• by Alison Hill , Columnist, November 3, 2016

Congratulations! You’ve just been given the green light to bring more manpower to your PR department. Now the questions are, who, how many, and why? 

Before you can answer those questions, look at your goals: Do you expect a professional team to swoop in and take over a particular program, like the PR for a new television series, with very little supervision? Or do you want an individual with particular expertise, like unit publicity on a film production?

I’d suggest writing a detailed “job description” that specifies the duties. Include personality traits best suited to the type of work. List the expected results, too—as specifically as you can. Goals might include placing a story on a national TV talk show, recruiting celebrities for an event, or doubling social media numbers.

Then begin your search. Typically, your options include: contracting with a worldwide, mid-size, or boutique PR agency; giving assignments to a freelance publicist; or hiring an additional in-house employee. Having been the VP of PR for a major TV brand, an account director at an international PR firm, a freelancer, and the owner of a boutique PR firm, I think I’m uniquely qualified to give my opinion on the pros and cons of all these choices! 

Go Big or Go Home: The worldwide or mid-size agency 

Pros: This is the highest level of strategy and campaign production available.These agencies have amazing resources, with offices across the country or around the world and specialists in all areas: media training, crisis communications, talent relations, special events, and more. You get a deep bench of experience, plus the cachet of the big name (i.e., people return their calls).

Cons: Like a top-notch law firm, big PR firms are extremely expensive (employees are urged to rack up as many billable hours as possible). Big can also mean unwieldy—have those offices in Paris and China been adequately briefed to represent your brand? Can your project make it through their internal red tape? You may also suffer the bait-and-switch: You fall in love with the SVP who pitched you the business, but you haven’t heard from her since she assigned your project to a junior executive. (Note: Always ask to meet the team that you’ll be working with on a daily basis.) 

Best for: Campaigns needing a big national/ international splash; major celebrities; big-budget projects.

Handcrafted: Boutique PR firm

Pros: Here’s where you’ll get hands-on involvement, personal attention, and a true relationship with the owner of the company—no junior staff pitching the press! Boutique agencies are often more nimble and can customize campaigns more than a large agency. (In fact, cookie-cutter practices are definitely frowned upon.)

Boutiques are less expensive than big firms because they use freelancers with particular expertise for a given campaign (e.g., talent relations or top-notch writing skills). Many boutiques work on a retainer that’s often less than the cost of hiring a full-time employee.

Cons: These firms tend to be more niche-oriented. If you need to produce an event at the Cannes Film Festival, you might be better served by a large firm with offices in France. (That said, of course there are boutique agencies that specialize in publicity for this festival.) Boutiques don’t have the wealth of resources at their fingertips for large-scale brainstorming sessions or handling international crises.

Best for: Launching a new product or campaign; smaller campaigns that could get lost in the shuffle at a big agency; sensitive or unique campaigns needing a personal approach.

Solo Artist: Freelancer

Pros: Freelancers tend to have a particular specialty that can fill a key activity in your campaign. They come in, do the job, and leave. You don’t owe them anything beyond a check. They can provide a good solution to a short-term need.

Cons: A freelancer won’t have the same loyalty to your brand as a firm or employee who’s with you for the long haul. They can be hard to reach for follow-up—they move on and don’t look back!

Best for: A specific job on a specific campaign.

The Sure Thing: Employee

Pros: Obviously, a full-time employee is a dedicated resource you can count on. They can be trained to your specifications, and will be more knowledgeable about a brand—even if just by osmosis!—than anyone outside your company. They should be always reachable and available.

Cons: Employees are on your payroll even when you don’t have enough work to keep them fully occupied. (Sure, you can let people go in downtimes, but then you’ll struggle to start up again when a new client comes on board.) Then there’s all that overhead—offices, equipment, health care.

Best for: A company with a dock full of ongoing projects.

Still not sure which way to go? Conduct an initial brainstorm and ask the team or freelancer to write a plan based on the brainstorm. You’ll have to pay for it, of course, but you’ll find out if they’re a good fit without investing too much time or money. 

Finally, I believe that it all boils down to chemistry—can you work effectively with that agency or individual? Believe me, when you’re in the trenches on a tough campaign, that is going to matter more than any other qualification!