Tag Archive for: b2b pr agency

Worst Questions to Ask Your Agency and What to Ask Instead

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Want to know the advice I give colleagues when they ask me what they should know about hiring an agency? I tell them something they haven’t thought about: throw out all your old questions when you’re hiring any agency.  This advice surprises people, but let me explain. It’s important when you’re hiring an agency to ask questions that point to your needs, not some random checklist. What to look for in a PR firm should be specific to you. Here are the worst questions to ask your agency and what to ask instead.

“How Does Your Team Learn About New Industries?”

 Instead of

“Do You Have Industry Experience?”

This is the default question everyone asks. The reality is that whether an agency has worked within your industry isn’t a success indicator. The more important indicator of success is how engaged your PR team is with the world and how they approach learning something new. What you want to know is how intellectually curious your team is because that actually matters more.

Agencies with narrow niches are really valuable in highly regulated industries, like the cannabis industry, where there are hundreds of different laws to understand, many of which vary by state. But for most industries, narrow niches don’t really get you, the client, much of advantage – even in PR, which is famous for relationships, I’ll get into that more deeply in a minute. But even if working in a particular niche is important, it’s still more important that the team be naturally curious.

Why? For one, some of the best ideas come from exposure to other industries and customers. But why do you want an agency that works closely with your competitors? And why doesn’t it matter in PR? When choosing a PR agency, it’s more important that your agency can predict trends and find opportunities for your company to make or comment on news.

“Have You Worked with Companies of Our Size?”

 Instead of

“What Companies Have You Worked With?”

It’s easy to be impressed by the logos of major brands on the pages of a PR firm’s website. But ask yourself what that means to you. Working with huge international firms is its own skill because of the layers of stakeholders. But huge brands move slower, and their stakes differ from a startup, a challenger brand, a company breaking new boundaries in an emerging industry, or a hypergrowth company that is pre-IPO.

You can define “size” by employee count or revenue, or even IPO status, but the challenges of hiring an agency vary depending on the company’s size. For example, a company with a CMO, a few Marketing VPs, and dozens of marketing managers has human capital, but they also have a more complicated web of brand perspectives and departmental goals. Whereas a company of $10-$30 million in revenue has different human capital considerations and is likely to have a CEO who is, at least sometimes, engaged with the PR agency. It’s not uncommon for our agency to deal directly with CEOs, and working with CEOs is very different than working with a team of marketing managers. Companies in growth phases move faster, have higher expectations, and perhaps haven’t worked with a PR agency before, which means there will be some education along the way. If you’ve never worked with a PR agency before, you don’t want to work with an agency that doesn’t specialize in companies that are new to PR.

For one, CEOs of $10-$30 million companies are very often an integral part of the company’s brand and, in fact, the de facto spokesperson. Multinational, public companies leverage their CEOs differently to different stakeholders – investors, for example –  than smaller companies can and should. It’s also a matter of budget. A $250,000 annual budget, while typical for ambitious companies, isn’t much of a PR budget at all for household name brands. And why is that REALLY important? Because you want to be with a PR agency that sees your $250,000 budget as important rather than a small drop in the bucket.

So find an agency that works with companies of your size and agency experience. That’s actually more important to the success of your business and PR campaign.

“How Do You Contribute to Your Clients’ Business Goals?” 

Instead of
“What Do You Cost?”

This gets right to the heart of it, doesn’t it? What’s your target ROI? The question to ask your PR Agency should dig right to the heart of what you need. Does your agency know how to develop a campaign that helps you secure VC funding? Or how about during your pre-IPO phase? Maybe you want to build a premium team before a merger or acquisition. PR supports cross-functional business outcomes.

Like any awareness or marketing initiative, PR is OK in a vacuum. However, when it’s given room to breathe and really support your business, then it really takes off. So don’t silo your PR. But also, it’s like any investment: it gets amortized over time.  The good news about PR versus something like advertising is that PR lasts forever. Just like you don’t turn on PR as fast as advertising, it also doesn’t turn. Long after a PR agency is gone, your PR remains. PR is an investment you make in your business, and it’s the most valuable investment you can make.

“How Seasoned is the Team?” 

Instead of

“Who is On The Team?”

