5 Tips to a Successful PR Experience

Public relations can be a somewhat misunderstood industry. There is a misrepresentation of what public relations is and what it can actually do. When we dive into something new with a lack of information or blurry expectations, it becomes difficult to see positive results from those efforts.

So how can you go into a new PR partnership equipped for success? We have some tips to help you start off on the right foot.

The Basics 

1. Understand Public Relations vs. Marketing

The number one priority when it comes to a good PR experience is making sure you’re clear on the difference between public relations and marketing. Agencies should be specific about where marketing ends and PR begins and how the two support each other. 

They’ll draw hard lines so that their expertise is best utilized where it should be and will advise you on the areas where a marketing professional might be best suited. 

2. Know YOUR Goals

Your PR agency shouldn’t be left to determine the outcome of your investment alone—you must come to the table with some goals you have in mind for your business, and then your PR pro can design a campaign around what you’re hoping to achieve. It’s important to discuss what will come after a campaign has ended and shape strategy together.

Check out our recent post about why business goals should come before PR goals for more information.

3. Talk ROI

ROI, or return on your investment, is something you and your agency should be discussing at some point. While ROI is a little less exacting in PR than it is in traditional advertising, it should still be addressed and talked about.

You may not be able to calculate every dollar that comes from every feature, but you can talk about what opportunities deliver results in which areas of your business. 

Talk about funding goals! Talk about customer increases! 

Having open lines of communication with your agency will definitely help solidify your partnership. 

4. Check Your Infrastructure

Sometimes a PR campaign falls flat, not because the campaign was poor, but because your business wasn’t set up to receive the influx of attention. So even though a publicist can’t be expected to be your branding expert and marketing consultant, they can tell you if what you want is achievable given your current assets.

If you are trying to transform yourself (or your CEO/Founder) into a thought leader, but they don’t have social media accounts, that’s a problem. 

If you’re launching a product, but your website can’t handle the traffic after a big feature, that’s a problem.

If you get a lot of searches for your brand after a string of podcast interviews, but you don’t have SEO that will make you easy to find when Googled, that’s a problem.

There are a lot of things PR can do, but you must ensure your online presence is ready to receive the fruits of that labor and avoid a negative result.

5. Trust Your Gut

You may not know everything there is to know about PR, but you do know business. You know the kind of people you like working with. You know when you’re being fed a line and when you’re dealing with passionate individuals. 

Even if you’ve tried doing PR before and things didn’t go so well, approach your next attempt at it with confidence and intent. Be clear about what you want to get out of it and what you’ve encountered in the past. 

Next time you’re looking to start a PR partnership, make sure you’re prepared with some perspective and powerful questions so you can be sure you’re getting the most out of your investment.