Friday Feature: Picking the Right PR Agency

Part One of Two: Searching for a PR Firm

Whether your company is a start-up or slightly more established, you realize that you could benefit from a public relations campaign. But with hundreds of PR firms out there, how do you pick the right one? Here are some of our tips to help you get your search started.

1. Evaluate why you need PR in the first place.
Do you need public relations because you are hoping to help your company go public? Are you trying to get your company into analyst reports? Are you looking for business media, consumer media, or blog coverage in particular? Have a clear idea as to why you are looking to hire a PR agency.

2. Search for relevant PR firms.
There are other factors to take into consideration when searching for a PR firm. For example, will a local PR firm be more attractive so that you can have regular face-to-face meetings? Is a PR firm with close ties to business/tech/etc. media a better fit for your company?

3. Have realistic PR goals.
Think about what you’d like to achieve, having hired a PR firm. Have some goals to present to potential PR firms, but make sure they are realistic: if your company and product are not relevant to a publication’s readers, then no matter how amazing your PR firm is, that publication is likely not cover your company.

4. Ask for personal recommendations.
Survey your business partners, customers, even your friends to see which PR firms they are using and if they are happy with them. If you don’t have colleagues who are willing to recommend a firm, then attend networking events to meet potential firms.

Next week, part 2: Choosing a PR firm