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I Can't Afford A Publicity/Public Relations Campaign... Can I?
It's a phrase I hear over and over again from many entrepreneurs, small businesses owners and inventors -- "I'd love to hire someone to launch our publicity campaign professionally, but we can't afford it, so I'm just going to have to do it on my own."
Over the past several months, I have been conducting an informal survey among entrepreneurs and business owners who have contacted me about my services. I have found that due to their lack of information or knowledge on the topic, many businesses typically over-estimate or over-budget the cost of a prospective public relations/publicity campaign. During my PR consultation with them, I asked: "How much do you think it will cost to launch a solid, effective PR/publicity campaign for your product/business"
Of the 102 people queried:
¡ñ 11% - Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $10,000+ per month
¡ñ 32% - Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $5,000-$10,000 per month
¡ñ 39% - Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $3,000-$5,000 per month
¡ñ 12% - Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $1,000-$3,000 per month
¡ñ 6% - Thought a professional PR campaign would cost less than $1,000 per month
The truth is -- you can get a publicity/PR campaign in all of those price ranges. What you get for your money and how effective the campaign will be is the real question. It is true that the more you pay, the more you get. But getting the most publicity/PR exposure doesn't mean you have to get most expensive PR agency or specialist.
A good rule of thumb is to align yourself with a PR consultant that best reflects your business size. Most times their rates will be in line with your prospective PR budget. If you are a small business owner with two employees, you need not hire a high-dollar PR agency with dozens of employees. Find a PR consultant whose office size and capabilities closely resemble your business, like me.
Signing up with the big firm doesn't mean you'll necessarily get an experienced associate working on your campaign. So are you getting what you are paying for? My experience with agencies has shown me that the following breakdown of billing fees:
¡ñ Interns/Junior Executives bill at $100 / hour (Very little, if any professional experience)
¡ñ Account Executives bill at $125 - $150 / hour (1-3 years of professional experience)
¡ñ Senior Account Executives bill at $200- $250 / hour (Multiple years of professional experience - agency decision makers)
Compare those prices to mine. I added my own PR businesses to my services after years of experience in the agency industry and typically charge $100 per hour to professionally launch and maintain your campaign. And as a seasoned PR veteran, I will work directly with you and your staff for same price as an Intern/Junior executive rate.
I write the publicity myself . I have the same tools that the bigger agencies do -- updated media lists/contacts, personalized media distribution capabilities, as well as the intangibles of expert communication/media relations skills, editorial contacts and professional pitching prowess. If anyone is cheaper, but don't have all the tools to help you in the best manner possible, you are probably better off spending the little extra money to make sure your campaign is launched and maintained correctly.
Contact Michael Sherman at msadvertising@aol.com or call 662-893-8360 anytime |
