No. But of course, as someone who works at a strategic communications firm, I would say that. Inc.com recently posted an interesting piece, “7 Things to Know Before Using a PR Startup or Agency,” that discusses the recent wave of “PR Startups.” These are companies promising to help other startups gain the publicity they need and want, without the perceived costs and lack of guarantees they associate with traditional agencies.
The piece is well worth a read, and a response, because it neatly lays out many of the most common reservations and criticisms that companies, especially early stage startups, have about seeking the services of a communications firm. Let’s start with the article’s conclusion, which is a fair sentiment worth endorsing:
“Overall PR can cost you a great deal of money and completely change your business for the better. It can also burn a thousand-to-a hundred thousand dollar hole in your pocket.”
Exactly. As we have consistently advocated on this blog, a good PR/communications firm can do far more for a business than simply rack up media hits. It can transform and improve the way a company conducts all of its external communications, helping it to reach its ideal audiences with well-honed messages that drive engagement and results.
The mention that this can cost “a great deal of money” underlines an important point, however: good PR is a process and it takes time. And, as we have also noted, there are plenty of ineffective tactics, like mass emailing, that generate few results, and plenty of others that tarnish the industry’s image.
Both of these points, understandably, give some people pause. We tend to expect that if we put money towards something, we should receive something back quickly, if not immediately. So when a company pays for the services of a communications firm, they expect to see results quickly. What they then see as inefficiencies and ineffectiveness in PR – a service which is, in an absurd simplification, a matter of calling and emailing people – leads to a belief that there must be some way to simplify the PR process so that it can be handled without the help of costly additional personnel.
This impulse is understandable. Indeed, our economy is powered by the push for efficiency in all things, which ultimately benefits us all as innovative companies and individuals are incentivized to find new, better ways to do things. But the “PR Startup” that promises to essentially automate the process is a non-starter, because there is simply no way to do this without repeating some of those same tactics that make human run PR firms ineffective – mass emailing cookie cutter pitches, relying on stale angles, etc.
For a company looking for results, the piece offers solid advice on what to look for when choosing an agency or consultant. Determine why you want PR and what you need it for. Find an organization that is excited to work with you. Meet the people who will actually do the heavy lifting.
Absolutely do all of this. But the article makes another point, about seeing previous results, on which I beg to differ. A firm’s previous results are important, but they should not be taken as a full representation of what they are capable of delivering. Each client we take on is unique and we work to get them placements that best serve their interests and the material they have behind them. A good firm will be upfront with you about what to respect, and be able to identify appropriate targets.
So while it’s understandable that some companies may not immediately understand the value of a good communications firm, there’s plenty of reason why they won’t be going away any time soon.
Photo Credit Milo Baumgartner, Creative Commons via Flickr
