
Why Hiring PR Agencies Worth It
Anyone who does public relations quickly notices that very different skills are required here. On the one hand, PR can be understood as a classic craft: Anyone who knows the rules of how a press release is written is a big step further.
However, there is much more to it than writing error-free text. PR people should be creative in generating topics and asking how they can be prepared for journalists.
Simultaneously, they should be good salespeople: they are not “selling” the product, but a topic to journalists. This includes persuasiveness, enthusiasm, and a good feel for people.
Good organization, structure, and stamina are just as important: If you want to bring topics to the media, you have to juggle many balls simultaneously, must not lose sight of appointments, should always be up to date, and maintain regular contacts. None of this is something you do on the side alongside your actual job in the company.
What to Do Before Hiring PR Agency
Anyone who hires an agency or a freelancer does not simply outsource their public relations work. Rather, good cooperation between companies and external service providers is essential for them to do good press work for the company.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to tackle press work in the company first: Create basic press materials, integrate a press area on your website, and define your goals: Which topics do you want to cover? In which media do you think your company should be reported? You will quickly notice whether these activities suit you and whether there are enough capacity and know-how for these tasks within the company.
Anyone who decides to find a PR agency for their public relations works naturally raises the question of how they can control the work of the PR agency.
No external service provider will agree to guarantee at least x publications per year. To understand what the PR agency is working on and which journalists it is addressing, it is advisable to use a CRM together. In this way, both companies and PR agencies can understand which journalist contacts exist and how they are maintained.
