Often, the decision of when to skill up and when to outsource PR can be tricky. You want someone with the right experience, who knows what they are doing and will be able to deliver the desired results. In most cases, it makes sense to opt for an experienced professional who can make sure that the job is properly completed. For certain campaigns or projects that require specific expertise, outsourcing is the more ideal option, as it allows for access to a broad range of skills and resources.
Today I look at a few areas of when and how to consider when to skill up and when to outsource. And 4 tips on briefing a PR or Comms consultant to work with you.
Let’s dive in!
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Full transcript (unedited)
Often, the decision of when to skill up and when to outsource PR can be tricky. You want someone with the right experience, who knows what they are doing and will be able to deliver the desired results. In most cases, it makes sense to opt for an experienced professional who can make sure that the job is properly completed. For certain campaigns or projects that require specific expertise, outsourcing is the more ideal option, as it allows for access to a broad range of skills and resources.
Today I look at a few areas of when and how to consider when to skill up and when to outsource. And 4 tips on briefing a PR or Comms consultant to work with you.
Let’s dive in!
We may have a slight crisis of identity when it comes to talking about our various roles. We often get rather protective when debates are brought up, such as journalists becoming PRs and internal comms people not doing the same job.
I think it boils down to transferring skills, which can be learned. For me, there are two components.
Should you be doing it anyway? i.e Does it fit with your strategy?
Is it a specialist job, in which case we should collaborate with those that can do it?
When deciding whether to skill up or outsource a PR task, it is a good idea to look at the costs and benefits. If the task is something that fits in with your strategy and could be done frequently, then it might be more beneficial to skill up in-house. On the other hand, outsourcing to an experienced agency may prove to be more cost-effective if the task is time-consuming or requires specialist knowledge. Additionally, these agencies often have access to lots of useful data that can help make a campaign more successful.
In short, when it comes to PR, it’s often a good idea to outsource. But if you have a tight budget and need to keep your costs down, then it’s worth considering upskilling in-house to do the job. That way, you’ll get the most bang for your buck, no matter what your strategy or goals are. On the other hand, if you want something done quickly, outsourcing is ideal because the agency will likely have a deep understanding of the industry and can provide high-quality work quickly and efficiently.
The best projects come from the best briefs and client/customer relationships. Always! So if you’re listening to this and you do choose to outsource your PR or Comms campaign, here are four tips for you to consider when writing your brief:
Who is your customer?
This involves being clear about who you’re trying to help or what problem your service or product solves. Who holds the purse strings in the companies that you’re dealing with? Do you have a list of example customers or traits or types of customers that you can share? Spoiler alert: You cannot help everyone, okay?
Who or what industry do you serve?
For a PR campaign, I find it’s best to pick one industry or one area and stick to it for that campaign so you can have a concerted effort in one area. That’s not to say that we can’t then focus on another area of the business, but having a focused effort on one area of your business is better than spreading yourself and your budget thinly across many vertical industry sectors or areas that you might work in or audience groups. You want to aim to be concise and impactful in one core area.
What do you want to be known for?
Having a message that resonates with the personal industry you serve is critical to gaining their attention. And I’ve talked about this in previous episodes. I’ll drop the link to the episodes I mentioned here today in the show notes. So make sure you check those out. So what are you going to talk about? Think about what your industry is talking about. What are the big trends, topics, and issues that you can contribute to knowledgeably? What’s your point of difference? And then, I want you to make a list of maybe three things where you know you can contribute strongly or have something to say. You can make this a basis of your content planning in your brief.
What does success look like to you?
As a consultant, this is the first question I ask. What is your goal? I love it when clients have done some thinking already. That gets them extra brownie points. We can then work together and refine that. A good consultant can make a recommendation to you on how you can achieve that specific goal. Another spoiler alert: “We want more coverage” is not a goal. There’s more on goal setting. I think it’s episode two, but I’ll put the link in the show notes. So make sure you check that one out.
Before I go, here are some dos and don’ts to take away:
- Don’t throw in the kitchen sink into your brief. Keep it concise and clear.
- Don’t ask for anything for free. That’s not going to get you the best relationship with your consultant.
- Don’t be too rigid. Leave room for some creativity and input. This may affect the quality of who responds to your brief too.
- Do be clear on what’s fixed and what’s up for discussion. This helps when you’re putting together a proposal.
- Do provide a budget if you have one. There is nothing more annoying than working on a proposal only to find out there is an unrealistic budget. And do be specific on what you are looking to achieve.
So today I’ve given you some things to consider when looking to upskill or outsource, four tips to help you be more strategic when looking to hire a consultant and a few dos and don’ts to bear in mind.
I can also help you with some of the topics in the dos and don’ts so head over to my website and check out my bite-sized services that could benefit you if you’re going down this route.