When I first started my small fintech company I really wanted to get a PR company on board to help us create a brand and penetrate this competitive market. Sadly, and owing to my own inexperience, we hired the wrong people for the job, and it ended up losing us more money than we made as a result. I wasn’t put off hiring a PR firm, I just knew that I had to hire better, and that was how I ended up working with the brilliant team at Interdependence PR. To get the right team, I have learned that you have to know what to expect and if you are looking for a PR firm for your business, here is the very least that you should be looking for. 

Understanding the Market 

Whilst the general structure around what a PR company can do is the same no matter which industry or sector they are operating in, the language and the methods by which to deliver is very different. For example you can’t speak to a construction marketplace in the same way that you deliver messages to a tech marketplace, and it is up to the PR company to know how to package and communicate your message to your particular sector. 

Total Transparency 

We met with a number of companies just before we hired the team at Interdependence and something which continuously annoyed me was the lack of detail which so many of those companies would go into when it came to discussing strategy. Naturally this is mainly their concern, in terms of how they are going to deliver results, but as a paying customer you should be brought in on the specifics of how they are going to get those results, and how they plan to spend your money! 

Customer Service

There was something else which annoyed me during my meeting with various PR companies and that was that they had an air about them which suggested that I needed them more than they required my business. Whether this is true or not, you should never get a sense of this from the PR team who you are meeting with, after all you are their paying customer and as such you deserve to be met with quality customer service. 

Creativity 

If you are trying to make waves in your marketplace then the last thing you need is a PR company who are going to use the same old tried and trusted methods as always. The entire point of hiring a PR firm is that they will be vibrant and creative, bringing new ideas into play which can help you to reach your goals. You need to feel this from the PR team with whom you are meeting, a real energy about what they can bring to your business. If you don’t feel this, then they may not be the team for you. 

Choose wisely and spend time on the decision to get the right result.