The upside and downside of doing PR yourself

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Like a lot of things in life, there is the upside and then the downside of doing something yourself.

The same thing can be said for deciding whether to do your own PR or to look at outsourcing it to an agency.

Let’s look at the good and the not-as-good, shall we?

UPSIDE

In depth brand knowledge: You live and breathe your brand or organisation. You know the company’s values, products, target audience, goals – and the list goes on! This can mean a more tailored and authentic approach when it comes to PR.

Learning valuable skills: When you are the one managing your own PR, this is also an opportunity to gain different skills including media outreach, media pitching and crisis communication, with these learnings then being shared with other colleagues or other areas of the business.

Making connections: By directly engaging and pitching to journalists, you are establishing personal connections with them, without someone in the middle.

Flexibility and agility: Sometimes speed is everything, and when you do PR in-house it can mean being able to respond to media opportunities quickly or react to the 24/7 news cycle.

DOWNSIDE

Lack of expertise: It’s simple: you may not have the expertise or established media contacts to do your own PR, as establishing rapport with journalists takes time to build. A dedicated PR agency has extensive industry knowledge and connections with journalists across TV, radio, print, online and podcasts.

Lack of industry knowledge: Knowing how to craft a media story, successfully pitch to journalists and assist in bringing this story to life, is an invaluable skill, which again you may not have the capabilities in-house to do.

Time constraints: Managing PR on top of other responsibilities can be time-consuming, leading to inconsistent efforts and missed deadlines. Doing PR well and correctly, takes time and a dedicated effort.

Limited strategic perspective: An internal PR team may not always be able to identify what the most powerful PR angels might be as they are too close to the brand. Working with a PR agency means bringing an outside perspective to PR.

If you or your in-house team is looking at doing your own PR in a cost-effective way, get in touch to learn more about Media Nation.

This is the world’s first do-it-yourself PR (free / earned media) tool, that helps organisations generate their own PR. At Good Talent Media, we are champions of change, and we want to help more organisations see that change that they want.