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The first quarter of 2024 was rich in knowledge-sharing meetings for Outset PR. We greatly expanded our workforce and focused our efforts on onboarding new teammates. It was during this period that inDrive, the world’s second-largest ridesharing and taxi app, approached us through strategic networking and invited us to speak at their indoor workshop for social media and influencer marketers.
Just imagine the magnitude of our excitement! In less than two years, we have grown to share our experience externally and empower the world’s biggest companies with practical tips to enhance PR processes and activities. Specifically, the guys at inDrive asked for our guidance in building effective collaborations with PR agencies and bridging the gap between creative and business thinking of their employees.
These two distinct requests fell under the professional kung-fu of Mike and Yana, who encapsulated their perspectives into a joint presentation. And now, after they successfully participated in the inDrive workshop in March and received a lot of positive feedback, we believe it’s time to share their insights firsthand.
For your convenience, we have split Mike and Yana’s speech into two separate articles, written in a very personal, first-person narrative. In part 1, Mike’s expertise offers a roadmap for businesses to elevate their specialist capabilities in establishing relationships with third-party PR agencies.
Well, you opted to work with a PR agency rather than doing PR in-house. This is a big step, and it's normal to feel a bit anxious about finding the right fit for your business. But don’t let your worry get on top of you. Instead, take a savvy approach and look at the task from an agency’s perspective.
That’s exactly why I’m here; to provide you with a chance to look behind the scenes and explore how the process of forming a PR offer is arranged from an agency’s side.
The tips I share as the founder of Outset PR will guide you through every stage of negotiations with any PR agency – from pinpointing your company’s PR objectives to agency selection to evaluating their offers and delivery. You will gain the necessary knowledge to assess the quality of unfolding partnerships and will be able to put it into practice to maximize the benefits of the engagement.
So, let’s roll and go straight to the heart of the matter!
This step is key to making sure everyone in your company is on the same page right from the start.
First and foremost, gather goals from all the departments involved in planning PR activities: marketing, PR, GTM, you name it. It’s important to bring everyone’s priorities to the table.
Once you have all these goals, document them and make sure there's a mutual agreement. Be specific. Outline details like:
PRO TIP ABOUT BUDGETS
Set your budget limits slightly below your actual budget. This gives you some wiggle room and maintains flexibility.
But let me just say that this tip isn’t just about talking budgets. It’s about planning ahead. PR campaigns may experience tweaks along the way, which often means extra costs. Thus, it's smart for clients to set aside part of their PR budget in advance to handle these adjustments smoothly and without hassle.
Having this clarity upfront helps prevent any misunderstandings down the line.
When it comes to selecting the right agency, there's a crucial point I always emphasize. It's easy to get swayed by those shiny, ideal case studies PR agencies present, but what truly matters is their ability to handle intricate, multifaceted projects. So, focus on agencies with experience in complex, combined campaigns.
Next, consider the motivation behind the agency's work.
PRO TIP ABOUT THE AGENCY’S MOTIVATION
There are typically three main types of motivation that may guide the agency in its efforts to address your business needs:
● Financial motivation is the least desirable. While every business needs to make money, an agency primarily driven by financial gain may not have your best interests at heart.
● On the other hand, reputational motivation is better. Agencies that seek to build their reputation understand that their success is tied to yours and they will go the extra mile to get you to your PR goals.
● The most desirable motivation is case-driven. This means the agency is committed to your campaign's success, and will probably put in extra creativity and dedication.
It’s a smart move to search among agencies that would appreciate your project as an important aspect of their success story. These are the ones hungry to prove their expertise and see your PR requests as a chance to showcase their skills.
This means they will be truly invested in your triumph because it translates into something important for their growth and reputation, too.
Finally, check out the agency’s connections with media, influencers, and independent journalists. A persuasive network is an essential part of the agency’s unique selling proposition (USP) and can really boost your message and get it to the right people. Good connections mean better coverage and a bigger impact for your campaign.
At this point, it’s crucial to understand if the agency is capable of finding that perfect balance between creativity and strategic thinking. At the end of the day, it's about seeing what kind of difference it can make and how that'll play out in achieving what you've set out to do.
PRO TIP ABOUT ASSESSING AGENCY PROPOSALS
Think of this task like evaluating your own business and approach agency proposals with a clear business mindset.
Don't just focus on what the agencies are offering but dig into the whys. That's where you'll see if their strategy aligns with your vision and has a real, tangible impact. Double check the numbers, metrics, and criteria that agencies are referring to and be certain that they match up with what you're aiming for. In this way, you will be able to paint a picture of how they're going to help you come out on top.
When evaluating any agency proposals, pay attention to how they differentiate between essential elements that drive results, including clear strategic objectives, targeted audience engagement, and measurable KPIs, and creative components that make the potential campaign a standout.
Ensure that everything in the proposal makes sense together. Each element should support the others, like pieces of a puzzle fitting perfectly.
If something seems redundant or out of place, don't hesitate to question it – efficiency is key. Discard any elements that are disguised to add value but aren't crucial to achieving your goals and do not contribute to the overall campaign strategy.
So, you’ve chosen the proposal you believe can hit the mark. Then, the question arises: how do you present the agency’s idea to your team leaders and top management so that it doesn’t lose its transformative effect?
Does the situation get heated? Put your anxiety aside, and when pitching options, put yourself in the shoes of the decision-makers you're presenting to.
Think about what they'd want to know, and make sure you clearly understand how your senior colleagues assess the quality of PR offers and what the success of PR campaigns means to them. This will help you explain why your choice matters.
Also, feel free to peel back the layers and really immerse your teammates into the proposed decisions and strategies; it's important to show that the agency has thought things through thoroughly and has a solid plan in place that aligns with your company’s goals.
And, of course, don't hesitate to pitch in your thoughts since your unique vision of how the campaign will unfold can really make a difference in the end. Never forget about your own wealth of expertise, which can back up your claim and make you sound convincing.
In his speech, Mike has already touched upon the importance of balancing strategic and creative thinking. Building on discussions from part 1, the next article in the ‘Outset PR at inDrive workshop’ series will delve into integrating creative PR concepts with the client’s business goals in PR campaigns.
Our Head of Content, Yana Zavyalova, shared her expertise on the matter and showed how Outset PR stands out by making sure our campaigns hit home and deliver real results. Stay tuned to catch Yana’s speech in part 2.