Startup PR: Alternatives to a Standard Retainer
Startups and PR agencies have one major disconnect: How and when to pay.
When PR is new to your business (and every dollar spent is precious), it's logical to want to pay your PR agency based on results. If you earn coverage in X, then I will pay you Y, so on and so forth. But what you're paying for isn't just coverage—it's all the foundational work, planning, relationship building, and opportunity management that goes into that coverage.
If you don't have a huge budget for PR, here are some tips:
Start with a freelancer
If you're looking to get a little street cred for your brand, a freelancer can be a great option at a lower price point than an agency.
Freelancer Pros
When you work with a solo practitioner, you'll get a lot of attention for a much lower fee than a full agency partnership. Freelancers are typically experienced professionals and can get strong results without a massive financial investment.
Freelancer Cons
Freelancers are usually working on a shoestring budget themselves and often do not have access to more expensive tools or additional resources to get the work done, which can limit activity and overall results.
Hire an agency on a project basis
Most agencies operate on retainer schedules. This makes revenue more predictable and allows them to allocate the resources needed to any specific account. That said, many agencies will also consider project based work.
Project Based Pros
You hire the agency for a specific campaign with a specific set of goals, rather than an open-ended engagement with long-term support. This is a good way to 'try out' working with an agency before committing to a retainer.
Project Based Cons
PR is a long game, so while you may get a great bump out of a specific campaign, you'll want to consider how to keep the momentum going after the project ends. Additionally, project-based work is usually more expensive upfront than an ongoing retainer.
Avoid agencies offering coverage guarantees
This is actually how startups end up falling for PR scams that "guarantee" coverage in major outlets.
Coverage Guarantee Pros
You get an expensive advertorial that you could have purchased yourself (I know this is actually not a pro, but parallel structure beckons).
Coverage Guarantee Cons
No PR agency worth its salt will EVER do this. If they do, it's because they're paying for an advertorial and skimming the rest off the top. PR professionals do not have control over what, when, and how journalists choose to cover you.
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