Not sure if now is the right time to start PR? Unsure about whether to opt for Done for you (and hand over all your pitching!) or to go for DIY (and teach yourself how to do your own PR), let’s break down the options to help you make the right decision.
When is the right time to start PR?
Let’s start with the obvious question: is now the right time to do PR?
First of all, don’t think that you need to wait for certain business milestones before starting PR, such as earning enough money or being as successful as X, Y, and Z to start getting PR (such as having your own book, employing staff or hitting six figures).
Nothing is stopping you from putting yourself out there and seeking press opportunities from the very start of your business journey.
I’ve worked with a vast range of businesses, some making multiple 6 figures and others just starting out. Both have had great results. The best time to get PR for something is actually when it’s brand new, like a product launch or news story.
Obviously, we can’t learn everything at once, or invest all of our money on one thing when starting a business, but we absolutely do not need to wait for somebody to permit us to start getting media coverage.
However, logistically I do always encourage you having a few things in place.
These are things like having: your media bio; images (headshots, product photos, etc) and somewhere to link people to, either a clear website or social media page. These are non-negotiables and in most cases, having your website ready is preferable.
And then finally, there’s your budget and expectations to get in place. Remember that lead times for print are usually around 3-5 months, so work backward and plan this around anything you are working on or launching!
Advantages of done-for-you PR
Done for you PR is simply handing over your PR to an expert. They will take over managing your relationships with journalists, pitching you to the press, and securing your press coverage. This has lots of advantages, such as:
- It frees up your time to spend on other areas of your business.
- A PR can help you with new story ideas and writing your pitches.
- There are more contacts and opportunities available through PR and the systems they use; meaning you’ll likely make a bigger impact at a quicker rate.
With Done for You PR, it’s important to remember although you’ll save lots of time, there will still be certain time commitments. For example, a PR may line up podcast guest slots for you to attend or secure you a guest writing opportunity. If you have a particular area of expertise, it may be worth spending time in the beginning batch creating content that your PR can use on your behalf.
Advantages of DIY PR
DIY PR is when you take on your own PR, but you’ll usually need to do a little training first. This is a great option if the budget is tight, or if you want someone in your team to handle all your PR without having to liaise with an outside PR organisation. It has some real advantages, such as:
- It’s useful to know how to do it for the long term of running your business-unless you can afford many months of done for you PR support, you’ll need to learn it at some point!
- It will save you money.
- It can be kept within you and your team without working with an outside organisation.
With DIY PR, you can absolutely get results but you’ll need to carve consistent time into your week to get the best results for finding opportunities and pitching.You’ll need to make PR a priority for it work.
You could think about ways to work with a PR without investing in a one-to-one service, such as my membership or a press request subscription service. Again, this might be something you could train a team member to do.