Must Read: “Hey, Startups: Don’t Hire A PR Agency”
Below is an excerpt of my new favorite article, written by Brant Cooper on Business Insider. It reminds me why we write press releases on an as-needed basis for a fraction of the $5K per month PR agencies charge for a retainer…
“Before you hire a PR agency or even consider PR, the first thing you need to understand is what you are trying to accomplish, what is your objective. Second, you should consider whether that objective is right for the stage of your business. If you are an early startup, pre Product-Market fit, or even pre “Sales and Marketing Roadmap,” you should not hire a PR firm.
“Hiring an agency is wrong, because, generally:
- You do not need press releases
- You do not need a campaign blitz of articles and press mentions
- Your PR firm does not know how to do your customer messaging or positioning for you
- Your PR firm should be no where near your social media
- Most PR firms will tell you need all of the above, that they are the experts and you aren’t, and will try to charge you a retainer of at least 5K/month”