This might be one of the top questions to ask your PR agency. Seasoned, experienced PR professionals have been through the wringer. They’ve been through crisis, they’ve seen economic upheaval, they’ve handled recalls, they have been in competitive dog fights. These are the kind of team members you want on your team. It’s not uncommon for agencies to have really junior members do the bulk of the account work.

Much PR work is reading between the lines. Younger team members miss the nuance when they put together a media list; they miss the tie-ins that work because of a small detail. An experienced PR Team saves you countless hours of educating a more junior PR team on business basics, striking the right tone at the right time – and importantly, reading the room. Emotional intelligence often comes with experience, and emotional intelligence moves the needle faster and in a more sophisticated way. Plus, experienced PR team members can head off problems before they become one, saving your brand dollars on the actual bottom line and valuations.

 

Whether it’s content and SEO, or advertising or PR, there is always a shift in the universe, and agencies are adept at understanding the shifting sands. But there are more agencies than ever before. Even the best PR agencies aren’t always the easiest to find. Agencies today provide more value to businesses than ever before, but it’s more important than ever for you to find the right fit, because the stakes have never been higher.

Please join us in celebrating our inclusion in this year’s Inc. Magazine Power Partners Awards – read more about how we qualified. Here’s a hint: our clients.

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How PR Helps Secure Investors

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If you’re raising an investment round, you may have considered PR. Whether someone suggested it to you or you’re PR curious, you’ve probably wondered why PR comes up so often when you’re seeking investment. From your Series A and beyond, a good reputation helps you raise more money faster. PR helps you attract investors, provides ongoing confidence to investors, and helps the company’s valuation. These are the reasons investors like to see companies use some investment funds for marketing and PR. They know you can run a profitable business without PR, but you can’t be the market leader without PR. So, when should a startup hire a PR firm?  We work with a lot of companies either seeking acquisition or raising funds. Let’s dig deeper into how PR helps secure investors.

First Step: Segment Awareness

Many companies discount B2B or industry PR because industry publications don’t have the public cache of larger business publications like Bloomberg or the Wall Street Journal.

But that’s a mistake. Industry PR is one of the most underrated PR assets when looking for investors. Investors often circle an emerging industry sector, like healthtech or cleantech or cannabis,  to find opportunities, and vertical publications are a great resource. Let’s face it – your startup will not be a unicorn until you’re a segment leader. This type of PR might include thought leadership or owned content campaigns. If your company does not have many search results, industry PR is a natural first step.

There’s another reason to start there: it’s excellent practice. Having 10-15 interviews under your belt really makes a huge difference when you DO get an interview with a national publication. And these credible pieces show investors you’re ready for a capital raise.

Use Data and Insights for VC Funding

A key trend in securing media is providing data to journalists. Journalists are more constrained than ever before. Third-party, statistically relevant data is the crown jewel for consumer business publications like Fortune and Bloomberg. But if you don’t have that kind of research, especially if you’re a SaaS company use the data at your disposal. I don’t mean customer data, I mean information like trends that your product is seeing.

The media isn’t the only stakeholder group that loves data: VCs do, too. Having this data really gives you many ways to capture VC attention, drive and lead conversations, and earn trust from stakeholders. And the best part? You can keep some of this data private and in your pitch deck, which you can use in your funding pitches.

Build Today for Tomorrow’s Funding

Less than 1% of companies appear in the Wall Street Journal or Forbes. Earned media is valuable because it’s difficult to secure, and the credibility factor is greater than anything you can buy. But quality PR is a marathon, not a sprint, and the investment in PR becomes more valuable over time because the more press you secure, the more likely you are to be seen as credible.

Sometimes, companies who are raising funds come to us to help them close a deal. They say, “If I could get a few pieces of press next week, that would be great.” While we might assist you with some sponsored content or contributed content, that’s still an incredibly tight turnaround for us, in part because we don’t know your brand, your voice, and your leadership. And unless you’re already in the news cycle, it’s even less likely a company will secure earned media in that time frame.

PR for investors takes time. PR is branding to journalists. Here’s a typical situation: our groundwork pays off when a newsjacking opportunity presents itself, and journalists trust our client because we had been building that trust for three months already. After that, the company became a credible source for relevant topics for some of the world’s biggest media outlets.

Remember, credibility is not something you turn on and off; it’s something you nurture and guide. That’s PR, and that’s why it’s so valuable when you’re raising capital.

