T. Wilkins
Interview
15
Equally often, though, I will turn someone away because some element of their business just isn’t quite in place for them to benefit fully from the expenditure, and I don’t want them to waste their money. Because I was a small business person for so long, I know how daunting and hard to rationalize those PR dollars can seem, so I try to let people know exactly where I think they stand, and precisely what I think they need to do to get to a point where it makes sense for them.
Our firm is pretty all encompassing, or can be, rather, which is why each proposal comes with a tiered pricing structure. The bottom line is that clients are paying for my time, and more services cost more! I find that a lot of companies, from the smallest to those you would never expect, have simply not done the basic branding work from which any success must stem. I try to help firms get a good sense of who they are, and what they offer that no one else does, because once that branding promise is formed, all other decisions become so easy to make.
To that end, we offer everything from straight PR, making use of our strong relationships with all the top editors to garner press, to marketing and branding, depending upon the needs, desires and budgets of each specific company. There is no one size fits all, contrary to how a lot of firms operate.
Q2. Most small business owners don't work with a publicist. How do you know it's time to hire one?
I think a lot of people who think they are ready for PR don’t quite have everything in place that will enable them to take full advantage of PR, and yet other people who may consider it to be a needless expense are exactly those that could benefit most. Once some core defining values of your business or product are truly and fully fleshed out, and your product or service is ready for prime time, then PR will enable you to take a leap to the next level that, while not impossible, will be very difficult to achieve without knowledgeable help and guidance. I think if you are even considering PR, then it’s worth exploring. The trouble is that there are all too many publicists who are more than willing to take any money you want to throw at them, without a clear cut criteria of the achievable value for you, the client.
It’s a tough business, to be honest, because it is almost impossible to quantify the amount of work being done on your behalf, unless, of course, you have a relationship with the editors and can actually ask them, which is a luxury that few have.
Cont'd on next page
Resources to know about...
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