How to choose the best agency for you

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Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Welcome to Dauntless PR Unfiltered. And today we're going to be talking about what to look for in a PR agency. So if you know that a PR is something that you want, something that you need, here's how to find the agency that's the best fit for you, and that may or may not be Dauntless PR.

Speaker 1 0:22

I think one of the most important things to say at this point is it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. There's not one agency that is the best for everybody. Everybody has a different style that works better for them. They will might be different types of agencies that are a better fit. So the important thing is first and foremost to decide what matters to you and your business and what your priorities are. So have a think about what are the reasons you want in PR is a good question to ask. What are you hoping to achieve? Do you have a particular type of media coverage that you want to get? Is there a goal in mind? Once you work that out for yourself, then that's a good starting point for when you're approaching potential agencies to talk to them and find out whether or not that's something that they can help you with, or maybe they cover a different area. So getting clear in your own mind what you want is usually the first starting point to knowing if an agency is the right one for you.

Speaker 1:41

Completely. And what we do at Dauntless is we amplify the voices of coaches and other experts, speakers, authors to share positive messages that raise their credibility and authority. But that's not what everybody needs. Some people might need crisis communication PR first, some might need product PR, like if they don't want to be the face of the business. Like if that if that's not something that they're comfortable with being promoted as a personal brand, because it's not for everybody.

Speaker 1 2:18

Yeah, absolutely. So one thing I think is if you are somebody, so um, you know, we talk a lot about who we're right for, obviously, but who we're not right for is also relevant. So if you're if you have a business and you have no interest in appearing in the press yourself, you just want the name of the actual business and to go out there. Maybe it's a it might be a big brand that sells products, a big brand that um, say for example, you were a makeup brand and you wanted to sell more lipsticks, then doing the kind of PR we do for people wouldn't achieve that unless you yourself were wanting to build a brand as the founder, as the CEO, as the face behind it. But there is all sorts of different PR agencies. So someone in that particular um position, I would say look for PR agencies that represent, that specialise in beauty, that represent other brands that do that have that sort of industry experience, and that will be a good place to start. If you're somebody that is, Luana mentioned crisis communications, if the reason you're wanting PR is because you have taken a massive hit with your reputation, something negative has happened, you need to rally the troops and sort this mess out, then there are agencies that specialise in that type of um of good communication strategy. Doesn't mean that you can't be with an agency like Dortmund. We will help you if a crisis occurs while you're with us. But if that's your motivating factor for getting started, then you probably are better looking for someone who is a reputation expert.

Speaker 4:24

I was just about to mention that because you know, if we have clients and let's say they get backlash or something like that, we absolutely can help with that. But what you said then is key, Catherine, isn't it? That they, if that's their number one motivator, get that sorted first.

Speaker 1 4:44

Yeah. And a big thing, I think, is the values of what's important to you and what is that aligned with the agency. So a big thing for Dauntless is we are very clear that we only want to amplify people who are doing something positive in the world, that what you should want to be helping people in some way, that can be through a whole range of different things, but that you have something that you want to change the world for the better, and that's a core value for us. Um other agencies will have different priorities, perhaps, that may align with you. Maybe you're not interested in making the world a better place, maybe you just want to make as much money as possible. That's valid.

Speaker 5:40

No shade.

Speaker 1 5:41

Yeah, we wouldn't be the right agency for you. Um, so it isn't about, I think the key is it's not about who is better or worse, it's who's the fit for you.

Speaker 5:53

Who's the best fit? And we're very much for the people who want impact, want legacy media. Uh, we don't do any kind of fear-based messaging or negativity, like nothing that targets a person or a group of people. Um, nothing like we don't get involved in like legal disputes or any of that kind of stuff. Like what we do is share messages that can help people somehow, like that can create change. Like we see ourselves as setting off a massive ripple effect. You know, like when okay, I went for for quite a few years before I started Dauntless, I was going here, there, and everywhere because I had so many different things that I wanted to do, like different causes, different things, like everything seemed just as important to me. And then one day I just thought, do you know what? I I'm not the messenger, I'm the amplifier. So that's what we're here to do. You know, we're here to amplify all of your messages, and we've got our own message as well, but we want to raise yours for the like to really create a difference in the world.

