..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Bethanie Lunn, 27 runs Huge PR, a rapidly growing PR Company for the fashion, beauty and lifestyle worlds.  As our PR Expert, she offers advice to our members every week...:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Briefing a PR Company

Effective PR campaigns are shaped around a clear PR brief.  Good communication between PR and client is essential in order to establish the objectives, expectations and therefore strategies.  The clearer the understanding, the stronger the results.

Things You Should Do

1. What do you want to achieve? Make the objectives specific.
2. Who are your key audiences?  Establish what market(s) you wish to target.
3. Address the issues and benefits – what are you communicating?
4. What effects do you want the PR campaign to have on your target audiences?
5. Establish as time scale and be realistic – your PR Company should tell you if it is achievable.
6. Explain the dynamics – how does your company work?
7. Media context. What publications and media types will you want your PR Company to target?  Your PR can help with this.
8. Budget carefully. Advise what budget and resources you have to commit to the programme and your PR should work with that.
9. Evaluation. Agree what metrics you will use to evaluate, refine and sharpen communication performance, and how the PR work will be measured in terms of success.

Things You Should Not Do

1. Don't be vague. Don't look for a PR Company to build your business and give you all the ideas, you need a good idea yourself!
2. Don't waste your time or the PR Company's time, a lot of work and research goes into a pitch so ensure you intend to follow through with your intentions…
3. Don't go fishing at the PR Company's expense. Don't use pitches as a means of trawling for ideas. It can take several days to research and prepare proposals.
4. Don't recruit a PR Company based on price alone.  You should look closely at the quality of ideas submitted and how closely they have interpreted your brief, how it is presented, and their intentions to work with you and of course if they have understood and grasped your business.
5. Don't mismatch. Appointing a company whose skill set and experience does not match your needs is doomed to failure for both parties.  Working with a corporate PR Company with no contacts in the fashion industry for instance, will not benefit anyone.  Ask what their specialist areas are.