I Started My Own Agency. Here are 10 Things That Will Help You If You Are Miserable in PR.
PR Friends. I am approaching this from an entrepreneurial mindset. Plain English, this is not the corporate mindset. Its far more creative and open minded and self driven. My journey isn't for everyone but I wanted to list 10 things to consider if you LOVE PR, but hate working for someone else.
When you go out alone, you have the potential to earn as much money as you like. You literally get paid what you are worth and never again have to feel underpaid.
Press releases can be bought in bulk and sold for whatever you deem appropriate in relation to results. If you are just starting out, $400 for done for you non wire and $900 for wire distro are good starting points.
You can pitch news stations in any city in under 8 minutes for clients. I now have 33 confirmed TV placements for clients this way. Twitter is a great way to find journos, producers, and reporters
I have ALWAYS just used social media to find clients. I did a MASSIVE brand upgrade with paid ads, commercials and a new website. My first ad got 18 leads in about a week. No sales yet, but next one will be more targeted.
If you know enough people, you can create a network of podcasters, magazine owners, and reporters. This makes for some VERY fast wins early campaign.
Owning your own media platform is a HUGE win. I started a business magazine that has brought in tens of thousands of dollars in ads and paid features. Always have a "this is sponsored content" moniker for journo integrity. You don't have to be fancy. My buddy started interviewing people just using FB live and uploading to YT. He now has three MILLION downloads. The MINUTE you have a regular show, magazine, blog, podcast, etc you can sell advertising. Just be honest about your audience size and focus on the positives. Never lie.
Get a good feel of baseline which means your average results for a client. I found that tech and startups were very difficult to take on as clients and to never work with assholes or mean girls.
Brand yourself well with bright colors, success stories, fun fonts and a FIRE ass logo. Be confident but never over promising. Overforecasting results will just lead to bad reviews, refund requests, and a bad online reputation. You dont want to get skewered online like Baden Bower or OtterPR. (both earned their awful reviews with bait and switch practices).
Create blue ocean thinking. I promote other PR people all the time and train anyone free or steer them to my membership site if they need long term guidance. Everyone has different skillsets, offerings, price points, etc and many PR people have interviewed my clients.
If you want this to work, BE A BOUTIQUE SERVICE. I should not be able to ever hire you for $100. If you are nervous about failing or about your results, stick with basics till you get confidence. This took me a DECADE to build up everything but 2025 is looking amazing.
Hope this helps, remember it CAN be done. - Rob