First Time User of Agency PR? Read on

published 2006

Organisations considering - or embarking on - the use of a PR agency for the first time often have quite limited goals - and usually these are related to obtaining a higher media profile.

It’s important therefore for those new to PR agencies and working with the media to have realistic expectations.  Here are a few pointers to common traps and misconceptions that sour many new client/agency relationships - to the disappointment of both parties.

There are no coverage guarantees

Editorial coverage may be the goal of your PR, but it is not the guarantee of it.  While an agency should be actively working on making each release as appealing and newsworthy as possible, and arguing against sending out releases that are pure marketing or corporate-speak, your coverage will be determined by many factors. 

Was the story really of news value?  Was it sent to the wrong type of journalist at a publication?  Was there a big news story that broke that pushed many other stories off the pages?  Had you done enough to make your company known to media before sending out releases?

Three-monthly reviews don’t work

Many companies run their sales measurement by quarter and therefore like to measure everything on a quarterly basis.  So they go through an agency selection process and then say  to their chosen PR agency, “Let’s try it for three months and see how we go.”  This situation should be avoided at all costs! 

With lead-time for magazines running to many months, and editors planning features well in advance, any measurement of results will be next to useless. Also any reputable PR agency is mindful that its reputation and relationship with media is at stake with any new client so they will (or should be) reluctant to represent this type of organisation.  

Media want to talk to you, not your agency

Many companies believe that a PR agency with close media relationships will mean that they won’t have to spend time talking with journalists.  This is not the case.  Your agency should know the right media and should be able to get you access that you could not achieve by yourself.  However, ultimately to maximise the use of the agency and its contacts they need to introduce you to the media.  That means you have to able to find or make time to get in front of them. 

Also, to manage the flow of information between your company, your agency and the media, you need to have a ‘go-to’ person who can find information when it’s required and push the approval process through your company to meet media deadlines. 

You should be committing to PR, not just pushing it off to someone else in its entirety.  Indeed, the value-add from engaging a PR agency is often that you will spend more time talking with media, and that should result in more media coverage!

What you say isn’t always what you read

Journalists don’t purposefully misquote people, but they can be selective in what they use and how they present it.  So don’t be surprised if occasionally something comes out that doesn’t exactly reflect what you were saying in an interview or, in the worst of cases, is placed in a context that may be contrary to your expectations or desires. 

Some journalists do have agendas, and if there are any that cover your industry they should be managed quite closely by your agency. When all the hard work has been done and it isn’t represented in the media outcomes its important that you not shoot the messenger - your PR agency!

There will be disappointments

While in most instances media coverage will flow as you expect there will also be times when you (and your agency) will be disappointed about media outcomes  A feature that you worked hard on to gain inclusion will leave you out.  Journalists will interview you and the story will never see the light of day.  These types of disappointments can be reviewed and hopefully lessens learned. 

However one of the greatest disappointments is when you run an elaborate media function, have 10 journalists confirmed (and reconfirmed the day prior to the event) and 5 turn up.  This is not your agency’s fault.  It’s what, unfortunately, many journalists do, and there probably won’t even be many apologies from the non-attendees on the morning of the event. 

Maybe they were sent out to cover breaking news.  Maybe they were on deadline and couldn’t make it, or maybe they decided to sleep in after all rather than attend the breakfast media launch.  You’ll probably never know and, unfortunately, quizzing them about their non-attendance can prove counter-productive.  You just have to accept that it is one of the consequences of dealing with media - and learn to live with it.

Set realistic expectation levels

First time users of PR aiming to increase their profile with the media will likely have little experience on which to base expectations of results.  Companies selecting an agency for the first time should insist on agencies setting realistic levels of results, including an indication of how long it may take to reach certain levels of awareness and coverage, at the presentation stage. 

Beware the agency that promises extensive coverage, especially when the other agencies are far more modest in their projections. 

It can take a minimum of six months to build up rapport with media that are relevant to your organisation, to train your executives on how to interact with the media and get the foundations of a media program that will produce results in place 

Look for the cumulative effect

Embarking on a PR program should be something done with the longer term in mind.  PR that is focussed simply on media outcomes works best over time, is measured more meaningfully over time, and delivers the greatest benefits when a true relationship forms between company, agency and relevant media.

Organisations that seem to dominate the media in a given sector and reap the benefits that this provides have often achieved this position through a lot of hard work over a period of time. 

They often have a winning combination - an internal culture among senior management that encourages -and prioritises - building media relations, an ongoing flow of news and information that interests the media and a PR agency that is constantly representing the organisation to key media. You won’t usurp their position overnight, but you can challenge it and over time put your organisation on the media agenda.

Note: The author of this article is a senior Sydney based independent corporate PR consultant with 30 years PR agency experience who works with PR Managers to help them get the best the most out of their relationships with PR agencies, as well as helping them review and select PR agencies. He also advises, coaches and mentors PR Managers and undertakes audits of PR Department structures and programs. He blogs regularly on PR and communications topics similar to those in this article.

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3) How Australian PR agency selection processes are changing

4) BRW article highlights PR agency relationship challenges