10 Top Tips For Small Businesses Hiring a PR Agency

My 10 top tips for small businesses looking to hire a PR agency for the first time (or who are maybe ditching the lot they're currently with because they're a complete waste of space) are as follows:

1. Never hire a PR agency that ties you into contracts. PR agencies that tie into contracts are PR agencies that don't perform. If a company is confident it will give you the results you're after, why the hell bother with contracts? In our experience, small companies want and need the flexibility of being able to step back at any time, even if only temporarily for, say, cash flow reasons. The 'No contracts' approach gives company directors peace of mind, which is essential in this market.

2. Only hire a pr agency if they will work for you around the clock. Many PR opportunities arise outside conventional working hours and on weekends so you need to be sure the agency you employ is prepared to drop what it's doing at any time and focus on you.

3. I can't stress how important this tip is, but never work with an agency that starts later than 7.30. So much of the day's news breaks before eight o'clock that if the person on your account only switches the Dell on at 9.30 then you're on a hiding to nothing. If you're a business in the financial services sector - an analyst, for example - getting an earlybird pr agency is particularly important. Corporate results almost always come out at 7am. Don't hire a sleepy head!

4. Only employ an agency that completely understands the sector you are in. It's not essential they have strong contacts in your sector, but it does help. Ideally, you want them to have a great understanding of your industry and a great contact book with your target media.

5. If you want to target primarily national media, you're best off hiring a London PR agency as you'll want to be working with PRs who know the national journalists well - and ideally on a personal not just working basis. At the national level, relationships are particularly important.

6. Make sure the agency you work with is creative. Ideas are crucial to generating media coverage. So you need thinkers and drinkers. Go got flashing colours and zing, not grey.

7. Always use a pr agency that is made up exclusively, or almost exclusively, of ex-journalists. Journalists understand what journalists want and how they work, whereas people who have only ever worked in PR too often don't. Ex-journalists can write, too, which is again essential when it comes to press releases and other written copy you are issuing to the media.

8. In the digital day and age, only ever employ a PR agency that understands how to leverage your brand online through the myriad technologies that are now out there. Depending on the company, direct to consumer activity through online channels can be more powerful than traditional PR strategies and tools.

9. Ask who will be managing your account. This is crucial, as the people who rock up at the pitch and who bowl you over with their expertise and knowledge will often have nothing to do with your account on a daily basis. Instead, smaller companies are often handed over to Jackie or Elizabeth, the company noobs, junior account execs who know as much about PR as I know about cross stitch. Always make sure you are working with account directors and above - don't accept anything less.

10. If you really are risk averse, and don't even want to pay a monthly fee to an agency, then go for a results-based PR agency (excuse the shameless plug) such as our own Just In Time PR. No coverage, no fee my lovelies!