Every business thrives off good publicity (and bad I mean have you heard about Nike?). Whether the news is good, bad or ugly a public relations firm is most likely in the background helping to get the word out around town – or save a current crisis situation. However, before you assume your business needs a PR firm, there are a few questions that your potential PR team would like to ask.
- Are you prepared to tell your story?
Finding a unique selling point is key to helping your business as well as your PR firm identify which strategy would be best. Always have a plan of how you would like for your business to be represented in the community.
- Do you know your target audience?
Before hiring a PR firm, you must first identify who you want your target audience to be (millennials that just moved to town, start-up business owners etc.). This would also be a good time to redefine the message of your business to truly aim it towards the people you want to reach.
- Are you reaching the right media outlets?
While your business probably has a list of media contacts, the question is are they the right journalists for your target audience? A PR team is familiar with which outlets are best for certain companies. The PR firms will also bring in new contacts as well as expertise in working with the media to get stories published.
- Do you have a timeline/plan?
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but a lot of companies think the PR team is going to magically create publicity for them the second they hire the firm. While we like to think we are that good, PR teams still need a timeline of events and a plan in place. That way your business and PR firm will all be on the same page when sending out press releases and will know when certain events are coming up.
While there is a ton of questions your business could ask before hiring a PR firm, these are just a few that we think are pretty important. The questions above will not only help you decide if hiring a PR firm would be the best move, but also how beneficial the team would be in the long run!
