the most crucial ingredient for PR is time.
Sometimes public relations is hard to explain to a new client. We can show them press clippings and news footage and magazine covers from our portfolio, and we can explain that our clients didn’t pay for any of it. We can also tell them that editorial is considered more credible—and therefore more valuable—than purchased advertising.
What is always hard to explain is that we can’t guarantee they’ll get any media coverage from our PR efforts. That they may not see an article or news coverage for weeks, months or ever. That it will take a good story, strategy, and most of all, time. But the payoff can be huge.
Do they want to see results right away? If so, they should pay for some advertising. With PR, they’ll have the potential of garnering the equivalent of thousands of dollars of advertising for little or no advertising money. But PR takes time. And it’s not guaranteed. If it’s immediate gratification they are looking for, it won’t usually come from a public relations campaign. The most visible and impactful coverage will almost always come from public relations and not advertising. But a combination of the two tactics will help you achieve both short-term visibility and long-term results.
