As Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric once said, “When you are a leader, your job is to have all the questions.”
With the potential to boost brand awareness and drive business growth, PR could be a game changer for your company. However, finding the right agency to work with is crucial. To help, we have come up with 8 questions to ask a PR agency when making this decision.
1: What is your area of specialisation?
The key to effective PR is working with an agency that understands your business and can get your brand in front of your target audience. For instance, if you work in the technology space, having an agency that specialises in technology PR can really make a difference. Not only will it be able to understand the complexities of your business better than agencies without a speciality, you can benefit from the agency’s experience in crafting the types of stories that resonate with the right demographic and its relationships with technology correspondents.
2: Do you have strong relationships with key media?
Speaking of technology correspondents and while it may sound obvious, media relations are at the heart of successful PR. That’s why this must be at the top of your list of questions to ask a PR agency. After all, you can only reach your target audience through the right channels. That means getting your brand in front of journalists who write about your sector and in publications that your existing and prospective customers are reading.
3: What kind of PR services do you provide?
One of the most important questions to ask a PR agency concerns what services they provide. In this day and age, variety is key. It’s not just about press releases, with digital content coming to the fore. You may also have additional needs such as reputation management. It’s important that you know what kind of services you’re looking for and ensure that any prospective PR agency can offer these.
4: What benefits can PR deliver?
If you’re new to the world of PR, it can be very helpful to ask a prospective agency what benefits their PR services will deliver for your company. This way, you can make sure these align with your objectives. From helping to drive traffic to your website to supporting talent acquisition efforts, there are a range of benefits that PR can deliver. Also, this gives an agency a chance to showcase examples where they have delivered for their clients.
5: How would we work together?
A PR agency should really act as an extension of your own team. That’s why one of your questions to ask a PR agency should cover off who you will be working with and how this collaboration will work. You want a team that makes your life easier with proven experience, regular communication and top-quality content creation.
6: What experience do you have with companies like ours?
Possibly the most important question to ask a PR agency, this will allow you to assess the team’s track record and experience in working with similar organisations. It also provides real-life examples of results delivered and the quality of service, as well as an insight into customer experience through case studies and testimonials. This could also include any award wins that the PR agency or its clients have achieved.
7: How much will we need to budget for PR?
While this depends on your requirements and objectives, you must take the price of the service into account. You also need to consider this in light of the benefits that PR can bring to your business and the long-term gain it can deliver. Many PR agencies will also have different options in terms of investment. Again, it all comes down to what will work for your company.
8: How do you measure PR success?
The final question to ask a PR agency should relate to outcomes. Again, this can be measured in a variety of ways and will depend on what you’re looking to get out of your PR agency. For example, if your aim is to drive people to your website, you might want to focus on the quantity of online coverage, the number of backlinks that the coverage includes, and the impact that you see on traffic. Meanwhile, other companies might be more interested in the sentiment of coverage and how their brand is perceived in the wider marketplace.
So, as you can see, there are quite a few questions to ask a PR agency before you make a decision. Don’t forget, the right PR company can have a huge influence on your organisation’s future success. That’s why it’s important to cover off how they can support and work with you to make your business stand out.
If you are interested with working with Comit and have questions, contact us today!