Public relations consultancy & payment by results
The public relations industry’s pioneers were, more often than not, ex-journalists offering the prospect of free publicity, hype and suchlike. Clients like to see sales up, but don’t tend to take mere publicists very seriously. So modern day public relations consultants aspire to be more like other professionals, with a role to play in the formation of corporate strategy and a seat at the top table.
And quite right too. Only public relations can lead the corporations’ move from marketing to corporate social responsibility (CSR). But one lawyerly trend worth avoiding is the no win, no fee (or no cure, no pay) way of working.
The court of public opinion is not like a court of law. There are no strict rules to level the playing field or judge to ensure fair play. Perhaps more importantly, public relations isn’t sustainable when practiced on an ad-hoc basis.
I like the flexibility of being an independent consultant. I can write press releases on an ad-hoc basis for a fixed fee. I can also organise the distribution of the same and media monitoring for an additional fee. I can even offer discounts to clients who agree to buy so many per month, say. And I’m always excited at the prospect of being able to call someone a client.
Longer term, however, clients are unlikely to be satisfied with media coverage for its own sake. You simply can’t claim any real benefits without having first decided what it is you seek to achieve. That means sharing (better: co-writing) a business plan that defines objectives and the operational environment. Only then can communications challenges be identified.
Most importantly, all that requires a level of commitment from both sides that a crude payment by results model can’t hope to foster.
Contact Stephen Newton
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