Should I Buy Now or Wait for a PR Firm?

Asking “Is Now The Right Time to Buy PR Services?” is a common and reasonable question

The best PR results come long-term.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” – Warren Buffett

Therefore, it's important not to wait too long to start a PR campaign. The first step is to select a PR agency, and don’t hire a PR firm too quickly.

First, you must decide to either do nothing, do it yourself, or hire someone. Hopefully, you opt to hire an expert.

And it's less expensive to hire a PR firm than to staff a PR department. Our research-based app proves it.

Let's explore the pros and cons.

Reasons to buy now

Developing a perfect PR strategy doesn’t happen instantly. It can take days or even months to develop, and then it takes time to properly launch and measure a PR program.
If you want PR to be great next quarter or next year, you need to get started now.
It might take six months for your PR program to show momentum, or it could take less. However, the bottom line is it takes time to see PR success.
The clients that have been with us the longest have the best results and ROI.
We recommend reviewing PR results on a quarterly basis as some months will be a fest and others may be a famine. However, you shouldn’t halt your PR campaign because of months of famine.

According to advertising industry consultant, Tony Mikes, “PR is not always visible and not overnight, but it helps subtly and significantly over time.” Therein lies the wonder of PR; the fact it soars above other marketing and advertising efforts in terms of ROI.

Reasons to wait to buy

When you have a vague knowledge of your PR objectives.
If the PR funding isn’t ready, it’s only prudent to wait and secure the necessary resources first.
There is no budget in place. Getting started with PR before fixing a budget is one of the mistakes companies make when hiring a PR firm. This is because they haven’t adequately planned for the resources to meet their goals.
Your store isn’t open, the product isn’t yet available, or you’re not ready to offer the service. Out of nothing, nothing is produced. Your product should be available to various people before you engage a PR agency. The idea of spending on PR for a non-existent product might be premature.
Your organization’s leadership and marketing team aren’t in agreement to bring on an outside PR agency.

Next steps

Developing a perfect PR strategy doesn’t happen instantly. It can take days or even months to develop. Then it takes time to properly launch and measure a PR program.

Now might be the time to familiarize yourself with some qualified PR agencies and begin having initial conversations. Figure out which firms you like, know, and trust among qualified agencies who have experience working within your niche industry, experience solving similar challenges, and case studies they can show you.

When you're ready, we highly recommend hiring a PR agency for an initial strategic engagement using our unique processes, training, and certifications. We start most of our new client relationships with:

Strategic Insights: Identify unique insights from a brand or competitor and buyer analysis for an actionable message strategy that breaks through (and impacts) the marketplace clutter.
Developing a StoryBrand BrandScript with a messaging framework, explanatory paragraph, and one-liner.
Ideation where we develop a presentation of unique creative ideas to generate awareness for your brand.
Strategic PR plan: Includes secondary research, target audiences, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely, ethical, and recorded (S.M.A.R.T.E.R.) objectives, key messages, content and activity calendars, key performance indicators, and evaluation.

If you’re looking for some expert guidance on this topic and these initial strategic engagements, book a free consultation with me.

Clients love Jason’s passion, candor, and commitment as well as the team he has formed at Axia Public Relations. He's advised some of America’s most admired brands, including American Airlines, Dave & Buster’s, Hilton, HP, Pizza Hut, and Verizon. He is an Emmy Award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner, speaker, author, and entrepreneur and earned his certification in inbound marketing. He founded the PR firm in July 2002. Learn more about Jason.