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The Terrible truth about PR

startuperstartuper subscriber Posts: 6 Member
in Public Relations
I have started a lot of companies and have used Public Relations to "Try" and get the word out about our companies. Every campaign we did produced media engagement but resulted in very poor results. An article on Inc.com only got us 7 visitors to our website and no engagement. We have been on CNBC, Tech Talk Radio, NPR Radio and in tons of other news media publications with nothing to show for it. It was single handedly the biggest waste of ad dollars that we have ever spent. Unless you have the most amazing news worthy product, you can't count on a huge ROI using public relations. It has been such a faliure in the past that we no longer even consider public relations as a viable launch strategy or marketing tool.
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    Ryan O'BlenessRyan O'Bleness administrator Posts: 1,137 Site Admin
    @startuper, I'll have to disagree, but each case varies. Different vehicles work better for different companies when it comes to marketing, branding, adverting and PR. 

    I wouldn't throw everything PR-related out of the window, but you can be successful with a small budget against it using an earned media and grass roots approach. 

    Build relationships with journalists, earn their trust and then get the exposure from the audience. Use large internet forums such as Quora and Reddit to position yourself as a brand authority. Create pieces of multimedia content such as videos and podcasts and share them on your social platforms and social groups. Find micro-influencers who aren't expensive to endorse your products on social media. Participate in industry trade shows. These are all strategies that cost very little and have been wildly successful for many companies. 

    Also, I would recommend reading this article on StartupNation by Dmitry Dragilev, 7 Bulletproof Steps to get Press for your Startup: https://goo.gl/YYywBN

    So, all I am saying is just cover all of your bases before you throw out PR completely, and know you don't have to put a huge budget behind it. But, you are right that it may not work for everybody. 
    Ryan O'Bleness
    Community Manager
    StartupNation, LLC
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    startupfounder1startupfounder1 subscriber Posts: 4 Member
    PR on what level? do you mean internet "agencies" or real PR agencies?
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    AvrilAvril subscriber Posts: 6 Member
    I think you didn't select the correct tools. to get website traffic, i wouldn't go to PR, but to digital marketer firm.
    It’s really shame all of the buzz you made with CNBC, Tech Talk Radio, NPR etc..
    Didn’t came with results. I’m sure that investing your money differently could make a big difference. Influence marketing in this case would probably work better.
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    publicspeakerpublicspeaker subscriber Posts: 19 Bronze Level Member

    You should really understand first what is the role of Public relations company and a digital marketing firm, You need to decide your end goal for your company and then should approach the right agency which will be beneficial for your company, Without having proper knowledge is dangerous which will only lead you to disappointments. So, Choose wisely.

    PR Firm In Mumbai

    PR For Education

    PR For Healthcare

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