10 Questions Brands Should Ask Themselves Before Hiring a PR Firm

This is a guest post by Lisa Robinson, co-founder of Crafted Communications. When we opened our health and wellness agency Crafted Communications a year ago, we started with a few seasoned brands. The agency was founded on the belief that we wanted to help brands that are healthier for people and the planet. We are wholly focused on food, health & wellness and social consciousness. Over the course of the year we have met with many enthusiastic new players looking for a PR partner to help launch their brands into the marketplace. Here are ten lessons/questions we've learned from that process that we wanted to share with you--whether you happen to be a brand looking to engage for the first time with a PR agency or a PR agency anticipating the questions of a potential new client. Can You Be Too in Love with Your Idea? You have poured your heart and soul into launching this amazing brand; you left a big job or took your Wall Street payout and decided to pursue your calling. Great. But how differentiated is your product? What makes your brand special? Where Are You? You decide your brand is finally ready for the big time! You meet with a PR agency to see if they can garner national press coverage for your brand. The challenge: your product is only sold only in Wisconsin. Take a breath and strategize with a clear plan for national distribution. You Call That Success? Ah…the good old days when we used to place a product on national TV with a fictitious spokesperson like a flavorologist. Garnering brand mentions in media is more challenging today and the media landscape is more dynamic--so you have to be open to understanding the new media environment and working to build not just media hits but an engaged audience. Can You Tell a Good Story? You heard it at Ted talks, in your MBA classes and from every brand advocate, but it is true–the best brand messages are not corporate speak, they are passionate stories about you, your ideas, your vision and your company. Tell your story, with passion, because no one can convey or share your dream like you can. Can You Connect the Dots? The best coverage is not a product description and photo; the best articles share a trend and include your product or company because you are a perfect example of what is happening at this moment in the food industry. This story is not just about the individual product offerings--this is about a consumer tipping point that is dramatically shifting the power in the breakfast category from Big Food to authentic, mid-size brands. Do You Have Patience? You are an entrepreneur--why would you be patient? Remember, though, that press does not typically happen overnight. It is a combination of product reviews, Instagram photos, tweets, online stories and long-lead media. Patience is extremely hard when you are seeking to expand--but PR is a journey, not a sprint. Do You Have Time for PR? Everyone loves the idea of getting interviewed, sharing their wisdom and seeing their name in lights, but few realize how much work goes into developing those stories. Effective PR is a two-way street and every brand has to own and be responsible for their piece of the pie. If you can’t make the time, find someone else in the organization who can and set aside a specific amount of time each day to deal with PR needs. Remember, the agency is only as good as the materials they have to work with. Do You Blame the Messenger? We all have a blind side, especially concerning those we love. Clients can have blind sides too--they can become so enamored with their brand that they sometimes cannot see what agencies might. If you want a PR partner to simply pitch, then a freelancer may fit your bill. But if you want counsel in addition to coverage, you must allow your agency to respectively share their insights. Are You Demanding? Of course you are--just ask any of your employees. A great brand holds its agency to the same high (yet achievable goals) it sets for itself. We want to be challenged. We want to be measured. You give us a great product, a collaborative partner and we will work tirelessly to not just achieve, but to surpass expectations. Like you, we are highly competitive – so hold us to high standards, work with us as a true partner, give us the time and energy to succeed and celebrate our collective achievements. What Makes a Good Partnership Great? We love when clients ask how they can be great partners, because it immediately demonstrates that they see an agency as more than a vendor. But like any great partnership, this one requires open and honest communication and a shared vision for success. Believe us, it is incredible to "grow" with a brand, to witness double digit sales increases, to receive countless sale offers and, yes, to score that frameable story that sits in the reception area. Lisa Robinson is a PR veteran and has worked for some of the largest agencies in the industry. She and her partner founded Crafted to pursue their entrepreneurial dream and to follow their passion of working with healthy brands.

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10 Questions Brands Should Ask Themselves Before Hiring a PR Firm

Guest post by Lisa Robinson of Crafted Communications.

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