Forbes Council: Should you become a member?

Someone has invited you to join the Forbes Council and you’re very flattered. Your immediate thought is that you should promote this honor and leverage your achievement to the hilt. However, let’s take a deeper look. Is it really an honor? Or, is it just another paid membership?

What is the Forbes Council?

On its website, the Forbes Council states that it’s an invitation-only organization for senior-level executives successful in these 10 industries:

1. Agency
2. Business
3. Business Development
4. Coaches
5. Communications
6. Finance
7. Human Resources
8. Nonprofit
9. Real Estate
10. Technology

To qualify, you must verify that you’re in a leadership role at a company that generates a minimum of $1 million in revenue or has a minimum of $1 million in financing. Your company must also have an office or headquarters located in North America.

The Forbes Council offers many benefits such as the use of the Forbes logo on social media and your website. You also receive access to select peer groups as well as volume discounts and members-only rates from a group of pre-qualified service providers.

Is the Forbes Council a scam? Should you join?

The Forbes Council isn’t a scam; it offers a service for your money.

As a professional, is it a good move to pay for an honor and promote it? In the end, many readers may not know the difference and will look at the Forbes logo as a mark of credibility. However, we sense you should earn an honor – not buy one. Always be leery of paying to honor yourself or your company. And there might be an ethical issue to how Forbes and you present the relationship. Food for thought.

Before you make a bad PR investment, make sure you download Axia Public Relations’ complimentary guide Maximizing Your Public Relations Investment to learn the best way to promote your company.

Alan Helquist is a marketing professional with extensive experience in copywriting and public speaking. He graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and passionately writes and speaks on anything from sports to public relations. Alan has been a member of the Axia team since June 2017. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.

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