Added Bonus: Crisis PR Preparation

When you’re in the middle of a raise, that’s the last time to scramble for crisis PR. Should you have a crisis, whether that’s a product recall or something more complicated, when you’re raising money or pre-IPO, PR can be the difference between simply surviving and thriving after a crisis.

Crisis campaigns start at $20,000, and that’s after you find a PR firm while your crisis is spinning out of control. When you have a PR firm on retainer, the crisis will still be expensive, but your management of it will be swifter, more strategic, and more effective. With the help of a good PR firm, you can steer your way through the crisis and out the other side with confidence and your brand intact. You might even get bonus points from investors for handling the crisis well.

Taking care of your reputation always pays dividends. When the timing is right to raise capital, that’s a great time to hire a PR agency. A good reputation will help you raise more money, faster.

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When Should a Startup Hire a PR Firm?

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When Should a Startup Hire a PR Firm?

Hiring a PR firm can be a game-changer for startups, helping them build brand awareness, attract investors and customers, and navigate the media landscape. However, with limited resources, startups need to take this step strategically. When executed strategically, PR initiatives wield remarkable potential to expedite expansion like VC-backed funding. The objectives attainable through a well-thought-out public relations campaign encompass:

  1. Attracting Investors: Enhancing visibility to secure vital funding.
  2. Conveying Product/Service Information: Effectively communicating a startup’s offerings.
  3. Raising Awareness: Cultivating recognition among potential clientele and partners.
  4. Fostering a Positive Corporate Image: Crafting a favorable reputation.

Even with this, it’s imperative to recognize that PR isn’t a panacea. It thrives under specific circumstances and demands a systematic approach. Before adopting this tool, one must assess its relevance to their venture and ensure their business is at its prime for embarking on a PR campaign.

Determining the Relevance of PR for Your Startup

Before leaping into PR, especially B2B PR, which requires a sophisticated understanding of business,  assessing if your company truly warrants it is paramount. A thorough evaluation of your market, product, and goals is in order. PR can prove invaluable if:

  • Your startup operates in a fiercely competitive market.
  • Reputation and trust are linchpins of your business model.
  • Your product boasts complexity and a high price point, limiting pre-purchase experiences.
  • You seek new partnerships to propel growth.
  • The pursuit of investors is on your agenda.
  • Expanding your customer base is a strategic objective.

However, even if your venture meets these criteria, pause for contemplation. Ensure that PR and media relations are the optimal solution for your startup’s unique challenges. It’s not a direct substitute for advertising or a shortcut to immediate sales. PR primarily aims to nurture reputation, influence sales indirectly, and achieve synergy with marketing efforts.

Why Your Startup Should Consider Hiring a PR Firm?

In the labyrinthine of PR campaigns, startups and their visionary founders often need expert guidance to navigate the intricacies of targeting, timing, and achieving objectives. It is crucial to understand the metrics that gauge the success of PR initiatives and the time it takes to secure coveted media coverage. It’s a journey where patience is the key for the media’s wheels to turn slowly.

Amidst these challenges, there are compelling reasons why startup leaders should contemplate outsourcing their PR endeavors entirely:

1. Unwavering Persistence and Follow-Up

PR demands unwavering persistence, and courting the attention of journalists is no walk in the park. Sometimes, regardless of your idea’s brilliance, they may not be readily inclined to feature your story due to a deluge of other stories vying for attention, which necessitates persistent follow-ups, especially when prospects appear promising. Yet, it’s equally vital to discern when to let go of journalists who remain unresponsive; this is where the PR experts step in.

Solution: PR firms shoulder this relentless pursuit on your behalf, freeing you to concentrate on fortifying your business. They tirelessly follow up, identify fresh journalistic avenues, and tenaciously advocate for your story until it gains the spotlight. In public relations, enlisting the expertise of a PR firm can be the pivotal step toward ensuring that your startup’s narrative receives the attention and recognition it rightfully deserves.

2. Avoiding the Trap of Overconfidence

The peril of unchecked ego is a formidable adversary in business. In public relations, a rampant belief in your product’s hype, especially when employing DIY PR strategies, can substantially drain resources. It’s akin to pouring money into a bottomless pit because you’re steadfastly unwilling to consider alternative viewpoints regarding your company.

Sometimes, products or services fall below expectations. Yet, persistently pushing an inadequate offering through PR efforts is futile. It’s essential to recognize that your product may not be as groundbreaking as you think, but with some refinement, it could be.

