PR agency to offer online press release writing

Pay peanuts. Get monkeys.

Bring it on! The more services offering affordable marketing for small businesses, the better. Wonder where they got the idea?!

Is this worth reporting on? Seriously. These sorts of things are so 1999. Real public relations and communications consultancies have nothing in common with these hacks.

My experience of PR is that it tends to be a highly leveraged exercise. Sometimes, with little effort you can get an amazing result. But when it goes wrong it can go horribly wrong. The problem with this type of offering is that it ignores the ‘relations’ part of public relations. You can’t cut-price your way to a trusting, reciprocal relationship – be it with the media, government or your customers. That’s the value of high quality, professional PR.

Public relations like many things in Australia has been overpriced for so long… good on PR Guru.
I specialise in economical public relations for Asian businesses across Asia and I can’t keep up with the demand. I don’t even advertise either… as you may know it is all word or mouth across Asia…. you need to be good at what you do, have valuable business contacts across Asia and most of all know the culture…not to mention the language…. that helps too. Keep smiling.

Maybe the same concept for marketing instead of PR would be more effective. However I think its a good idea. Although this is just providing the first level of PR, when PR agencies offer the entire range, just having the first level is a major jump up from nothing.
It wont impact big businesses, but with so many struggling small business’s out there, these options might be the different in keeping them afloat for minimum cost

I know this is going to make me sound old… but one of these ‘renta-PR’ services gets launched every few years. Funny that few hang around for long – but good luck to ’em.

A PR agency offering a press release writing service – D’Oh – really!

New Business Model?
I set up the exact same thing in the UK to pay my way through Uni in 2001! I just did it so I didn’t have to get a bar job.

$1250 for a 24-hour turnaround – and all via the wonders of an emailed questionnaire that YOU get to complete yourself without talking to a real person…

As the Glenne Headly character says to Michael Caine and Steve Martin in the final line of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: “Are you ready? Then let’s go get ’em!”

I am the Marketing Coordinator for a SME that is big enough to write regular press releases, but too small to warrant a PR agency. From a client’s perspective, I have to say that this is incredibly expensive for a Press Release that you basically have to write yourself (via questionnaire). Also, a 24 hour turnaround isn’t that “express” in my world. I think I’ll keep writing them myself for the time being :).

With all releases the trick is getting the column centimetres printed. And that comes down to relationships. A release in one thing, getting it on the page/site is another.

I disagree that it’s all about relationships. It’s about the quality of the story or product you are telling the media about! if they get hold of a good story they don’t mind where it has come from. We have customers who have bought media contact lists from us on http://www.handleyourownpr.com.au (I’m one of the owners) who have got 4-8 articles in targeted media, about their business – and they have no prior relationships.

Having said that, I do concede that having relationships with the medai smooths the way, but it only take you so far. The journalist/producer won’t get the story past the editor/EP if it is not worthwhile.

And if itt is badly written and waffles on, the journalist or editor will not use it. Back to square one.

I am a small PR agency – read one man band – and that price is expensive for a small business not to mention the fact that by the time the release is done it may no longer be timely.

Quite frankly I don’t cut my own hair and I would hope that my hairdresser would not attempt her own media releases.

SME’s can get good PR services from small PR agencies. There are a number of them like mine out there and we are happy to work with other small businesses.

This one size fits all is just the lazy McDonald’s drive through version of PR.

For all of you small businesses out there in Vic , I teach courses on writing media releases and PR for small business plus a lot of journalism courses.

http://www.cae.edu.au/web/?course=HAV164

http://www.holmesglen.edu.au/p.....l_business

I run a financial services PR firm and I believe the ability to pick the story is really the most valuable services PR people can deliver to the clients. Anyone can write a press release – it is the results it achieves that matters. 24 hours and $1,250 – that’s pretty standard really. Even on the expensive side if they are writing it themselves.

I think it is hilarious when other PR’s laugh at concepts like this. The truth is – there is a market for it. The business model suits a certain type of client who have proven to get results for their spend – so why mock when it works for them?

There is a market for businesses to spend big $$ on bigger PR companies. Each has their own target market and work. Clients who invest in DIY PR tools such as this know what they are buying (as it is clearly stated before they purchase). Some small businesses can’t financially commit to long contracts. Some businesses actually like this model as they have a greater input and can control part of the process. At the end of the day, if the purchased press release or media list is the winning tool that puts the client’s business/ product in front of the right journalist at the right time – what is the problem?

I agree building relationships is important and PR Companies pride themselves on this – however it is not the be all and end all for some. Good PR/Media relationships are gold and can take both parties a long way for many years.

At the other end of the scale, some PR’s think they have great ‘relationships’ with media but really they are just being ‘endured’ so the journo can access the info/product/talent. If the journo needs the story – they will go wherever the info is.

There is a market for both and there are enough variations of client to suit each model. Yes, businesses like this come and go, so do they in many industries. I think you will find though, previous failures were not as a result of lack of demand, perhaps more in a failed business model, appropriate planning, marketing or resources. This DIY PR and ‘buy-as- you need it’ model is on the rise due to the amount of start-ups, mumpreneurs, solopreneurs, online and work-from home business models which often need short publicity boosts rather than long term campaigns.

Peta, I couldn’t agree with you more!