By Darren Gilbert
If you don’t know, anything that you do can end up costing you more than you would initially have hoped for. Therein lies the danger of DIY PR. This is not to say that people shouldn’t do their own PR. Rebecca Cronje, director at
Cultivate Communications is the first to admit you can go ahead. However, you do need to be made aware of the realities of PR.
PR is about angles and understanding editorial
Even with a professional on board, PR takes a lot more time and effort than you’d think. It’s not simply about putting together a press release and sending it out. Instead, it’s about understanding angles and editorial.
Gabbi Rego of
CN&CO explains; “Most people who are in PR eat, sleep, and breathe PR. They think in editorial ideas and angles. They know what angles to pitch to what media, [and] how to pitch it.” In short, they know what works and what doesn’t.
Cronje agrees: “I’d caution anyone who is considering doing their own PR to question two things – do they understand what an angle is and can they write? If they can do these two things, they could get by doing some simple PR themselves.”
However, to ‘get by’ isn’t enough. Any company that wants to make an impact can’t do so by simply getting by. “PR is by no means an easy thing to do, and certainly not something that can or should be attempted half-heartedly,” adds Rego.
PR coverage is never guaranteed
As hard a pill as it is to swallow, PR is not guaranteed. In fact, you can do everything right and you’d still not get your name in the press. This isn’t necessarily a mistake on the part of the PR agency.
Actually, anyone who does guarantee PR coverage should be viewed with scepticism
says the team at Empire Media. “All too often, PRs are pressured into quoting a specific number of pieces and write-ups they can generate, when the only thing they can guarantee are pitches.”
“In the case of editorial, a journalist may decide at the 11
th hour not to run with your story,” adds Cronje. “This is not ideal but does happen, so it’s key to always investigate a range of different opportunities in case a few don’t come through.”
At the same time, there are instances where it can come down to your professionalism. Any PR worth their salt will know the requirements for each different form of media. For print, journalists need high res images to accompany their articles, while for online, they may need lower res.
“Not knowing those basics can make you a journo’s nightmare – which is not good for your reputation,” says Rego.
PR is neither cheap nor quick
Anyone who thinks that PR is cheap is speaking to the wrong people. This is not to say that PR isn’t affordable. However, you will eventually get what you paid for, so don’t cut any financial corners. If you do, ensure that it’s done on the back of solid advice.
“There are a lot of boutique PR agencies and freelancers in SA who are damn good at what they do, at rates that are a lot more affordable than the bigger agencies,” says Rego. “That said, as an SME or start-up, it isn’t fair to bargain with a PR agency to do your PR for free (over a long period).”
“It takes a lot of time to identify opportunities, produce content and share it, not to mention the foundation work that involves positioning and messaging and, of course, the tracking and measurement,” says Cronje. All this costs time and money.
Do you work in PR? Are they any other realities that you think client’s should know about but don’t? Tell us below.