Solution: PR experts offer a refreshing dose of honesty. They will boldly inform you that pitching your product as groundbreaking to journalists is misleading and borders on egotism. Instead, they’ll propose a more compelling story angle that aligns with reality. A seasoned PR professional helps you differentiate between what your ego dictates as a compelling story and what constitutes a noteworthy narrative.

3. Embracing the Reality of Time Constraints

The perpetual scarcity of time looms as a formidable challenge for startups. This scarcity engulfs everyone, from the founders to the entire team. In PR, it’s not uncommon for founders to harbor the desire to embark on a lone journey, narrating their tales and striving to propel the PR machinery forward single-handedly.

However, PR operates on a different clock. It yields no fruitful results if not granted the time it warrants. Often, founders find themselves stretched thin, juggling myriad responsibilities, some of which could be optimized with a focused approach.

Solution: Entrust a PR firm with this demanding responsibility. They commit their dedicated time and expertise to yield results and amplify the dissemination of your story. Delegation is a potent tool wielded by seasoned entrepreneurs. They recognize the areas where they may not excel, delegate those tasks, and concentrate on their core competencies where they truly shine.

4. Acknowledging the Learning Curve in PR

A common misconception prevails among many that they possess innate prowess in the realm of PR, only to encounter rapid disillusionment and eventual abandonment when executing PR campaigns. Startup founders, in particular, often fall into this trap.

Here’s an indisputable truth: When you’re venturing into the intricacies of PR, whether as a fledgling PR firm or a startup endeavoring to manage its PR, the path is riddled with months, even years, of trial and error, learning from mistakes, and adapting. The gradual cultivation of media relationships is a process that unfolds over time. If you aspire to secure media coverage for your launch, it’s prudent to commence your PR efforts well in advance, sometimes several months ahead.

Solution: The wisest course of action to circumvent the expenditure of valuable time and resources is to enlist the services of PR specialists who have amassed years of experience in the field and boast the coveted contacts you require. They possess a wealth of industry knowledge, ensuring you can bypass the pitfalls and mistakes inherent in the learning curve.

5. Discerning the Distinct Worlds of PR and Advertising

One of the most prevalent sources of confusion is distinguishing between public relations and advertising. However, it’s vital to grasp that these are two vastly different domains. Advertising constitutes a concerted effort to promote a product or service to drive sales actively.

On the contrary, PR is a multifaceted endeavor to bolster a brand’s credibility. It achieves this by disseminating information within a compelling narrative designed to illuminate the company’s vision and aspirations. PR focuses squarely on your brand while advertising hones in on the product. The natural synergy arises when these two forces converge, with an advertising campaign strategically complementing the achievements of the PR team.

Solution: Seasoned PR experts understand the nuanced disparities between advertising and PR strategies.

They recognize that journalists are not conduits for marketing pitches; they are purveyors of stories. The wisdom of a PR expert lies in their ability to craft compelling narratives that resonate with the media, ensuring that your brand’s message finds its place in the world of news and storytelling. B2B tech PR experts understand the latest trends, for landing a tech story, or even purpose-driven initiatives. 

6. The Perpetual Nature of PR

Another common misconception is the belief that PR is a sporadic endeavor reserved solely for company launches or product introductions, which often leads to sporadic PR efforts occurring once every couple of years or during initial launches.

The reality, as elucidated by PR experts, is that effective B2B PR campaigns demand continuous and unwavering commitment. Building relationships with journalists is not a one-off affair; it requires ongoing cultivation. A sporadic approach would render these relationships feeble at best.

Solution: Entrusting a team of PR professionals with your campaign ensures your presence remains consistent in news outlets and online publications. The more your target audience encounters your name in reputable sources, the more trust they place in your brand.

Throughout the year, numerous opportunities arise for startups to garner media attention, from research findings and milestone achievements to revenue growth, securing funding, executive appointments, new product features, and beyond. The possibilities for newsworthy stories are virtually boundless. A PR expert can help you construct a robust and sustainable PR calendar to capitalize on these opportunities.

7. Embracing Diverse Founder Personalities

Diversity is a hallmark of human nature and extends to founders. We can observe stark differences in how founders approach the limelight. Some, like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, readily grace headlines and media platforms, basking in the public eye.

