No one wants to pay $5,000 to $10,000 (or more) a month for zero results. And yet, this is the dilemma founders face when hiring a PR company to get them earned media. The uncertainty sucks, so are there any PR companies that guarantee results?
Maybe this will surprise you, but as a PR guy, I’ll do it. But before you email me, do you actually want it?
PR (public relations) is exactly what it sounds like—the job is to build relationships with the public. A PR person can’t force people to build a relationship with you just like you couldn’t force the popular kids at school to like you. And this uncertainty is what makes the job difficult.
Getting earned media isn’t a product you buy off a shelf.
You can’t buy placement in a reputable publication in the same way you buy a newspaper at a Hudson News in the airport. Just like personal relationships, a PR person can put in the time, have the most brilliant strategy, and still get ignored.
Making this field more confusing, some PR companies make wild earned media claims. They’ll claim they have magical “relationships,” the implication being journalists will somehow write whatever they request. (lol) Others promise earned media coverage for a flat fee, actually showing a “menu” of sorts.
What’s going on?
Relationships: Pre-built trust between a PR person and a journalist can help, but many PR folks don’t have a relationship—they have a database. You could probably build something similar these days using AI.
Promises: Other PR folks will make coverage guarantees and even name publications with specific prices. They’ll even let you edit your own article! But this isn’t actual coverage, it’s a paid advertising program, often called advertorial. There are other PR folks that pay journalists under the table for coverage too—obviously unethical, and risky.
The pay for result problem
The core problem with paying for specific wins, is a matter of time. You can’t force people to care about you, it takes time. And with this comes risk. So, who takes on that risk? This is the real question.
For arguments-sake, let’s say you want the PR company to bear the risk. That poses a few challenges for the PR person.
💡 Why does PR take so much time?
Challenge 1: Zero Autonomy
As a PR person I can make recommendations and execute on strategies, but my effectiveness is throttled. Setting aside external variables, like journalist interest or timelines, founders can no-show meetings, decline story angles, withhold information, and choose to not listen to my advice. If you were a PR person, would you take responsibility for a strategy you can’t control?
Challenge 2: Delays On Deliverables
It’s common for a client to get results after a contract has ended. Journalists don’t care about contracts, they care about their timelines and news cycle. Stories can show up months to years after a PR contract ends. One client got in TIME Magazine 2 years after their contract ended with me and in a Mr. Beast video more than 4 years after. And I had a paper trail to prove it was my work. Do you want an invoice appearing a few years later?
Challenge 3: Relationships are weird
When was the last time you built relationships in a calculated controlled way? Probably never. As PR folks constantly research angles and opportunities to grow your brand, unexpected opportunities often present themselves. If a PR person is somehow paid by pre-determined results, how would this be qualified and quantified? For me, failed pitches often turn into something later. Or smaller trade journal wins can be ready by journalists at larger publications and turn into bigger wins. How would they charge a client?
Challenge 4: Prep work
Great PR and comms people have a deeper strategy focused on discovering developing a strategy to earn trust from your audience—not getting your name on a page. For PR to be effective, messaging matters. Have you ever wondered why some people you interact with “get it” and others don’t? Great PR folks refine your messaging, and make sure your target audience immediately connect with it. That’s a lot of work. If you were a PR person, would you want to do all the foundational work for free?
What guaranteed results would look like
If I were to work with a client on guaranteed results, I’d want some kind of payoff for the risk I incur. That would look like specific targets, mandatory client requirements, and maybe even equity. Those also come with challenges.
Target List: If I worked on pay-for-play, that would likely require a pre-build target list. For example, The Wall Street Journal might come with a $100,000 price tag for a feature, and $50,000 for a mention.
Client requirements: If I worked on a pay-for-play model, I’d hold my client to contractual obligations such as mandatory 1 hour response times and performance requirements. If they fail these requirements, I’d likely have paid penalties.
3 year terms: If I worked on pay-for-play model, I’d bill my clients for earned media wins even after we weren’t working together. Some articles can take years to “land,” so I’d ensure I get paid even if I wasn’t actively working for the client.
Skip branding / messaging: If I worked on a pay-for-play model, I’d forgo the foundational work that otherwise would be of long term benefit to the client. I’d pitch off-brand stories and work with journalists to get clicks to get paid. I’d not concern myself with long term ROI.
Non Disclosure: If I worked on a pay-for-play model, I’d require my client to sign an NDA preventing them from disclosing any work together. I wouldn’t want to be publicly tied to their inevitable brand dilution.
Work whenever: If I worked on a pay-for-play model, I’d wait on big publications and wait on high-paying opportunities. I’d probably only work a few hours a month and give up and wait when those opportunities closed.
Price tags: If I worked on a pay-for-play model, I’d price my services by looking at going ad rates. The WSJ charges something like $250,000 for a paid ad. Because ads have lower impact, I’d probably charge $500,000 for an earned media win, especially because it permanently boosts your brand trust.
If this arrangement is of interest, give me a call—it would be easy money and little work. But if you have concerns, I don’t blame you.
Judging PR effectiveness
How should you, as a founder, judge PR effectiveness? Looks past tactical wins like “get my company in The Wall Street Journal.” Be wary of companies who promise concrete tactical wins. There’s a reason they’re focused on tactics that don’t deliver ROI.
Instead judge PR effectiveness in terms of ROI. Utilize your PR person as a long term strategic ally. Great PR people will appreciate ROI discussions, because they know clients who think in these terms are more effective partners and easier to work with.
