When it comes to setting PR agency expectations, don't be this company

Samuel Zeller Recently, an overseas company contacted our public relations agency looking for earned media coverage in the United States for its coupon bargain retail website.

The company’s service isn't unique. It's not new. It doesn’t disrupt the market. Candidly, it's very much an "us too" offering among a fragmented landscape of at least three and maybe as many as 10 major players with household name recognition. This company's domain ranks 55 in its business category among website traffic.

While this company couldn't identify anything unique to us about itself compared to its competition, it knew exactly what it wanted:

Requirements

• The PR agency must develop company’s brand storyThe company must approve the brand story

• The agency must pitch the company’s story and it must appear as a feature in six of the top 30 US news outlets

• The company’s name must appear in the headline
• A mention of the company name or quote from its CEO is not acceptable coverage
• Company wants these earned media results within 90 days

Budget: $15K

Here's the problem: There's nothing newsworthy about this company.

It doesn't matter what you want; you have to create news to get news coverage. Even if you have a close relationship with a news editor, he or she is still accountable to his or her readers, boss, and ultimately, the profession of journalism.

If you must get quick coverage within a limited landscape, you should explore paid media. And in this case, the company knew that it either couldn’t afford paid media or that $15K in paid media doesn't go far.

This company isn't interested in building long-term relationships with news outlets for the long-term success of building its brand and reputation.

As an insignificant employer that employs no one in the US, and with a site that doesn't have any unique features, the company must depend on other elements of news to break through the clutter. And this can take significant time. As the saying goes, "It takes 10 years to become an overnight success.”

Public relations shouldn’t be a short-term investment. PR is about building relationships and enjoying long-lasting results. The best results come from a strategic and proactive PR campaign. The PR professionals at Axia Public Relations are media experts. We successfully pitch journalists all the time and have developed the relationships you need to increase visibility for your brand. To find out more, contact us or download our complimentary e-book “Learn Media Relations from the Media” today.