3 Ways to Prepare for a Public Relations Campaign
Learn how companies can benefit from being prepared for a PR campaign.
Today, companies and organizations rely heavily on public relations agencies to widen brand awareness through news coverage, social media, an active blog and targeted messaging across platforms. Yet, how do you maximize results from the start?
Here are three things you can do before you formalize a relationship with a PR agency to ensure a successful beginning:
1. Set a Series of Goals
It is important to set aside time to think about your initial goals for the PR campaign. Why do you need PR? What media outlets do you want to be featured in? Do you want more traffic to your website?
Also, what important news announcements, deadlines and milestones are coming up for your organization?
With this information in hand, your PR agency can clearly understand your expectations and can work closely with you to prioritize strategies, objectives, tactics and outcomes.
If you’re not exactly sure how to set specific goals, don’t sweat it—your PR agency can guide you through the process. However, just being prepared to discuss what you’d like to achieve with the PR program will help amplify results.
2. Know Your Budget
Though you may not know exactly how much you can spend on an outside PR agency, it’s very helpful if you can establish a budget range before you get too far into the negotiation process with a PR firm. This way, you can quickly weed out firms that are too expensive for you and avoid significant “back and forth” with prospective agencies seeking to guess your budget.
Most PR agencies work on a monthly retainer basis, but others can price programs based on a project fee or an hourly rate (which is often the most expensive route).
A budget range will also help your PR agency develop an optimal plan for your organization, set measurable objectives, and identify tactics that will best move the needle. From there, you should ask your agency for weekly / monthly updates on the campaign, and for a progress review after the first 3-6 months.
3. Come Prepared
You know your company best – and it’s important to share detailed information about your company or organization with the PR team upfront.
For example, if you have multiple logos, existing branding guidelines, a mission statement, photography and video, recent press releases, and bios on your firm’s leadership, make sure to provide these materials during the first month of the PR campaign. Your new PR firm will also ask questions about your marketing plans for the year, including trade show visits, speaking engagements, award opportunities and project milestones.
This will help the public relations professionals get up to speed quickly, avoid duplicating efforts, and avoid producing content that conflicts with your guidelines.
In Closing
These initial steps will help lay a solid foundation for a new PR campaign. From there, you should expect to see specific results over the course of the campaign, whether it be media coverage in your “most wanted” news outlets, increased engagement on social media, or revamped website copy that draws in prospects.
To read more PR tips, visit www.violetpr.com/blog.
About Violet PR
Whether it’s rebranding a city, drawing attention to a revitalized neighborhood, or promoting a new sustainable development, Violet PR helps clients make a difference. Through a combination of news stories, social media, and compelling content, our NJ-based boutique public relations firm helps clients attract more dollars and supporters.