Comments on: Save Money, Fire Your PR Agency http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/10/15/save-money-fire-your-pr-agency/ News, opinion, and fresh thinking for web developers and designers. The official podcast of sitepoint.com. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:54:05 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: paulmay http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/10/15/save-money-fire-your-pr-agency/comment-page-1/#comment-809670 paulmay Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:35:36 +0000 http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/?p=3090#comment-809670 Nice post. I'd even take it a step farther and say it's more than just a cost issue, it's a quality issue. No doubt there are great PR people out there, but my feeling is that, for most companies that fit the profile you're describing, they'll get better results through social media participation, DIY PR and link building. The entrepreneur is going to be more focused on the things that actually move the needle for the business and an agency's goals don't always align with the entrepreneurs. I also feel like doing this well is too important to outsource to an agency. As a small business, your success depends on showing up everywhere your prospects go to get info on your product category. The way you do this is by building relationships (by blogging, commenting on blogs, using twitter, conducting blogger outreach, link building for SEO,etc). Why outsource something that's so core to the success of the business?...seems short-sighted to let someone else build and own those relationships. Nice post. I’d even take it a step farther and say it’s more than just a cost issue, it’s a quality issue. No doubt there are great PR people out there, but my feeling is that, for most companies that fit the profile you’re describing, they’ll get better results through social media participation, DIY PR and link building. The entrepreneur is going to be more focused on the things that actually move the needle for the business and an agency’s goals don’t always align with the entrepreneurs.

I also feel like doing this well is too important to outsource to an agency. As a small business, your success depends on showing up everywhere your prospects go to get info on your product category. The way you do this is by building relationships (by blogging, commenting on blogs, using twitter, conducting blogger outreach, link building for SEO,etc). Why outsource something that’s so core to the success of the business?…seems short-sighted to let someone else build and own those relationships.

]]> By: Josh Catone http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/10/15/save-money-fire-your-pr-agency/comment-page-1/#comment-809529 Josh Catone Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:44:50 +0000 http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/?p=3090#comment-809529 @Atul: Yes, time is definitely a consideration. But I think for many early stage web startups, seeking gobs of press attention every week isn't necessary and is possibly counter productive. So they're not likely to need to go out an proactive pitch the press and bloggers all that often over the next 6 months -- or they shouldn't have to. I guess the question ultimately boils down to: what can I do myself for less than $10,000 - $15,000 per month of my time. @Atul: Yes, time is definitely a consideration. But I think for many early stage web startups, seeking gobs of press attention every week isn’t necessary and is possibly counter productive. So they’re not likely to need to go out an proactive pitch the press and bloggers all that often over the next 6 months — or they shouldn’t have to.

I guess the question ultimately boils down to: what can I do myself for less than $10,000 – $15,000 per month of my time.

]]>