Houston Public Relations Firm Holds Question and Answer forum; Answers Top Six PR Questions Small Business Owners Ask

Houston public relations firm, Bayou City Public Relations recently held a Q&A session with small company owners curious about the benefit of PR for their businesses. Here are the top six questions small business owners asked.

QUESTION:
Do the media really want to cover stories about smaller companies? Aren’t they more interested in big Fortune 500 companies?

ANSWER:
Journalists love to cover successful, dynamic small companies. Small business growth is the fastest-growing sector of today’s business economy. More and more people are quitting their big corporate jobs to strike out on their own, and their courageous achievements make exciting material for business journalists. Big companies suffer from a tarnished image in today’s world. There is a huge demand for stories about the little guy who works hard and comes out on top. There is just as much room in the news for great small companies as there is for great big companies.

QUESTION:
What is the best strategy a small company can use to hire a PR firm? Hire a big-name ‘Top 100’ firm with a national reputation – or a boutique-size shop with a proven track record?

ANSWER
Good PR is good PR, but business is still business. Even a $15 or $20 million company cannot expect to receive the same attention and resources from a mega-PR firm as huge corporate clients do. If a Fortune 500 company spends $500,000 to $1 million a year for PR services and a much smaller company spends $50,000 – who will get the most attention.

Reputable, small PR shops typically put highly experienced pros – most likely, the owners themselves – to work for their clients. These are often the same people who learned the ropes earlier in their careers as employees of those big-name PR firms.

Owners of smaller PR firms are highly motivated and accessible to their clients. They are quick to work nights and weekends, if the need arises. They are in a position to provide on-the-dime turnaround time big PR firms simply can’t supply. Small firms have low overhead. They don’t office in glass skyscrapers furnished with mahogany conference tables. And most important, their owners provide the same, or better, array of media services as the mega-size firms. When it comes to generating positive news coverage, small companies are wise to consider solid experience more than size.

QUESTION:
When hiring a Houston public relations firm – what questions should small company owners ask?

ANSWER:
Ask the hard questions.

Do the firm and its consultants have a demonstrated track record of getting positive media coverage for clients?

What is the experience level of the consultan who will work with my company?

Has the PR consultant made a lot of promises that seem almost too good to be true?

Does the PR consultant have sound, professional writing skills?

Has the PR consultant ever worked as a reporter or an editor before going into PR?

How will the consultant communicate with me, and how often? Is the consultant willing to work off-hours when an emergency PR opportunity arises?

How will the consultant communicate with the media – with targeted communiqués or standard cookie-cutter news releases?

Can the consultant furnish references from other satisfied clients?

Finally, ask yourself: Can I trust this PR firm with my business and my reputation?


QUESTION:
What important tactic do PR pros use to help small companies get good media coverage?

ANSWER:
They tie a company’s message in with the news. Sometimes a successful, but ho-hum small company with little to differentiate itself from the competition can tie into hot current events that will turn a business owner into a quotable news source almost overnight. Case in point from Florida: A real estate broker was interviewed – all within the space of a week – for articles in USA Today, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The real estate broker’s secret was in the national headlines. Hurricanes were ravaging the state and the broker was in the forefront of her city’s effort to relocate storm victims. This set the client apart from the competition and made her company newsworthy.

QUESTION:
How many press releases should my company send out every year?

ANSWER:
It depends. Some business owners believe a press release is a magical document that can make their company famous and important – and the more press releases the better. But, if news is not positioned wisely, a company’s press release can end up in a reporter’s trashcan. PR pros often bypass the press release altogether and send personal letters and make phone calls to get a journalist’s attention.

QUESTION:
Can a PR firm “make” my business newsworthy even when there seems to be no news?

ANSWER:
Yes. There are many effective strategies a company can use to get positive media coverage – but they generally take time, planning and a budget. Some companies sponsor community events and conduct informative surveys. Others work hard to be first with an important service. Still others give valuable products away to charity and raise money for charity. All are venues for publicity.

GETTING HELP: For more information about the benefits positive PR strategies provide successful small companies, call Sharon Dotson at Houston public relations firm Bayou City Public Relations at (281) 859-9800 or visit www.bayoucitypr.com.

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