Speaker 1 7:12

Yeah, absolutely. And I think a big key thing is get on a call with whoever is is doing calls at wherever you're looking into and see what the vibe is like. What are they interested in you? Would be a good question to ask. Are they interested in you and what you do? Do they seem to understand what it is that you do and what your goals are? So these are all things to be asking yourself. Um are they excited about the idea of putting you out into the world? Or are they, and again, not saying that this isn't a valid thing, but are they maybe saying, Oh, that isn't something we would do? Or actually, to work with us, we would want you to do something else. This isn't something we do at Dauntless. We take, we meet people where they are, and we only work with them if we're excited and we genuinely want to amplify. But some agencies might say, Oh, okay, well, we could help you with goal A and B, but actually not that one. And they might be very straightforward and transparent, which hats off to them. You know, that's a good thing. If they are saying we only represent people who fit this box or who do this, then if you're not a right fit, then hopefully that will become apparent. And there are some things to be wary of. Um, if people will often reach out to us and I presume to other PR agencies, and they'll say, Who do you work with? And that's a good question. So, like, who have you who have you helped? What kind of things have you got? You know, getting some sort of um proof and backing of the kind of work they do. But be wary of anybody who has a limited list of places that they work with. So if they say, Well, we only work with the following outlets, or these are the places we can get you, because while for some people that might be fine, they might only want those very limited things, most PR agencies are more fluid than that. So for us, we have outlets that we regularly work with and we've got really great contacts, but it doesn't mean that we won't be trying to work with new ones, reaching out. If you've got a dream outlet, and it's an outlet that we have not worked with before, that does not mean that we will not achieve that for you. Um so don't take that as they haven't got anybody in that before, therefore cross them off your list. Because for the vast majority of agencies, it's about what's right for you. So maybe they hadn't worked with anybody who was right for that outlook before, but you you might be. Um and really look at what's their experience, what's their expertise in that? Do they have somebody who has an understanding of what you do or an understanding of how the media works? Um but don't be too fixed on what um on what success looks like. So occasionally people will um only want to look at agencies that have huge celebrities, but um a lot of those agencies with huge celebrities only work with huge celebrities. So there is that thing, you know, maybe maybe you're a huge celebrity, in which case great, but if you're somebody who isn't yet at that level, you might really be limiting yourself if you're only gonna go with people that have these absolutely huge, huge A-list people because the chances are that they only work with those kind of people, and that's how they're known. So have a look, maybe look for people who work with people who are similar to you. Don't have to be the same, but maybe someone who has um listened to word of mouth recommendations is a good place to start and have a look at the type of clients they have. So we work with a lot of coaches, um, a lot of experts who really want to become go-to experts in their niche. Um, we wouldn't have the same um following as maybe an agency that specializes in representing film actresses or actors. So different agencies will have different lots of people. And so just have a little think about that, but don't, and I'm trying to think of the nicest possible way to say this, but be realistic about where you are coming into this. If you are someone who has 10,000 followers on Instagram, only working with someone who works with people who have five million plus followers is perhaps not a realistic goal. So have a little think about that. Um, and just yeah, find someone who really gets you and gets what you're wanting to achieve.

Speaker 12:43

Yeah, because the other thing is about like the PR for celebrities is completely different to an emerging personal brand. And when I say emerging, I don't mean people who aren't already killing it, but I mean people who are already well known within their niche, but being like an A-list celebrity is completely different to that, it's a whole different thing.

Speaker 1 13:10

Yeah. And you know how how it kind of works. So get a feel for how is it gonna work? What is it gonna look like? Some people will thrive with different styles of working than others, so it's just being open about that. So, for example, um, some people really, really, really love meeting after meeting after meeting and lots and lots of paperwork. That's not something that we're all about at Dauntless. So if you're someone who wants a 25-page branding report before you get started, we wouldn't be the right people for you. There probably are agencies that will be doing it.

Speaker 13:50

Where for the people who want to dive in and get fast results, that's what excites us. It would bore us having endless meetings for months because it's just not what we're like. It would like kill our soul. We want to get right in there and start pitching for you. Yeah.

