← Insights

Whether you are looking for a full-service agency or an independent public relations consultant, a few steps will tell you whether the people you are considering understand your market, have real relationships with the trade media and value quality writing.

Hire the consultant you would trust to work inside your company.

Ask the editors, not the sales reps

Media sales reps are good at naming agencies that work in the construction industry, but they are not the ones being pitched every week. Editors are. Ask the editors of the publications your customers read who sends them material they actually use. Their answers will be short and specific.

Read the writing samples

Ask for samples and then read them all the way through. Does the press release inform? Does the article provide value to a contractor or a dealer? Does the content make you want to keep reading to the end? If you find yourself skimming, so will an editor.

Do not be dazzled by placement numbers

Placements and return-on-investment charts are easy to produce and easy to inflate. A hundred placements of a boilerplate release in outlets nobody reads is not the same as one feature article in the publication your customers trust. Ask to see the actual placements and judge the quality yourself.

Look for signs of real expertise

A few questions worth asking directly:

• Does the consultant have the respect of the editors and other communications professionals in the industry?
• Do they know anything about your company, your products, your market and your customers? Can they write to your audience?
• Are they reading the publications they plan to pitch?
• Do they use editorial calendars to shape pitch ideas and create new content opportunities?
• Are they invested in doing the work, or mainly interested in the retainer?
• Do they hit your deadlines and, just as important, the editors' deadlines?

Trust your judgment

At the end of the day you need a PR partner you are comfortable having represent your brand. A simple test: if you would not hire this person to work inside your company, do not let them speak for it outside of it.

We are happy to answer every one of those questions about ourselves. Visit our ‣ page to start the conversation.