In-house PR vs. PR agency What Is the Distinction? 6 Steps of Public Relations Agencies or Firms

When you work for an agency, you are a fee earner. You're a revenue-generating machine. By extension, you remain a valuable, revenue-generating asset to any PR firm you work with. Sure, you may receive a somewhat lesser salary than your in-house peers, and yes, the demands are fundamentally different – but so is the learning curve, and the basic reality remains that you are selling your services the whole time you are agency-side. You're still a hired gun. As a result, you aren't regarded as an expense, or as a costly overhead, by the company or team you work for, whether this is true or not.

This, in my opinion, has major consequences for the clarity and objectivity of your advice and guidance, as well as your status and perceived worth inside a client's organization.

So, with all cards on the table, I have a natural propensity to constantly fight the PR agency' or public relations corner. But the fact is that for many business development teams and their organizations, it isn't always that easy. And, in fact, there are many instances when creating and expanding an in-house team might help a growing or established company better prepare for the future.

With that in mind, I believe it is past time for someone on the agency side to be big enough and brave enough to put the two options side by side for consideration – to compare and contrast some of the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches – because, as with most things in life, these things are never black-and-white. So, without further ado, let's get started —

An in-house PR public relations agency team

An effective in-house public relations staff is a genuine force to be reckoned with. At their finest, they're commercially driven, relentless, and clinical in their campaign planning – with an ear, or sometimes a seat, at the Boardroom table, and a clear and unshakeable grasp not just of the company's commercial strategy, but also of all the important people who make it work.

An efficient in-house PR staff knows the inner workings of the company like no other department, has unparalleled access to everyone from the shop floor to the CEO and has an intuitive grasp of the products and services on offer – and how to best position and put them in the market. The most effective in-house PR teams run the show like a fast-paced newsroom, with rolling KPIs and campaign analytics and an unrivaled grasp of the media with whom the firm should be interacting.

A single individual, who will be virtually continuously online, will be able to sway the Board of Directors and will shadow, push, and coax younger salespeople into thinking more dynamically about lead generation, reputation development, and influence will be at the core of this team.

Without a question, and in–house PR staff with expertise, resources, and incentives is a formidable force to be reckoned with. They know what they're doing, and everyone who gets in their way, even brand and marketing professionals, is doomed.

5 advantages of having a PR department in-house

1) Unparalleled commercial expertise. Learn everything there is to know about one company.

2) Extensive vertical sector experience and expertise

3) Committed to the business and the brand full-time and entirely.

4) Commands the trust of the whole organization, from the Board of Directors to the shop floor.

5) A lot of face time with the sales and business development teams in person.

5 flaws in in-house public relations Firms

1) Setting up and managing the proper team is costly and time-consuming.

2) Commercial bias due to a lack of awareness into what rivals are doing in the market.

3) It's more difficult to question commercial decisions since the team is rapidly regarded as an expensive expense.

4) May become entangled in broader internal politics, detracting from important aims

5) Internal weariness in campaigns can occur fast due to a lack of market context.

A public relations agencies approach

A PR agency or agency public relations can provide results when it works – and when a campaign is truly soaring.

Senior business development and marketing teams who recognize this employ PR agencies that are hungry, focused, and have a clear and proven commercial and creative drive, ensuring that the campaigns they design deliver consistently. Indeed, there's a lot to be said for the degree of results you can get when you hire a public relations agency to work on a truly strong and engaging PR brief that strikes the perfect mix of carrot and stick.

Any reputable agency will recognize and appreciate all of this, and will actively seek out customers that share these values. These customers will realize that this is a partnership, not a supplier-purchaser relationship and that the investment made involves not just the retained fee structure, but also, maybe more significantly, a regular time commitment to the cause.

To put it another way, an agency's public relations works best when it is given the proper quantity of ammo - or knowledge and insight - to create strong, clear, and captivating material that draws the target audience's attention across various platforms.