Speaker 1 14:07

And if you're somebody who you might be someone who really, really, really wants a 12-month plan with everything laid out, exactly what's going to happen when. Again, that's something to ask at the beginning. That wouldn't be something that we would want to do because we're really flexible and fluid and intuitive with what we do. So, what we do is we find out, okay, what is it you wanted to achieve? What are your messages? Then we get started and we adapt it as you go. So, as you build your presence, we adapt our approach, our style. That works really well for people who have multiple things that they do as well, because what happens is you we don't make people pick a lane. So if you have got a really successful business, but you're also writing a book. So you're doing that, and then your book's ready, and that's ready to go, and you want someone to push that. And then you decide to release a podcast. Yeah, great. You go, oh no, hang on a minute. You took us on for your business, so we're not doing your book of your podcast. We will go, absolutely brilliant, tell us all about it. Some places, you know, you will get some PR agencies that will be excellent for a book release, but they're not interested in helping you with your business, they want to they're focused on the book, or you know, maybe they want to very much set in stone, okay, we will do the PR for this venture of yours, but nothing else that you do. Whereas somebody like us, we do PR for the person. So if you decide six months after working with us, you're renaming your business, you're pivoting to something different, you're doing something different, great, we'll move with you. We're not going to say, but we're actually doing the PR for the business, not for you.

Speaker 16:08

So if you have four businesses, great, because you're still in you're still running them, like you're still at the front of them.

Speaker 1 16:18

Yeah. And I think one of the biggest things is whether you like the people, because remember, you are going to be working with your PR agency regularly, hopefully for some time. If you instantly don't like that person when you get on a on a sales call or some sort of just call to discuss it, I would say if you really don't like that person, imagine how much you're not going to like them six months in, you know. So if you're listening to this podcast and you are like, I cannot bear these two women, they're really annoying. I don't know why you're still listening. You can go. Well, you know, chances are we're not gonna be the right agency for you. If you're somebody who is all about um, you might be someone who really wants a specific market. That's something to think about. We are again very flexible with that, that we deal with English-speaking media all over the world. It does sometimes get translated as well, but we're not going to pretend that we're gonna be pitch sending off pictures in German or Mandarin. So have a ask about, you know, what is it that you do, what do you specialise in, what kind of outlets do you work with, what language do you predominantly work in? These are all really relevant questions to be checking on. Um, so if you're wanting um to access a market that isn't an English-speaking one, then don't go with an English-speaking agency. So it's all things like that because there are there are some cultural differences between the media in other countries as well. So you want to be going for um someone who has a little bit of an understanding of what you're wanting to achieve. And another thing I'll say is, you know, we've spoken before about how we don't do pay to play. For some people, pay to play is what they want. And um, you know, so if what you have in mind is I want to pay an amount every month and get maybe one piece a month, I want to know exactly when it's going to appear, what the outlet's gonna be, what the headline's gonna be, what the layout's gonna be. I want to check every single word of it and be able to change it whenever I like. And and then I want to say, yeah, that's ready to go. And then you want to have every element of control over that, then a traditional PR agency that is booking you to mainstream media outlets won't be the right one because you cannot control that much.

Speaker 19:16

And some have a really hard time letting go of that control.

Speaker 1 19:20

Yeah. So if you are um have that in mind, that's not a bad thing. I'm not trying to shame anybody and be like, oh, you shouldn't want that. That isn't what we do, and it isn't what most PR agencies do. There are companies, though, that do offer those kind of placements, they might call themselves PR. It's a little bit of a of a dodgy area in that I don't consider, I consider it as a kind of a an advertorial placement agency, but they're not going to call themselves that. But if they are promising guaranteed media placements at specific outlets and specific times that you are paying for per placement, yeah, then it's pay-to-play. Yeah, that's a pay-to-play model, which might be the right one for you. So it's not about you should want this or you shouldn't want this, it's about what would work the best for you and your goals and your business. And if it's not pay-to-play, but they are saying that they will guarantee you that they will get you into specific outlets by specific times, take that with a level of suspicion because they might have a very good idea that they will be able to. So I'm not saying that they can guarantee that they'll get you a minimum number because that's a fairly uh yeah, it's by when and it's in which outlets. But if they're saying we'll definitely get you in such and such by such and such a day, and it will be, you know, this many pages, and they give you lots and lots of details, but they're saying that they're not pay-to-play, then there is an element of uh I would just query, well, how can you guarantee? Because an earned media placement, um, where you a journalist has chosen to feature you because they are interested in what you've got to say, they're interested in your story, you might have a very good relationship with certain journalists and a really good idea that they will be interested, but you can't guarantee that they definitely will feature you at a certain time by a certain thing, unless it's pay to play. So I would say that one of the biggest things is make sure you're going with somebody who is transparent about what they do. If what they're make sure that you understand, okay, this is what they're saying that they'll do. Do and this is how they'll say that they do it, and that there's an element of honesty about that, so that they will be honest about the things that they might not be able to achieve. Because I think that's a really key thing. I will um be the first person to say to someone if I think that there's going to be something that might be challenging, I'll I will say to someone that element of your message might be a challenge you want to get into the media, and I think it's really important that you don't just go for people who are yes people.

