Public Relations - 7 points for selecting a vendor PR

Public relations (PR) is one of the best ways to get some exposure and potentially faster wide. But PR is more than just press releases and working to pay them to the wire business. If you are not a large company that can afford to keep the resources dedicated in-house PR, you can do it yourself or bring in a vendor to manage the PR for you.

The cheapest way to start is to do it yourself, assuming you have enough experience to realize a well-structured press release in the first place. [If you do not know how, you can usually pretend doing a little research on how to put together one, but is not as easy as it sounds.] This approach is convenient, but you will reach a compromise on the potential use against a seller or agency relationship established with the media. At some point, you will need to bite the bullet and take on a partner or employee to manage the process for you.

Even if you have your sights set on hiring a full time PR representative, I would still recommend starting from the management of an experienced partner for at least a couple of months or through a one-off project. Not only this will give you invaluable experience throughout the process, but you can extend the effectiveness of your first campaign (s) exponentially ... assuming that selecting the right supplier.

I present the following seven steps to select the right vendor. If you follow these steps to the letter, your chances of getting the right will increase significantly.

1. The aim of the project - I can not stress strongly enough how important it is to dive deep into what you are trying to accomplish, because you need to do, and how you intend to arrive before starting to talk to any potential PR partners. Knowing what you want from the beginning, and know how much strategic input you expect from your supplier. Most often, PR is necessary to draw attention to an event, product launch, or some other significant development. These events should be promoted with a full range of integrated marketing and PR needs to fit a specific role within that range. Once you are comfortable with the whole plan, then you can turn your attention to the details of the PR.

2. Document the components needed PR - Specify the activities and documents that you expect from the chosen provider. Writing press releases only? Distribution communicated to the wire? Media outreach? Positioning article? Edit the content provided? Management of syndication? Blog outreach? As you can tell, there are many things you can do to get the word out for you. Be very clear what your expectations are.

3. Clarify submission requirements - Once you know exactly what you need from your partner-to-be, to define in detail. I suggest to formalize in a Request-for-Quote (RFQ). There are dozens of formats RDA can be found online or by colleagues, and in my experience, PR outfits take it more seriously when it is done this way. Typical components of an RFQ include company and product overview, project scope, expected results, the guidelines for submission (how / where to submit, by when and in what format), and references are provided or not, that work to submit samples, and the key media can exploit to your advantage. Be absolutely sure that you need good contacts specified in publications and online services in which you want to cover. Of all the requirements, this is the most important.

4. Identify potential partners - Here is where you can waste a lot of time looking, so it's vital that you start with a vision of the kind of partner would be a fit for you. I recommend you avoid single PR consultants or other one-person outfits. Just as with any outsourcing partner, you better have more than one contact at the company to cover for holidays or out sick. Sometimes an individual will dress a backup plan, perhaps a partnership with another PR consultant, to cover these incidents. When you are just starting out, you also want to avoid large agencies, which takes $ 5K / month to start seeing real value-added, once you factor in overhead costs of customer management. Be sure to take advantage of the network for referrals, because a supplier recommended is much more likely to understand that if someone is in the phone or book online.

5. Engage in a dialogue - After identifying the candidates, send them the RFQ document. I always include a blurb about when / how we can have a dialogue to clarify areas of confusion, answer questions, and start building a relationship. This can have a little 'difficult, because some providers will not get the chance, others will need only one call, and still others will want to ping a day. This process is important because it helps to see how they work. If you are high maintenance, you can expect the same behavior once they are on the clock. If they seem to get in and out randomly, you may have problems to get in touch when you need it. This is a test of working together, so be careful.

6. Evaluate the answers - if you did a good job of specifying requirements and timely submission, you should have all the answers in hand by the deadline. I rarely left the seller if you have a slide late, because once again, is a negative indicator of their ability to meet deadlines. Review all documents, looking at cost quoted, proposed timelines, and completeness of the response. Having a decision matrix in mind where you can score in a goal - perhaps mark them in every important area on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is a perfect fit and 1 is a mismatch. Include a category for their style of work referred to in paragraph five.

7. Select partners - This part of the process may be different for each of you. The key here is to simplify quickly. Look at the scores from the six point and delete all those whose score is far below all others. Look at what you are getting and when, and compare the proposed cost. Do not be so shortsighted to only choose the cheapest option regardless of what they are doing for the money and what the network can say about them. Take the first two or three options, and look for more resources to help you determine if you are good at what they do or not. In the end, decide whether your approach to rating is more important or your "gut", and go with whatever you think will be best for your business.

Sealing the deal: the news to all concerned
First, inform the party was selected directly by telephone, if possible. We are engaged in an employment relationship, so the least you can do is call to tell them. Do the same with all the "losers" in the process. They will want to know why they have not made the cut, and you absolutely must share with them that detail. After all, if someone wants advice on how to improve your business, why do not you want to help? Karma also applies in business.

There you have it ... seven steps to get a new PR partners identified, selected and on board. This may seem a bit 'too much with the RFQ, but it is not. Trust me, you want to avoid headaches, if possible, and this is a way to get through the process more efficient.