By Danny Sullivan
It’s not uncommon to sit down with a startup technology company for an initial discussion about a potential PR engagement and have a conversation that goes something like this:
Tech company exec: “I think we need to start doing some PR and I’d like you to present us with some ideas.”
PR agency: “Er, okay, but can you first give us some idea of why it is that you think PR will help your business at this time?”
Exec: “Well, I was hoping that you could tell us that …”
Of course, at this point the conversation typically becomes an exercise that should really have been started before the agency even entered the equation. That is, to explore what are the primary reasons for engaging a PR program, and what it is ultimately supposed to achieve.
Yes, the PR firm brings the expertise needed to plan and execute an effective program, but they are not the experts in your business … you are. Can you really expect a PR agency to sit down at the first meeting and tell you how they can help you achieve your goals or overcome certain challenges, when they have little idea what those goals and challenges are? Of course not. PR is not a cookie-cutter proposition, and its practitioners work best when they can apply their knowledge to a specific scenario, which invariably changes dramatically from company to company.
This doesn’t have to be an extensive exercise, and the information needed to get things rolling is probably common knowledge within your organization. Simply ensure that you have a fairly clear idea of what it is that you expect from doing PR, and then you can expect to have a valuable conversation about what the experts can do to help you.
/// COMMENTS
No Comments »Brandon Carlos
November 02, 2008 10:22 amDanny, your point is the same one I use when clients want PR agencies to help them take the social media “plunge.” Manufactured social media involvement is transparent, and part of the reason why 75% of corporate social media initiatives fail.
Nobody knows your organization like you — and that’s exactly why some PR initiatives (particularly social media) are best kept in-house.
Nick Desbarats
November 06, 2008 7:25 amI respectfully disagree. Many entrepreneurs (including myself until a few years ago) don’t know what PR or SM can or can’t do for them in their particular case, so it’s difficult for them to set business goals that factor it in. That’s part of the reason they reach out for external expertise: They need someone to give them a realistic opinion re how interesting their story might be to whom, and therefore what benefits they might expect from getting what amount of coverage where.
Basically, setting business goals that can drive PR activities is impossible when you have no idea what it can or can’t do for you, and how much coverage you might get where. Having said that, I certainly agree that most businesses need to do a better job of setting more specific business goals for all aspects of their businesses (sales, R&D, etc.), which a PR agency should be expected to do for them.
Nick Desbarats
November 06, 2008 5:18 pmer, that last sentence should read “…a PR agency should NOT be expected to do for them.”
Maybe I do need more help than I thought….
Danny
November 07, 2008 1:55 pmThanks for the comment Nick. I don’t disagree with anything you say – in fact, I think our points are the same.
I never expect a client to have any idea about PR or how it can be effectively deployed – that’s obviously where we come in. But I do expect that they are able to convey to inmedia what business objectives they have that they hope PR can solve.
My point is simply that PR should not be viewed as a standalone proposition that exists to generate media coverage at all costs, but that it should rather be an integrated part of a company’s business strategy, with relevant goals and objectives.