Been burnt before? How to make your PR experience positive
Originally posted to www.carnsight.com
Bad PR practice helps no one – not the PR pro, not the journalists they’ve liaised with along the way and certainly not the client, who’s invested in what’s turned out to be a negative experience. It certainly doesn’t help the industry. Twice in the past week I’ve spoken to someone who’s been burnt by a bad PR experience. I’ve tried to help both of them to understand what might need to change in their PR approach and what PR potential there might be by taking a different tack.
PR is an art not a science, and there are lots of reasons why things don’t go to plan. But, based on what I’ve discussed recently, here are some of the things I’d consider when you decide to embark on a PR campaign.
We work on shorter projects and longer-term PR campaigns. There are lots of benefits to engaging a PR agency for a sustained period, including the fact that national opportunities don’t always happen within a neat, four-week period, and profiles need to be built over time. However, one of the people I spoke to was tied into a six month contract for a launch campaign with no break clause. Things weren’t going brilliantly and, as a start-up, that was putting a lot of financial pressure on him over a sustained period. Definitely check if you have the option to terminate during the period. We usually work to a three month initial period before reviewing. That gives the option to break on either side.
If the PR agency has done its homework and understands your business and offering before starting PR activity, there shouldn’t be a long lag in coverage coming in. We have monthly targets and these start from month one. It’s worth asking about timings at the start of any engagement, and if things seem to be taking a long time, always ask why.
Another thing I’ve heard is PR contacts disappearing for a while, or not being in touch with clients regularly, leaving them feeling burnt by the experience. There’s always a balance and, as a PR pro, you don’t want to be a hassle. However, you should also be updating clients regularly on activity, and where you are with pitches and opportunities. We tend to set a bi-weekly call if we can, so we at least have something that clients can work around, but we’re frequently in touch over email and/or text if required. And we have live status documents and capture coverage real-time, so they can be accessed at any stage.
It’s easy to be dazzled by big brands that PR agencies have worked for (we’re all guilty of focussing on the big fish!) but there’s a real difference between a PR campaign for a household name and the launch of a start up. Even if you’re in the same industry. What’s useful is seeing what’s been achieved for businesses similar to yours. Also check on when campaigns were run – titles evolve and some disappear, so what was achieved five years ago might not be possible today.
If you’re expecting consumer coverage and get sector only, you might not feel like the investment’s been worth it. There may be a reason for it, so it’s worth having an upfront conversation about what could be achieved. Although you should never go with anyone who guarantees certain PR coverage, you should work with a PR consultancy which is happy to discuss what could potentially be achieved ahead of any investment, and why consumer media may or may not be realistic.
We’re always happy to sense check a PR approach to avoid you feeling burnt. And if you want to hear more on the topic, here are seven tips every small business should know about PR. And if you want to hear EVEN more, we have a new eBook: Powerfully Practical PR.
At Carnsight Communications we create strategies and campaigns to showcase our clients’ brilliant work through PR, content and social media. We help them get noticed by the right audience, at the right time. We specialise in creative agency PR.
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