When hiring a PR firm, there’s no short cut past setting realistic expectations
Posted by Joseph Thornley on May 5th, 2008
The road is littered with disappointed clients and fired communications agencies. One of the primary reasons for this is a failure to establish clear and realistic expectations at the outset.
It’s hard for a company to look a proffered contract in the face and say, “Hold on. Let’s be sure that your expectations are reasonable before we start.” But it’s absolutely essential. And the companies that have the courage to insist on this step will only help themselves in the long run.
This was driven home during Mike McDerment ’s and Saul Colt ’s appearance at Third Tuesday Toronto .
McDerment says of Freshbook ’s first use of a PR agency. “We cut it off after four months. Because nothing happened.”
Picking up on this Saul Colt suggests, “We had different expectations than some of the PR companies we have worked with. We have the greatest story in the world. So we can’t understand why we can’t get coverage in some really desirable places. … PR companies should sit down and say, ‘hey, you’re about to sign a contract and we just want to let you know that you’re not going to be [in all the places you want.’”
Good advice from clients who have seen the wrong side of disappointed expectations.
Other clips with Freshbooks’ Michael McDerment and Saul Colt :
A Fresh(books) approach to social media by Dave Fleet
Your next great business idea may be staring you in the face
Freshbooks: Don’t talk about the product. Talk about what it means to people
Freshbook Execs listen and respond to customers
Online media deliver results. But traditional media still add legitimacy
May 6th, 2008 » 8:25 am
Yet, having consistently done precisely what Saul suggests .. and in no uncertain terms at that … I’m constantly dumbfounded by clients who still continue to expect that their story should be on Quebec’s top rated talk show ‘Tout le monde en parle’ and on the front page of every daily. Yes, we need to manage expectations in clear terms. At the same time, we live in a society where Paris Hilton grabs headlines. For our clients, whose products or projects are at the centre of their own universes, what more can be done? As PR professionals and consultants, we have to find a way to make clients understand that building notoriety and credibility is a steady process that takes time.
I once ran a campaign that got my client’s partners visibility on a national level, included TV coverage, the full front page of the Montreal Gazette business section, coverage in 3 of the 4 major Montreal dailies etc etc. Believe it or not they complained there were TOO MANY journalists at the press conference.
Sometimes you just can’t win.
May 9th, 2008 » 2:13 am
It’s a fine line to tread. Give the client a reality check to remind them how small they are in the grand scheme of things, but keep them hopeful of getting good results. Then if something fantastic happens, remind them that it’s not just because they are special, it’s because of your hard work and expertise. This is art of PR consultancy.
June 2nd, 2010 » 9:11 am
[...] The Expectations Game Pro PR The client-agency relationship is something that Joe Thornley spends more time on than other PR bloggers, and I was especially interested in this post. Often times, miscommunication begins immediately between firm and client, setting the relationship up for failure. He stresses the importance of setting clear expectations for both sides. “It’s hard for a company to look a proffered contract in the face and say, “Hold on. Let’s be sure that your expectations are reasonable before we start.” But it’s absolutely essential. And the companies that have the courage to insist on this step will only help themselves in the long run.” Louis Vuitton and “BrandJacking” Web Strategy by Jeremiah In an issue that popped up in a few different places, high-end luggage and handbag maker Louis Vuitton is suing the maker of an anti-genocide t-shirt that used an image of the brand’s popular monogrammed handbags. Jeremiah Owyang has an excellent roundup of the issue, including his own thoughts on the positions of the two sides. “Here’s my take, from what I can tell, Louis Vuitton (and the dog) have nothing to do with Darfur, and their brand is being dragged through the African mud. Their response is pretty standard and expected, to protect the image and brand that they’ve been working to build. I’m sympathetic to them getting brand jacked, as they’ve not done anything to occur this unwanted attention.” MySpace Snobbery? Social Media Explorer To denigrate MySpace as played out is the standard among PR-oriented social networkers, but Jason Falls has a pretty good defense for the much-maligned network. He points out that while “inside the bubble” has forgotten about it and moved on to greener pastures, it is still the number one network in terms of popularity, and shouldn’t be ignored. “Ignore MySpace because of its gaudiness and free expression and, “that is soooo 2006,” if you like, but ignore it at your own peril. That’s where the majority of the world is and will be for the foreseeable future. MySpace is gobbling up content deals with mobile networks, continually expanding their offerings to engage their users and, like them or not, they’ve got Newcorp’s pocketbook.” You Scratch My Back… PR Princess I honestly can’t believe there aren’t more versions of this site. Claire at PR Princess highlights “Help a Reporter Out,” a service which lets reporters enter queries for story sources, expert interviews, and other resources. It’s an excellent idea that could benefit both reporters and public relations pros do their respective jobs more effectively. “I would love to see a reverse system start, kind of a story ideas repository that reporters could subscribe to and have queries that match their needs emailed to them. Anyhow, I’ve answered a few of Shankman’s queries and have had no luck so far, but he reports that many of my colleagues have, so that’s encouraging.” [...]