Speaker 22:33

Yeah, and I think all of that, you know, about the pay to play, that's so important because I've known people, I've spoken to people who have gone with agencies that well, they believed that they were PR agencies, and then they've shouted about somewhere that they've been featured in, and then they've been contacted by somebody saying, Well, that's obviously pay-to-play, and then they've looked into it deeper, and it was. Well, what's happened then is that that person has accidentally just lied to their audience, you know, like there's nothing wrong with pay to play. Um, in my opinion, what is wrong though is lying to your audience, you know, is getting pay to play and then claiming that it is something that it's not. If you're gonna do pay-to-play, just own it. Um, but when people have hired agencies and they've done the paying behind the scenes so they don't know about it, then they've accidentally hurt their credibility by doing that. Because the people, you know, people might comment saying, Oh, congratulations, but they know.

Speaker 1 23:43

And you can get a bit of a tricky situation where, say, for example, you are paying an agency £10,000 a month to do something, they've paid you in the doors for £5,000 and pocketed the rest of it, you may as well have gone directly to the paid house and saved you a lot of money because all they're doing is taking out an advert in your name and charging you a massive um profit to do that. Whereas with the um organic PR, where people are actually trying to find opportunities for you and ways into the media, there are fewer guarantees, absolutely, but there isn't a limit to it. They're not going to go, you you got you got your amount of of coverage, that's it, you know. Yeah, it's there. And that's another really important question to ask, actually. Find out is there a set number of hours? So some PR agencies will you will pay for the number of hours that they work on your account. So whether that's the business account, whether that's you as a person, and once you reach that number of hours, um, they may either stop or they may charge extra. So, right, we've spent more. Some agencies will just go with what the need is that month, which is where we fall.

Speaker 25:10

We're not gonna turn it out and say, I couldn't bear hours are over this one, I couldn't do it.

Speaker 1 25:18

But an awful lot of people will um you'll have a set number out, they'll say, right, I will maybe do, I don't know, 20 hours a month on you. And once that 20 hours is done, it's done, finished.

Speaker 25:32

And that's not wrong, by the way. That's not wrong, is just make sure you know where you stand, that's all.

Speaker 1 25:39

No way you're getting in, because the issue with that is know what will happen if you need more hours, will you have to pay more? It's asking these questions just so you're going in with your eyes wide open. So, what can happen with this limited hour model? And I absolutely understand from a business point of view why you do this, it makes perfect sense. But say you have a story that blows up and you actually need a lot of attention, or maybe something goes wrong and you need a bit of a bit of support, a bit of guidance. Well, are you gonna get to halfway through the month and actually you've used August hours already? Yeah, you'll we'll talk about this in September. That's probably gonna feel quite difficult. So find out what would happen in that scenario if you're looking at a company with that model of working. Um and also is there a set limited? Are they gonna say, well, we've got you X number of placements, so we that's it for the month? And then they'll but again, some places it's it's not wrong, it's just different to how we do things. They might say, Well, we will get you four placements a month, and that's a finite thing. You hit number four, right? Well, we'll wait till the next month before we get you other things. And the thing there is, well, what happens if there's more opportunities? What happens to those? So just asking these questions and making sure that you feel okay and comfortable about the answers and that you're going into it with your eyes wide open.

Speaker 27:11

That's it, it's just knowing and like so much counts for just vibing with the people running it as well. You know, I know we've touched on this before. Like, do you actually like them? But I think that is such an important thing that you are on the same wavelength, that you have got similar values. Not that they agree with everything you say or not, you know, we don't even agree with everything as a team, you know. It's fine to have different opinions, but that your core values are the same, that you have like that they believe in your mission, that you believe that they can help you, you know, that you that there's a level of trust there, that there's transparency, that there's openness, that you can speak freely without having to censor yourself. And you know, just those things are just so so important. So we will leave it on that note, and we will see you next time. If after listening to this podcast, you think, well, actually, I think Dauntless PR is my vibe. Hello at dauntlesspr.com. I'll see you soon.

Speaker 2 28:22

And that's it for today's dose of Unfiltered PR Truths. To find out more about how you can work with Dauntless PR, drop me a message on Facebook, Luana Ribeira, or email hello at dauntlesspr.com.