Outsourcing your public relations efforts is a huge step. It means placing your reputation and how external stakeholders perceive your company in somebody else’s hands.

That’s why it’s unfortunate that so many ‘PR proposals’ are littered with buzzwords and cliches, rather than providing a clearly defined strategy to achieve your businesses objectives.

So, instead of blindly trusting the ‘Innovative Public Relations Strategic Communications Proposal Plan’ which lands on your desk or inbox, look out for the following points which may be a sign that the next PR proposal you read is the one to drive your business forward!  

Audit 

Establishing the current state of play and relevant background information is the first stake in the ground when it comes to a good PR proposal. After all, how do you know where you are going without knowing where you are now? 

That’s why all good PR proposals provide a snapshot of where the company is now, not just in relation to its PR strategy, but also your business objectives, external market factors and some of the issues the business is currently experiencing.  

Metrics 

Although you may get a feeling your PR campaign was a success story, it’s important that the facts and figures back it up. Without these metrics, it’s impossible to quantify what the campaign sets out to achieve, and subsequently define how effective it was.

An effective plan identifies which key performance indicators will be used to focus and evaluate the campaign. These may include influencer engagement statistics, number of award submissions, media values, SEO metrics or event attendance. 

Timing 

Ineffective PR campaigns are set at an arbitrary date, or at best at a date which works for a firm’s internal team. However, with some careful planning, companies can maximise a launch, press release or social media post by capitalising on other relevant events. 

Well thought about PR proposals however will consider any other events or key dates where communications can take place. Or perhaps there is a relevant current affair which overlaps with the announcement? Or maybe there is a relevant partner announcement coming up where both companies can announce the news simultaneously?  

Case studies 

A company may say that they have a track record of delivering high-quality PR campaigns, but a good proposal will show previous examples of how a similar challenge was met. 

Case studies clearly outline what the challenge was, how this was resolved, followed by a list of results. This brings alive how what is being proposed will help the company and assures the tactics to be deployed are tried and tested.   

 If you would like to benefit from years of experience to help boost your businesses profile, give us a call on 01926 832395 or email hello@redmarlin.co.uk.