06 Jun PR Can’t Be That Hard – So Why Pay An Agency?
It’s a question we’ve heard many times over the years. Some clients come to us having done their own PR and received some good media coverage on their own. So why bother asking us to take over?
In short – it’s what we do. All day, every day, even on weekends.
We are always in the headspace of repping our clients, looking for new opportunities, keeping an eye on the competition, and talking to media on their behalf, if you’re one of our clients you are top of our mind! Most of our clients come to us because they don’t have the time, the relationships or the will to take time away from their area of specialty to do their own PR.
An actual fact, we often say that a lot of people can do their own PR – it’s not rocket science after all. However, we believe you have to have the right contacts, know where to send the product, have the right name, process and know how to manage your PR effectively – these basics make the difference between getting positive exposure or none. And even worse in some cases, negative publicity.
PR is a fast game, not a slow game, and it’s the quick and the dead with editors – you need to be available to turn around a request within a short time frame, along with RRP’s, high-res images at the ready and the information they want, the way they want it.
If you are busy or out and about and don’t respond fast enough, you will lose the opportunity and the editor will find someone else to meet their timeframe. We are actually known in the industry for our quick turnaround times and are often approached first when a space or article pops up needing content quickly.
PR is all about relationships – these are built over years, they don’t come overnight. Much like the industry you’re in yourself, people move about but generally stick around. We are still surprised sometimes when an editor reminds us we’ve been working together for over five, 10, 15 years, some we’re nearing TWENTY years of knowing and working together!
On that note; editors move about all the time – do you know where they are and who they are working for? PR 101 is making sure you send your release to the right person at the right address. If you send it to an ex staff member, you can’t rely on the receptionist or mail person to give it to their replacement. That’s a cost to you – your product, your time spent packing the release, the courier fee to have it delivered etc etc.
There are many tricks of the trade in PR – we know them all because we’ve worked with NZ media for so long. Whether it’s magazines, newspapers, social media influencers, radio and TV hosts or celebrities/opinion leaders, we know almost everyone personally and many we count as friends.
Paying an agency like us means you gain all the benefits from our hard work over many years – the hustling and the refining to get our approach and processes perfect. We allow you to focus on what you’re good at and put your time to doing what your business needs you to do.
So yes, you absolutely can do your own PR – but can you do it well enough to maximise every opportunity that comes your way? Have you got the time to spend on it daily, plus monitor your clippings online and in print?
If not – give us a call. We’d love to have a chat and explain how we can help.
Rebecca Purdy has been working in NZ PR for over 18 years, owning two other successful agencies before founding The Generalist PR in 2012. A phone call is always free – give us a call or drop us an email if you’d like to talk about how we can grow your business and rep your brands to key media effectively.
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