Conversely, some founders, such as Larry Page of Google and Larry Ellison of Oracle, prefer to maintain a low profile, engaging with journalists and media only when necessary. If you align more with the latter group—choosing to avoid the media spotlight while still desiring to see your brand in the news—a solution emerges.

Solution: The expertise of a PR team comes to the forefront here. They serve as the bridge between your brand and the media, ensuring your startup and the CEO receives the press attention it rightfully deserves. The narrative surrounding your company is meticulously crafted and tailored to align precisely with your preferences, preserving your desired image in the public eye.

Ensuring Your Startup is PR-Ready

Regrettably, it’s not uncommon for startup founders to underestimate the complexities of effective publicity management. This can lead to premature initiation of PR campaigns and ultimately disappointing outcomes. Rushing in without due preparation serves no purpose, so you need to gauge your startup’s readiness for a PR campaign. Here’s a comprehensive checklist to help you with that evaluation:

● Product/Service Maturity:

Ensure your product or service is fully developed and operates without glitches. Public engagement should yield positive feedback.

● Clear PR Objectives:

Articulate precise goals you aim to achieve through PR. Different PR tactics, including B2B Tech PR, align with varying objectives, and strategies can vary based on funding stages. Undertaking PR with well-defined goals is a worthwhile endeavor.

● Concise Company Description:

Have a brief, clear description of your product or service that distinguishes it from competitors. It should be instantly understandable to journalists, potential clients, and investors. Additionally, consider translating this description into languages relevant to your target markets.

● Mission, Vision, and Key Messages:

Define your startup’s mission, vision, and key messages. These elements enhance your company’s memorability and resonance.

● Tone and Consistency:

Establish an appropriate tone of voice and maintain consistency across all text materials, including your website, social media, and newsletters. Alignment with your communication strategy is imperative for public-facing content.

● Social Media and Blog Alignment:

Ensure your social media accounts and blogs align with your current messaging and convey your company’s identity and offerings effectively. They will be scrutinized by journalists, potential customers, existing clients, and investors.

● Online Presence of Representatives:

The online presence of individuals representing your company matters. Invest in properly curated social media profiles, as anyone can research your business online. Emphasize the importance of this to your team.

● Speaker Positioning:

Define the specific topics each speaker within your startup will cover as an expert. This positioning should be communicated to reporters and editors.

● Professional Speaker Profiles:

Ensure speakers have professionally shot photographs and concise bios. Journalists may request these assets when preparing publications about your company. Proper introductions in interviews leave a lasting impression.

● Exclusive Data and Analytics:

Be prepared to share exclusive data and analytics. This enhances credibility and captivates journalists who seek fresh, unique content for their audiences.

Incorporating these elements into your PR readiness checklist can significantly bolster your startup’s preparedness for a successful PR campaign.

The Dilemma of Smaller Startups and PR Agencies

Engaging a public relations agency can often take time and effort for smaller startups, primarily due to most agencies’ seemingly overwhelming retainer fees. Juggling the essential day-to-day operations of a budding venture while also attempting to bootstrap PR efforts can prove to be an intricate balancing act. In such circumstances, effective communication with the media becomes a challenging endeavor.

An appealing alternative is to seek out a PR agency specializing in startups, particularly those in their early stages. Such agencies tend to possess an acute understanding of their client’s unique needs and challenges, often offering flexible contract terms that align with budgetary constraints. The key here is to identify a KPI-driven PR firm. With them, you can establish achievable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with your financial capacity. As your startup evolves and prospers, you can incrementally elevate these KPIs.

It’s imperative to remember that PR, while a potent tool, operates on a different time scale. It’s not a magic wand that conjures instant success. However, tech PR can potentially wield significant influence when approached strategically and patiently, aiding early-stage startups in realizing their pivotal objectives.

Final Thoughts

The journey of integrating public relations into the growth strategy of a startup, especially for smaller and early-stage companies, is indeed a multifaceted one. It demands a delicate balance between resources, goals, and timing. The decision to engage a PR agency, particularly one well-versed in the needs of startups, can be a pivotal step in navigating this terrain effectively.

While the retainer fees may appear formidable, the potential benefits of media visibility and credibility are worth the investment. Furthermore, setting realistic and adaptable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) must be balanced, allowing startups to align their PR efforts with their financial capabilities and scale as they grow.

