What to look for in a PR Firm: The Good and the Bad

When a company hires a Public Relations Firm, they expect to start gaining some publicity fairly quickly. Why? Because the effectiveness of Public Relations can be seen almost immediately, if the right processes and steps are taken to secure coverage. It also helps to have a firm on your side that understands the business and industry they're working with: the media.

After working in the Public Relations Industry and at a well known PR firm, it's time we take stock in our own firm, and give advice to all of you in what to look for.



Below are 5 essential characteristics you should look for in a PR agency:

Their Social Media Presence

Take a look at their Facebook, Twitter, Bookmarking sites and other popular social media networking websites to see if they are present on these platforms. See if they interact with their followers, reply to comments and see how they work with their own following. This can be a good indication of how they'll perform your company's social media.

Some Red Flags include: 
1. Their social media activity is low. 

2. The content is mostly firm related and doesn't provide outside sources of information in their industry.

3. There are negative comments on the firm's profile, either self written or by users.

They have Skilled Copywriters

A strong public relations firm cannot survive without skilled copywriters who know how to write effective press releases that not only get the attention of your target, but also accurately project your brand message.These copywriters are typically aware of highly effective blogging techniques including calls to action, SEO and sharing capabilities.

Some Red Flags:

1. The firm's blog and marketing materials are not written effectively. The information is of little value and is packed with grammar and spelling errors.

2. The sample press releases are written for consumers and not for media. This is not effective at all.

3. All copywriting looks similar across all clients. This doesn't show diversity at all.

Awesome Results for Clients

Look for proof when hiring a PR agency - they should provide results on their website or be freely forthcoming with providing results to you upon request. If you're not receiving instant case studies to illustrate how the firm's efforts produced results, you probably shouldn't work with them.

Some Red Flags:

1. The case studies provided don't reveal tangible results

2. Results produced have no value at all.

3. No proof can be found on the agency's effort anywhere. Ever.

Some other things to look out for.

1. PR Firms need to understand what public relations means to today's business and consumer. Automatic efforts are not going to get you anywhere by today's means, and since consumers are looking for personalization and relationships, simply mass emailing several, non-related media organizations is not going to yield the results you really want. 

2. The firm focuses on printed media and not online marketing techniques. Today, consumers are online, so online methods of generating press need to be addressed, including internet marketing, blogs, online news papers and more.

3. The firm has no strong relationships with influential media outlets or bloggers. These are the relationships that build your business. Without them, how can you expect your firm to effectively market and promote your business?

4. The firm has a bad reputation. Try typing the firm's name into Google and see what pops up. The last thing you want to do is give your own reputation over to someone who has ruined theirs.

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