However, reality frequently falls short. There are over 350 PR companies in the UK alone that generate comfortable six-figure client billings, and with so much variety, choosing the right agency with the appropriate strategy might be more difficult than you think. What's the bottom line? It takes time for both parties to invest in an agency public relations partnership. It's as much about cultural fit as it is about skill set overlap. And, in order to locate the appropriate agency, you may need to be willing to try on one or two various agencies before settling on the correct one. When you do, though, you can rest confident that your perseverance will pay off tenfold in terms of campaign outcomes, pre-qualified sales, and lead generation.

5 advantages of working with PR agencies

1) You'll have access to senior thinking and talent that's above and above what you'd be able to employ in-house.

2) Easy to set up and get started - without the HR department, you may see results in days.

3) There are clear advantages to having a broader commercial acumen and focus, which adds perspective to a campaign.

4) Economical, with fee arrangements that considerably reduce the expenses of internal appointments.

5) When there isn't an internal political goal, communications and storytelling are more powerful and contextualized.

5 flaws in public relations firms

1) A public relations effort is only as good as the information it receives...

2) To stay time-efficient, the greatest agency public relations campaigns require excellent internal management.

3) A public relations firm will require frequent communication, management, and, preferably, in-person team time.

4) Without management, a mismatch between perceived value and results might arise.

5) A senior agency team may have a tendency to win your business and then vanish.

If you want to learn more about how to better handle the connection between PR agencies and in-house teams, check out our previous blog entries.

6 Steps to Getting the Most Out of Your PR Firms

We are no longer in the 1990s. It was customary back then to hire an advertising firm to promote all of your company's advantages.

You'd give them some money every month before sitting back and watching their creative and media purchasing teams at work.

The world has changed. We no longer live in a world where communication is one-way; instead, clients, prospects, and colleagues are constantly challenging your assumptions. Every single time.

So, how can you make sure that the agency public relations you employ is working as hard and as efficiently as possible?

Here are some ideas to keep your public relations firm active.

1. Establish effective communication channels.

Any effective collaboration relies on clear communication between you and your agency. When dealing with the media and third parties, you need to know the individuals who will be representing you and your firm – and they need to know you.

Meet your account team and go through their responsibilities and tasks. For each component of the campaign, know who to contact and collaborate with.

Take a step back and repeat the process for your organization. You must clarify who will be the initial point of contact and verify that your agency is aware of their identity.

It's difficult for a single individual to keep up with everything that goes on in their firm on a daily basis, especially if it's a huge one. The good news is that no one expects you to succeed!

Create an internal procedure that allows your company representative to exchange information with your sales, business development, and product teams. It may be difficult to persuade the teams at first, but once the procedure is in place, the benefits will be obvious.

2. Give your corporate representative the authority to make choices.

Nothing is more frustrating than a corporate representative who is incapable of making judgments. Perhaps having no communication line at all is worse, but this is a close second.

Whoever you choose to be your company's initial point of contact must be allowed to make choices and approve tasks. They must be knowledgeable of the company's objectives, aspirations, and problems. They must also be willing to take on the role of brand ambassador for the firm.

3. Set aside time to go over your press releases and marketing materials.

Consider your public relations firm as a consultant. They know how to make your clients fall in love with you and how to obtain the proper media attention. They are familiar with communication methods that will benefit you. They also know the individuals in the business with whom you should be conversing. What they don't know are the day-to-day workings of your firm, including the processes and internal politics.

You'll need to work with your agency to explain your company's details and choose the key messages you'll be sending out to the public.

Next, schedule time to go over the material that your company is creating. They have excellent written communication skills and can tell a captivating narrative. If you leave these communications sit in your inbox for too long, they will lose their value.

When you have high sales objectives to meet and are under constant time constraints, it's easy to overlook these duties. It's also easy to ignore the relationship between successful media interaction and the growth of new business.

That relationship, though, is substantial; don't disregard it. Your public relations firm is an excellent instrument for generating new business, and they may assist you in meeting your sales goals.