You’re needing help with crisis management, or your company could do with some proactive publicity or corporate communications so you contact a public relations agency to help, but what’s next?
What should you expect from your PR agency? And what will they need from you?
What your PR agency should do
Public relations is all about shaping the public’s perception of your company and managing its reputation.
An impactful way of doing this is through media relations, which is also known as media or earned publicity. That’s not all though: a good PR agency will have a whole suite of services to support you. Their repertoire may look like this:
- Crisis management
- Media relations
- Public relations campaigns
- Corporate communication
- Branding
- Award nominations
- Branding
- Social media management and digital public relations
- Stakeholder engagement
- Community relations
- Change management
- Media training
- Speech writing
- Marketing
- Content marketing.
You may already know what services you’re looking for, but if not don’t worry – your PR agency will help pinpoint what methods will achieve your project/company’s goals. To assist in the early stages, experienced PR professionals will do the following:
Ask you questions
A good PR agency will ask you a lot of questions, starting with why or what you’re seeking support with, what your business or project goals are, who your competitors are, what marketing/PR you’ve done previously, and what your budget is. If they think their services are a good fit for you they’ll discuss ideas and create a proposal about how a future partnership could look.
Create a proposal and plan
The PR team will perform further research to understand your reputation in the marketplace and what your company/project’s audience is, in order to draft a high-level strategic communications proposal. This will include details such as communication activities that support your goals, who would be working on your account, and the fee structure (one-off project, retainer, or hourly based). You will review the plan and proposal, changes made, and a final outline is presented.
Execute the plan
Once you agree to the proposal and rules of engagement – congratulations you now have a PR agency that will set regular meetings with you and be part of your overall team. Working in close consultation with you or your relevant leaders, the PR team will create a more detailed strategic communications plan outlining activities and ideas to achieve the PR goals. Then the PR magic (aka hard work) begins!
What your PR agency needs from you
Your PR agency will need your insights, ideas and integrity, as well as prompt information – just as you’d expect that from them in return. This will help PR professionals ascertain the best way forward, jump on publicity opportunities as they arise, and/or prepare for any potential reputational risks.
You’ll also need an open mind. PR teams consist of people with a variety of different skillsets and expertise. They may suggest something you’d never thought of before, or that you never knew was possible.
And, as with any relationship, if you’re unsure about something they say just ask!
PR people and journalists often say there’s no such thing as a ‘dumb question’ and the same goes for you too. For instance, you may like to ask about the differences between marketing and public relations, or maybe you’re not clear on the audience for a particular PR campaign or activity. Or perhaps you don’t understand their lingo (even the PR industry has these!).
When you hire a PR agency treat them as part of your team and start building a relationship with them. You will share the wins together, as well as the challenges! Also let them know about anything coming up in your company, as it helps form newsworthy publicity content.
Good PR professionals are often well networked, and good ones will be championing your company or business at every chance they get – often this is well beyond what’s written in your contract with them!
We’re here to help you
BBS is a trusted public relations company which has assisted clients across Australia for more than 35 years. Our team’s blended skills in media, marketing, public relations, digital communications, change management and commerce mean we can look critically at challenges and offer a fresh perspective. Learn more about our services here or contact us today for a confidential discussion about your company’s communication needs.
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