How to appoint a PR firm

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:How to Appoint and Manage the Right PR FirmAugust 27, 2012

Introductions Morgan McLintic Syreeta Mussante EVP Vice President 2

Why is this important? Reputation drives sales, recruitment and valuation Significant spend Requires senior time 3

Should you appoint an agency? In-house Agency Niche Broad Highly complex Rapidly developing industries industries Narrow audiences Wide audiences 4

When should you pull the trigger? 5

How to appoint an agency • What business outcomes are you looking for? Develop a brief • Background to the company and situation • Requirements and selection process, budgets, timelines • Range of sizes Interview 5-7 • Recommendations from contacts, VCs and research agencies • Ideally visit in-person 30-60 days Brief 3 shortlisted • Hour long sessions to explore the brief agencies • Expect and encourage follow up Q&A Pitch with senior • 90-minute presentation, 30-minutes for Q&A management • Ensure all decision-makers are in attendance Decision, contracts, • Allow time for contract Ts & Cs kick-off 6

What should you look for? Domain expertise and relevant track record Creativity Chemistry Range of services Price Ability to scale Professionalism 7

What questions should you ask? Who is my primary contact? Is this the team? Where have you done this before? How many clients do you work on? How much time will you spend? Do you work on retainer? Do you mark up costs? How do I measure outcomes? 8

Mistakes companies make Having no process / • Changes to timeframe, decision-makers, shortlist, disrupting the budget process Too aggressive • Looks disorganized, don’t get best thinking a timeframe The brief • No consensus beforehand, situation changes changes Budget / expectation • Not a good basis for partnership, lacks focus mismatch 9

How to manage the PR firm Be a team Execute on your business Don’t be a jerk plan Give feedback Be clear and – say thanks consistent Know your Accept business and counsel industry Commit to Be available actions 10

Thank you 11

How to appoint a PR firm

by Morgan McLintic on Aug 31, 2012

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