Public relations is an integral part of any brand's communication strategy. When a brand is choosing someone to use for their PR services, they can go in one of two directions: in-house or agency PR. It's important to know the different benefits, procedures and more. This article has it all!
In-house PR is when a brand has an internal team of public relations professionals that handles the necessary PR tasks on behalf of the entity. They are permanent employees of the organisation.
A PR agency is a large team of PR professionals that form a separate organisation. Agency PR involves outsourcing tasks like writing press releases and communicating with the media to this agency. In other words, PR expenses are paid externally, not internally.
PR agencies collectively have a wide variety of skills, and each employee specialises in the tasks they complete.
But when do you consider one of these approaches over the other?
media update’s Joreke Kleynhans explains the key differences between in-house and agency PR, so you can make an informed decision.
Skills and Specialisation
PR agencies usually consist of a larger group of professionals who all have the same basic skills and education. This leaves plenty of room for specialisation because there are enough people in a team to have each one focus on a particular area.
Having PRs specialise in various areas won’t narrow down the team's potential but rather increase its overall capabilities.
However, a PR agency won't necessarily be very in tune with the inner workings of a brand and cannot realistically be expected to always be on hand and immediately prioritise any specific brand.
An in-house team, on the other hand, may be more informed about the brand’s products, services and overall functioning. This is especially helpful for brands with intricate communication needs that have lots to address. They are also more readily available to have meetings, change plans, or discuss issues on short notice because the brand is their sole priority.
However, in-house PR teams mostly consist of just a few people. This can limit the team's ability to perform a large variety of tasks effectively and will require the brand to prioritise certain tasks — for example, focusing on press releases.
Resources
Agencies generally have more resources to spend, financially and otherwise. They have the funds to subscribe to useful databases, PR tools and analytics platforms, and use them to benefit multiple clients, significantly reducing the cost-per-use.
They are also able to pool together all of their connections to form a large network with media professionals, influencers and other people who can contribute to their success. Overall, agencies can be expected to have more tools and resources at their disposal to further your PR cause.
Contrastingly, in-house PR teams usually have more limited resources. Organisations that are focussed on something other than PR understandably have a smaller budget allocated towards PR tools. They are, however, equipped with readily available information and internal data, removing a few steps from the process whenever they complete tasks.
They also have open lines of communication with other departments or higher-ups in their organisation, making collaboration easier and taking a more personal approach to PR.
Cost
Hiring a PR agency often allows more flexibility when it comes to pricing. Some agencies are more costly to hire but provide a higher return on investment (ROI) because of how diversified their resources usually are.
On the other hand, PR agencies sometimes make smaller packages with limited services available at a lower cost. This way, a brand can match a service package to their budget, which can sometimes work out less expensive than hiring a full-time employee.
Hiring an in-house team or PR professional can also cost less than a large-scale agreement with an agency on a month-to-month basis. Their cost to the organisation will depend on the industry standard and location. The brand also has full control over the size of the team, tools and databases used and other cost-determining factors.
Depending on the level of output you require to meet your PR goals, you'll be able to determine whether in-house or agency PR will provide you with the biggest ROI. If your brand requires a low PR-related output, an employee who will have a lot of free time on the clock (and thus on your books) might not produce as high of an ROI as investing in a smaller package with an agency.
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Staying relevant as a brand requires the occasional glow-up. If you’re interested in a rebrand, read our article on The Role of PR in Successful Rebranding.
*Image courtesy of Canva