Question

Topic: Student Questions

In-house Pr Or Agency

Posted by Anonymous on 6/13/2008 at 11:18 AM ET 125 Points
I am currently evaluating whether to hire a MarComm resource or use an Agency for our PR. The profile of the MarComm resources would be an ex-agency PR pro with 3 - 5 years experience in high-tech. We would also subscribe to a PR tool like Vocus to give them the industry constants, etc.

Cost is a constraint and I am expecting that the Agency route will be more expensive (quotes are ~$10k - $17k per month for journalist outreach and Press Releases). I would expect that an in-house MarComm person can do PR + blogging + case studies + whitepapers + online + Award submissions)

Thoughts?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by melissa.paulik on 6/13/2008 at 11:26 AM Accepted
    Graham,

    Even if you do go the agency route I would encourage you to have someone in house who is tasked to understand PR and some of the best practices. They don't need to be the expert but agencies do need to be managed and guided.

    If you would like I can put you in touch with the agency I used in my last role. Budget was a constraint so I used a small agency that could handle most of my PR needs for a much smaller monthly retainer. They worked well for me. I can't promise they'd work for you, but it might be worth a discussion.

    Finally, I am always in favor of outsourcing anything you can. With outsourcing specific marketing functions you get an expert that has exposure to lots of different situations because they work with many different clients. Internal PR people tend to become a bit complacent.

    Also, if the agency doesn't work out, it's a lot easier to replace an agency than it is an internal person.

    All the best!

    Melissa
  • Posted by J Geibel on 6/13/2008 at 2:45 PM Accepted
    There is a third option - a PR consultant who would be more experienced than a marcomm hire, yet less overhead than an agency. A consultant would also be able to provide unvarnished advisories to senior management - something you typically don't get with in-house staff - or agencies, for that matter.

    As your program matures and evolves - you can decide if it is more appropriate to have in-house staff, an agency or continue with your consultant. If you want to hire a staffer - chances are that your consultant could help you vet them for the requisite skills and talent level (very difficult to do unless you have PR domain knowledge yourself.)

    The $120k-$150k annual budget figure that is batted around above would get you some very significant consulting services (exclusive, perhaps, of NYC.)
  • Posted on 6/13/2008 at 5:40 PM Member
    Amen BARQ!

    My two cents here Graham... Choose the sharpest knife in the drawer and do not skimp on PR.

    The in-house person would have to be absolutely Ginsu sharp for me to go that route. Frankly, I would go the agency route. An agency is far more likely to always be on their game.

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