What should a prospective client ask their preferred PR firm before doing business with them? There is plenty a PR firm can do for a company and should be viewed as a valuable investment. Like any investment, however, it should be done with careful consideration. The team here at Pushing the Envelope has gathered a few insightful questions to ask before signing into a contract to do business with a PR firm.
- Do your cultures line up with one another? Are the beliefs, values and character of the PR firm in alignment with your own? Ensuring that the firm you are working with holds the same ethical principles as you helps to safeguard that they would be able to properly display and communicate your businesses culture through their work. This is something we hold as a top priority here at PTE: to be civically active, being honest and ethical in our relationships and work. Most of all, being there for each other.
- What is the PR firm’s primary means of communication and how involved will you be as a client? This is something companies need to think about early on – how involved do you want to be? This may determine exactly what services it is that the firm is able to provide, depending on the company’s involvement. Do they want the PR firm to have full control or would you like to work as a team and give general direction? This is something to establish in the very beginning.
- Does the PR firm provide reporting and analytics? What do they cover? Knowing exactly how a firm measures success is important because that’s what you are paying for – results.
- Where can you find examples of their work? You should always look into a PR firms past work, to see if the quality of what they are producing is up to par with your company’s standards.
- Of course, it is crucial to ask about pricing to make sure you and the firm are a good financial fit. This one is a given, but should not go unmentioned.
For more information on what to consider when hiring a public relations firm, please feel free to contact us, we are happy to help the best we can!