In-house public relations programs are on the rise, and the right agency partner can help brands cost-effectively build a great team, complement in-house talent and boost results. So, what does that mean for your business?
Whether you choose to handle all PR functions through an agency, build a team of experts within your company or deploy some hybrid model, industry buzz about in-house PR and its pros and cons abounds. Here are some facts to get you up to speed:
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and PRWeek, over 75% of PR careers are in-house.
From 2015 to 2018, 70% of respondents to ANA’s member survey have moved some marketing services from agencies to in-house practitioners. The top three services reallocated were content marketing, social media and influencer marketing.
ANA reported that 78% of companies are forming internal marketing organizations in some way, shape or form; in 2013, that number was 58%, and in 2008, it was only 42%.
So, what’s the right balance of external insight and internal execution that can help you achieve business success? There’s no secret formula. It comes down to weighing the strengths and weaknesses of in-house PR in the context of your resources and goals. Here are a few key areas to investigate when building a PR plan.
Internal Capabilities
For companies with robust resources at hand, including T-Mobile, L'Oréal and Sprint, taking some PR functions in-house may be a good fit.
By the same token, there is no substitute for agency consultation rooted in long-term media relationships plus full-service creative and analytical capabilities. This goes for both small and large companies. While your company may have the resources to hire a dedicated PR specialist, will that person be able to perform the breadth of tasks you need as a business? The answer depends on what you’re looking for from your PR program, how much you’re willing to invest and more.
“Our relationship with PR Return has stood the test of time because they are not only incredibly driven to help us succeed, but flexible enough to tailor their approach however best serves our business. They get us the media attention that we want while making sure we present at our best, and they always go the extra mile.”
-Margo Kahnrose, SVP, Marketing for Kenshoo
Bottom Line Considerations
Eighty-one percent of 2019 JOTW Communications Survey respondents stated that the top reason for moving away from a PR agency was cost. Stretch the budget to the maximize results.
While you may save money up front by going in-house, be sure to factor in benefits, office resources and other expenses beyond annual salary. Just remember why you decided to invest in PR in the first place. While marketers can win big with cost savings, they should not sacrifice performance and results in the process. Agency partners should provide flexibility to complement and supplement the strengths of any in-house teams and fill a wide range of specialty roles to ensure you’re not spreading internal teams too thin.
Consider the top five reasons businesses choose to hire agencies, according to the 2019 JOTW Communications Survey:
Execution (64%)
Niche or vertical expertise (58%)
Strategic projects (38%)
Transactional or short-term help (38%)
Planning and strategy (37%)
Evaluate which of these disciplines might best augment your internal PR team or break them down further. Perhaps you’ve got a talented team of writers but need to supplement that with more writing bandwidth, as well as media relations, thought leadership and strategic planning expertise. Ensuring your internal and external teams fit together and complement each other well can produce the desired cost savings without sacrificing performance.
Ever-Changing Media Landscape
Sixty-eight percent of PR professionals who participated in the 2019 JOTW Communications Survey believe media relations is getting harder or much harder; that’s an increase of 17% from 2018.
Even if you insource most of your PR effort, you don’t have to tackle the evolving media landscape alone. Choose an agency partner to help by supplementing your team with media relations experts and a fresh perspective for your marketing strategy or secure temporary agency support to train other team members.
Many PR Return clients appreciate the continuity this type of hybrid approach enables for important initiatives like media relations, even when critical employees depart, as it provides the best of both worlds. Marketers can reduce costs to boost efficiency wherever it makes good business sense while leaning on an agile agency partner to keep critical initiatives moving forward.
A Blended Approach
This proves to be the best approach for many companies, tapping the best of internal PR teams and external agencies.
For example, New Frontier Data initially hired PR Return to supplement its media relations efforts and expand certain types of news coverage. After a staff change, PR Return provided strategic guidance on the types of candidates to fill the internal PR role, maintained the media relations momentum by picking up the slack until a hire was made and trained the new person on procedures, strategies and efforts to date. We still work hand-in-hand with New Frontier Data’s capable PR team to maximize exposure and guide strategic decision making.
"Following the departure of our head of communications, PR Return provided the support our team needed to keep our media and brand targets on goal without missing a beat! They supported us with press release development, media and spokesperson training, and global media pitching. They also trained our junior communications lead on how to get started in her role and manage operations from inside our team. PR Return has been a vital tool for New Frontier Data’s growth, and we look forward to building a larger and more influential global media presence together."
-Giadha Aguirre de Carcer, CEO & Founder of New Frontier Data
This type of approach provides excellent flexibility.
Thinking of insourcing some of your PR efforts or setting up an in-house PR and marketing team? We can help get you off on the right foot by analyzing your goals to determine your staffing needs and training new and existing staff on all facets of PR. We’ll establish, support and supplement your team whenever and wherever you need us so you don’t miss out on critical opportunities.
Don’t leave an intricate and complex landscape to chance. Contact PR Return today for more information on making the most of your PR efforts.