Its A Phrase I Hear Over And Over Again From Many Entrepreneurs, Small Businesses Owners And Inventors: Id Love To Hire Someone To Launch Our Publicity Campaign Professionally, But We Cant Afford It, So Im Just Going To Have To Do It On My Own.Over The Past Several Months, I Have Been Conducting An Informal Survey Among Entrepreneurs And Business Owners Who Have Contacted Me About My Services. I Have Found That Due To Their Lack Of Information Or Knowledge On The Topic, Many Businesses Typically Over-estimate Or Over-budget The Cost Of A Prospective Public Relationspublicity Campaign. During My PR Consultation With Them, I Asked: How Much Do You Think It Will Cost To Launch A Solid, Effective PRpublicity Campaign For Your Productbusiness? Of The 102 People Ive Queried: 11 - Thought A Professional PR Campaign Would Cost 10,000 Per Month 32 - Thought A Professional PR Campaign Would Cost 5,000-10,000 Per Month 39 - Thought A Professional PR Campaign Would Cost 3,000-5,000 Per Month 12 - Thought A Professional PR Campaign Would Cost 1,000-3,000 Per Month 6 - Thought A Professional PR Campaign Would Cost Less Than 1,000 Per MonthThe Truth Is -- You Can Get A PublicityPR Campaign In All Of Those Price Ranges. What You Get For Your Money And How Effective The Campaign Will Be Is The Real Question. It Is True That The More You Pay The More You Get. But Getting The Most PublicityPR Exposure Doesnt Mean You Have To Get Most Expensive PR Agency Or Specialist.A Good Rule Of Thumb Is To Align Yourself With A PR Business That Best Reflects Your Business Size. Most Times Their Rates Will Be In Line With Your Prospective PR Budget. If You Are A Small Business Owner With Two Employees, You Need Not Hire A High-dollar PR Agency With Dozens Of Employees. Find A PR Business Whose Office Size And Capabilities Closely Resemble Your Business.Case In Point -- There Is A Large PR Agency In A Fancy Building Downtown A Few Miles From My Office. Frankly, We Are Not Even Competition To Each Other In Fact We Have Even Referred Clients To Each Other. Why? They Typically Work With Large Corporations And Implement Campaigns Of Around 10,000 Per Month. My Business Works With Smallmedium-sized Businesses. Mechanically, The Downtown Firm And My Business Do The Same Thing When It Comes To PR Campaigns: Professional Media Release Composition; Extensive Media Market Research; Articulate Personalized Distribution To The Media; Months Of Media Relations (article Placementsinterview Schedulingmedia Request Fulfillment, Clippingtracking Of Media Placements, Etc.).Signing Up With The Big Firm Doesnt Mean Youll Necessarily Get An Experienced Associate Working On Your Campaign. So Are You Getting What You Are Paying For? A Friend Of Mine Who Works At A Major PR Firm Gave Me The Following Breakdown Of Billing Fees In His Office: InternsJunior Executives Bill At 75 Hour (Very Little, If Any Professional Experience) Account Executives Bill At 100 - 125 Hour (1-3 Years Of Professional Experience) Senior Account Executives Bill At 125 - 200 Hour (Multiple Years Of Professional Experience. Agency Decision Makers.)Compare Those Prices To Many Small PR Shops Or Individual PR Specialists. Many Have Started Their Own PR Businesses After Years Of Experience In The Industry And Typically Charge 50 - 100 Per Hour To Professionally Launch And Maintain Your Campaign. Many Times, You Can Get A Seasoned PR Veteran Who Will Work Directly With You And Your Staff For Cheaper Than The InternJunior Executive Rate At A Downtown Firm.However, One Word Of Advice -- When Choosing A Smaller Firm Or Individual To Do Your PR, Make Sure They Have The Same Tools That The Bigger Agencies Do: Updated Media Listscontacts; Personalized Media Distribution Capabilities; Professional Clippingtracking Services To Get Copies Of Each Of Your Media Placements (articles, Tapes From TVradio Shows) As Well As The Intangibles Of Expert Communicationmedia Relations Skills And Professional Pitching Prowess. If They Are Cheaper, But Dont Have All The Tools To Help You In The Best Manner Possible, You Are Probably Better Off Spending A Little Extra Money To Make Sure Your Campaign Is Launched And Maintained Correctly.The Major Benefits Of Hiring A Professional (individual PR Specialist Or PR Firm) To Launch Your Campaign Are: Proper Campaign Implementation Improperly Composed Or Poorly Pitched Campaigns Are The Major Downfall Of Many PR Efforts. Poorly Written, Over-commercialized Media Releases; Uncalculated, Misdirected Mass E-mailing Of The Release Pitch; No Follow-up Media Relationsmedia Request Fulfillment; Etc.. Your First Impression To The Media Is A Lasting One Make Sure Its A Good One. Media Contacts Most PR Agencies Have Established Multiple Media Contacts Over Several Years That Can Lead To Much Better And More Numerous Media Placements For Your Campaign. Let Their Foot In The Door Benefit You. Efficiency And Effectiveness PR Specialistsagencies Generate Publicity Full Time, 8-12 Hours Per Day And Know The Ins And Outs, Shortcuts And Secrets To Getting The Job Done Better And Quicker. Sure You Could Hang Your Own Drywall Or Do Your Own Plumbing, But Do You Have The Tools, The Time And The Expertise To Make It Cost Effective? I Always Tell My Clients, You Do What You Do Well, Ill Do What I Do Well And Well Collectively Move This Business Further Up The Ladder.One Caveat When It Comes To Choosing A Professional PR Agency Or Individual To Work With Signing Up For A Higher Priced Campaign Doesnt Necessarily Mean You Will Get Better Results Than A Cheaper Campaign. And The Inverse Is True As Well. Over The Past Year Or So, Many Low-cost PRpublicity Services Have Begun To Pop Up All Over The Internet. Ones That Promise To Write And Launch A Press Release For As Low As 99. They Are Low In Cost Because Frankly Many Are Low In Quality. Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better, And Cheap Does Not Always Mean A Good Bargain.If You Have The Time, Tools And Talent To Launch And Maintain Your Own Campaign, You Should Definitely Do So. If Not There Are A Number Of Public Relationspublicity Firms, Specialists And Services Out There. Research To Find The One Whose Services And Fees Match Your Business Plan. Once Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, And Inventors Learn More About Their Options When It Comes To Launching A PR Campaign -- Many Find That They Cant Afford NOT To Have One.
