PR consultant

When you think of PR companies you tend to think of the larger PR firms that are available to you. But one source that you might be overlooking is the PR consultant. Sure they don't have the staff that a large PR firm has, but they can be just as determined, focused and dedicated to the task at hand. In fact a PR consultant is hired to do the same thing as a PR firm except sometimes it is better to hire a PR consultant rather than a PR firm. In fact hiring a PR consultant has one huge benefit that a larger firm cannot offer; you always get to talk to the same person, which means that you usually end up getting more personalized service. But no matter if you are hiring a PR firm or if you are hiring a PR consultant it can be a daunting task so you will need to take certain things into consideration before you make that final decision.

Here are some tips to keep in mind before you decide on which PR consultant to hire for your companies needs.

Tip one:
The size of the firm does not matter. Many people tend to think that the bigger the firm is that the PR consultant works for the better the services and things they are going to have to offer you and your business. But in truth this is not always true, sure some big name companies might be able to offer you more than some other smaller companies, but some smaller companies can also offer you better service than the bigger companies. In fact it has been proven that a PR consultant running their own business can have the same amount of contact in the media that a larger company has. This means that the PR consultant is just as capable as getting your message out to the public as an agency. Also a smaller firm can give you more personal attention and focus more on your campaign than a larger firm. So rather than making a decision based on the size of the firm you want to make one based on the most experienced, smartest and most knowledgeable.

Tip two:
The PR consultant is always going to be working for you, keep in mind that you are the one paying the PR consultant not them paying you. So in this case you want to make sure that they are always available when you need them. This comes down to the fact that they can not expect you to only need them from nine to five during the work week, so they need to be available for you seven days a week and at all hours of the day. The chances are good that your larger firms are not going to be able to offer you that kind of service, but you never do know so you want to shop around until you can find a PR consultant that can offer you the arrangement that you need.

Tip three:
When looking at large PR firms you need to beware of the fact that many times they will introduce you to one of the top PR consultants in the firm. This person is full of creative ideas and has been through it all. This is done to convince you to sign up with the larger firm rather than go with a PR consultant somewhere else. What you need to watch for is that once you have agreed to work with the firm they might just assign a junior PR consultant to work on your campaign. The junior consultant can be just as good, but you signed on thinking somebody else was going to be working for you. This is known as the bait and switch approach and unfortunately it is quite common so beware.

Tip four:
Does the firm that you are thinking about hiring for your needs fit in with your company. When looking at companies you want to make sure that the PR consultant that you are thinking about hiring outlines a possible PR plan for your business while you are interviewing them. But you also want to watch and see if they listen to your comments and suggestions during the initial meeting. When hiring a PR consultant you want to make sure that they have good listening skills, but you also want to make sure that they understand how the media works and are familiar with your specific industry. If the PR consultant you are thinking about hiring doesn't listen to what you have to say or is quick to brush off your thoughts and opinions or doesn't respond to what your company needs then you should look elsewhere for the perfect PR consultant.

Tip five:
The one thing that many PR consultants and agencies do when launching a new PR campaign is the send out a handful of press releases to the media. Once they have sent the press releases out they simply sit back and wait to see if the media is going to call them back in regards to the press releases that they have sent out. And while this is considered normal operating procedure for PR consultants this is something that should not be done because of the fact that it just doesn't seem to work out very well. When hiring a PR consultant to launch a successful PR campaign for you they need to have follow up with the media. This follow up is important because it ensures that the media contacts that they have received the release and it also ensures that the contacts are prepared to cover the story. Not to mention that this follow up call is essential to the success of your PR campaign because it makes all the difference between no coverage and major coverage.

Tip six:
When you interview the PR consultant they should come prepared for the interview. What this means is that they should come with a huge portfolio of things that they have accomplished, but most importantly they should have the press clippings from other PR campaigns that they have worked on in their portfolio. If they don't have any type of portfolio or it is really thin then you might want to start thinking about looking elsewhere because something could be wrong. The reason for this is that PR consultants love to show off the work that they have accomplished, this would be considered bragging rights. But it could also mean that the person just started out in the PR industry and hasn't had time to establish themselves yet. In most cases you should go with the person who has the biggest portfolio, but you also need to trust your gut instincts because that new person on the block might have a few tricks up their sleeves that you will miss out on.

Tip seven:
You want to be in constant communication with your PR consultant. This doesn't mean you have to talk to the PR consultant everyday or even two or three times a day. But you are going to want to have a PR consultant that is willing to provide you with regular updates. In these updates they are going to need to tell you who they have spoken with and what the results of that conversation was. This is important because it gives you the feedback that you need from your PR consultant so that you can make any adjustments that are needed as soon as possible so that your PR campaign is a success rather than a failure. The ideal time frame is to hold meetings at least once a week, but you can get away with holding monthly progress meetings and still have a successful PR campaign.

Tip eight:
Your PR consultant should be full of passion about the ideas that they are pitching to you. In fact any good PR consultant is going to be able to simply pick up the telephone and then pitch your story to any media source available. By having this type of passion you can rest assured that your PR consultant is going to be able to go out there are spread the word about what your company is offering in terms of products or services.

You want to make sure that you ask yourself if you want this PR consultant to be representing your company; this is where your gut instincts are going to kick in. The answer you give to that question is going to help you decide on whom to hire. What you are basically looking for is hiring the most professional, creative and enthusiastic PR consultant for your needs. This is going to enable you to find a PR consultant that is going to be able to get you the media exposure that you want for your company, but also the type of exposure that your company deserves.