You’re reading this because you’ve come to learn the power that PR holds and have decided to implement it into your business strategy – step one done.
What’s next is choosing the right public relations agency to drive awareness and create exposure for your brand. So where do you start when looking for the perfect PR agency for you?
A good agency will help you shine, communicate your messages effectively and position you as an industry leader. A great agency will do all those things… and go above and beyond to show that they care by building a strong relationship with you.
All agencies will have their strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to understand where an agencies strengths lie to get a better feel for how they are going to work with you. Do they specialise in broadcast/print/digital/social media? Have a proven track record within the industry you’re in? Have some solid case studies for you to review?
It’s hard to know where to start and what to ask, so here are some of our top tips on what to look out for when doing your research to engage a PR agency.
How will they get my message out there?
PR agencies have a responsibility to ensure they know and understand your brand messages and goals. Agencies need to create a campaign with clear key messages and strong collateral, to really generate media cut-through. The key to generating exposure for your brand is to focus on building all the necessary collateral to support the campaign, to make it an easy decision for the journalist to say yes to their pitch.
Here at MediaCast, we love to align our stories with the news agenda, to ensure the messaging is relevant and topical and perhaps even already on a journalist’s radar. There are also a few other elements worth considering when deciding how to craft the collateral for a campaign:
- Up-to-date statistics and data make a story credible. Hot tip: Great statistics can be used to create shock factor, which will capture the audience’s attention and encourage engagement with your brand
- Agencies should be looking to include personal stories and case studies that enhance the story and add originality
- Introducing an expert to be the voice of authority will make the messaging more credible and relatable
If you’re able to source all three, you’ll have a PR Pegasus on your hands, giving wings to your campaign to soar to new heights.
Will I get a return on investment (ROI)?
PR is a great tool to educate and drive awareness of your brand and encourage engagement. At MediaCast, we know that a good campaign needs a clear call to action that tells consumers exactly what we’d like them to do with the messaging they just read/heard/watched. Whether that might be to go to a website, book an appointment, post on social media with a particular hashtag, etc.
The best news? PR is better for your wallet in the long term, as a whole campaign across multiple mediums can equate to the same cost as just one piece of paid content. They say without risk there’s no reward, and whilst earned media has less of a guarantee than paid content your PR campaign can go much further than advertising, with the potential of achieving hundreds of pieces of coverage and reaching millions of Aussies.
It’s also worth checking to see how the agency bills for reporting as some agencies charge extra for this service. Agencies using software such as BuzzHub, can streamline planning and reporting processes, meaning you aren’t paying for hours spent on unnecessary tasks that can be automated.
What does the agency specialise in?
First and foremost, PR agencies must be experts in relaying your key messages to the media and ultimately your consumers. Although this might seem controversial, whilst it’s important for your agency to learn the ins and outs of your products or services, agencies do not have to be total experts in your field. In fact, seeing your offering the way a consumer would is a huge benefit as they will be able to break messaging down into layman’s terms that will resonate with a consumer. A good agency will be able to see your brand and messaging with fresh eyes and therefore have the ability to better communicate this without all the fancy fluff or overly technical jargon.
That being said, we would always recommend checking if the agency has any experience delivering campaigns for clients in your field or if they offer any unique services that other agencies might not. MediaCast is the only agency in Australia to specialise in broadcast media relations, which is specifically to our clients’ advantage. Radio is an extremely valuable method to reach your consumers with dozens of PR agencies across Australia outsourcing their radio needs to MediaCast.
Will working with a big or small agency suit me best?
While we currently sit on the fence between a small – medium sized agency, from our experience working with a smaller agency certainly has its advantages.
A smaller agency is personable, agile and will leave no stone unturned. PR is a fast-paced industry that lives and breathes the news agenda. There are times when plans change at the last minute and a new strategy needs to be immediately executed. Small teams can use their size to their advantage, as they can be extremely responsive and efficient with less red tape to jump through when rolling out a campaign or story.
You’ve heard the term ‘too many cooks in the kitchen?’. Sometimes working with bigger agencies can see too many people involved in the campaign decision making which can ultimately slow the process. At MediaCast, you’ll work with a dedicated Account Manager to manage your account with strategic oversight from our Head of Delivery. This streamlines communications whilst the wider team is working on delivering for you behind the scenes. At MediaCast we pride ourselves on being personable, responsive and always one step ahead of the game. Despite being a smaller agency, we’re growing rapidly, expanding our skill sets and ready to tackle any campaign, however big or small.
Still have more questions? Or you’ve heard everything you need to make your decision? Feel free to get in contact with us – our award-winning team would be happy to take you through how we can get your brand heard!