Above all, patience remains the bedrock of successful PR endeavors. It’s a journey that unfolds over time, one that may not yield instant results but, when approached strategically, holds the promise of elevating early-stage startups toward their overarching goals. The power of PR lies not only in the stories it tells but also in its enduring impact on a startup’s trajectory toward success.

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Why Is PR So Expensive?

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I have a friend who once described PR as the “dark arts,” and while I completely disagree with that assessment, what he was getting at is he really didn’t understand how PR works. Reputable PR firms are the opposite of “dark arts”; they’re very transparent. There are some tools of the trade that PR agencies keep close to themselves, but really, there isn’t anything magical about HOW PR works; it’s just a specific combination of relationships, hard work, strategy, and culture. And that specific combination takes a long time to acquire, requiring commitment to the craft. But why PR is expensive isn’t because of human hours worked. Ultimately, there is a price to the human capital, but that’s not really why PR is expensive.

So, Why Is PR Expensive?

PR is expensive because the outcomes are so important and relevant. PR’s lasting value is in improving a brand’s reputation like no other marketing lever can. For companies wanting to be acquired or IPO, your PR investment ROI could be hundreds of millions of dollars.  PR outcomes range from high valuations at IPO or during capital raises to making advertising more efficient and reducing time to sale for both B2B and B2C customers. In short, it’s not unusual for PR outcomes to be more than 10X the investment. To 10X investment, the most impactful PR aligns with trust and loyalty, which requires consistency.

For many ambitious companies, the long-term benefits of PR are sometimes forgotten, and yet that can be considerable. Due in part to high marketing budgets during the pandemic, brand valuations increased dramatically in 2023 – from 6.3% growth to 9.7% growth.

 

What is a Good PR Budget?

When considering your PR agency budget, your budget should match your goals. If you’re trying to grow your business, your overall marketing budget and PR should increase.

As of the fall of 2023, according to The CMO Survey, the average marketing budget was 10.6% of budget and 9.2% of revenues. For companies with $10-$25 million in revenue, the average spend was 15.5% of revenues. So, if you’re looking to be above average, your overall marketing budget should be higher than that. For companies under $10 million in revenue, the number was 19% of revenue. And consumer packaged goods reported spending 25% of their budget on marketing and PR.

If you’re an ambitious brand or fast-growing company, your budget could be 25% of revenue – is that aggressive? Yes. It is. Again, that’s a budget to grow considerably. A good rule of thumb for your budget might break down like this: 20% content, 20% advertising, 20% PR, 20% SEO, 20% activations.

While your distribution might vary depending on your goals – for example, if you’re raising money or looking for a M/A event, you might skip advertising all altogether and move that to PR and content. Alternatively, if you’re a consumer brand,  you might increase the content and advertising portions and focus your PR budget on certain campaigns. Emerging industries may need larger PR budgets because they need to create public and investor trust.

Based on the rates of PR agencies your budget may be higher or lower based on the experience level of your agency team. Naturally, less seasoned agency teams will be less expensive. But it’s probably more important for you to budget based on your goals.

If you’re ambitious or seeking investment or pre-IPO, your marketing budget should match those very important objectives and allocate 12%-17% of revenues or target valuations to marketing, with a third of that, at least, going to PR. Depending on whether you’re a B2B or B2C company.

How Does PR Make a Company More Competitive?

68% of CMOs reported expecting more intense customer rivalry in the coming year. In B2B segments, that number increased to 73%, with 61% expecting more innovation. By themselves, even new products don’t excite people without a story. If your company is new, you need to define a compelling story, and you need to tell it over and over. Whether you’re a tech company, or a consumer product company, PR is a key part of how people discover new products.

According to Nielson, global CMOs said brand recall was the #1 most important goal in media. Advertising is ubiquitous, and advertising is an important part of any marketing budget. After a while, ads blend in a social feed or even on TV. But if your product or CEO is in a magazine, people remember that. They might not even remember WHAT was said, they’ll remember that they saw it there. Brand recall is critical to the sales funnel. If people can’t remember your company, how will they purchase from it?

PR’s lasting impact is its value, including the fact that earned media lives forever. Less than 1% of companies ever get PR for their company, so by being in that top 1%, you’ve already differentiated yourself. Can you start a company without PR? Absolutely. Can your company thrive without PR? No. There are no household names without PR at the table, period. There are no industry leaders without PR.

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