9 September 2024
The most regular comment we hear from clients who start doing PR is: “I wish I’d done it sooner.”
It’s like any ‘big’ decision, nobody wants to get it wrong, so it gets put off.
But, embarking on a PR programme, more than many other business decisions, benefits from an early start.
It takes time to establish your company in the media, to get editors to trust the material you are sending in, and for them to believe you’re going to be around for the long-term (in terms of being in business and a regular contributor to their publication).
It’s like establishing any relationship, building up trust.
If you select the right agency, they can make the right introductions for you. However, the editor will (rightly) be cautions about a company they've not dealt with before. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be doing their job properly.
But what your PR agency should be doing is accelerating this relationship building to establish that trust with the journalists and start to get you the coverage you’ve been promised.
It’s a good idea to be realistic as to how fast you can achieve your PR goals, but then you should also, rightly, expect to get what you’ve been promised (and agencies are often good at (over)promising, sometimes a little less so in making sure they see through the delivery).
When PR works, its effect can be dramatic. Creating a profile that registers with customers, prospective customers and peer groups, and cementing your place as a leading commentator on your industry.
Precisely the kind of media profile that any industry leader should have.
