When selecting an agency, knowing the top three results you can expect from a PR campaign with a winning strategy is essential. Finding the right public relations team that understands your vision and brand and knows how to reach an audience that will be interested in your story or product can feel overwhelming—especially among a sea of companies that either over-commit or only give vague promises on results. But what results should you expect?
Today, I want to uncover what results you can expect from a winning PR strategy when you have the right team on your side.
Regular Thoughtful & Intentional Media Wins From a Strategic PR Campaign
Without a doubt, your top priority will be earned media placements. During the course of your engagement with your PR team, some months may be busier than others. It all depends on the news cycle, how it aligns with your area of expertise, and what topics are trending.
This is when the strategy of a PR campaign comes into play. Even with each variable, you should expect your publicist to bring you regular, thoughtful, and intentional placements. There are no guarantees in public relations because everything we do is dependent on a third-party decision-maker—the media—but good PR agencies can provide case studies and countless clips from past clients to give you a feel for the types of outlets and placements they may land for you. “Guarantees” are a big red flag in this business, and you should have a good sense of your agency’s abilities before signing the engagement agreement.
You know you have a great team with the right strategy when they consistently secure media placements that allow you to share your mission, brand, and expertise with a targeted audience.
Media Appearances From Your PR Campaign Will Gain You Recognition as a Subject Matter Expert
When clients share their appearances on their social media or newsletters, it elevates them in the eyes of their network. To their followers, this cements their expertise and illuminates their gifts and charisma, resulting in new opportunities and engagements as their talents are seen in a new light.
A nice bonus is that media outlets sometimes post backlinks to a guest website, increasing a client’s SEO rankings, which is crucial for long-term success.
New & Creative Ideas To Expand Your Audience
A great publicist is a creative one. A big part of that creativity is exploring where your expertise can add value to grow your audience. It can be easy to stay within the safe and narrow lane of your industry, but life is nuanced, and so are people. So, when an opportunity arises to make your expertise relevant to a new audience, you should trust your publicist. If your publicist isn’t bringing you those ideas, they aren’t doing their job.
For example, if you’re an oncologist and want to discuss your latest book about trends in cancer research, you should be open to new ways of telling that story, like a fitness or food segment, to widen the scope of the conversation, make the segment more engaging, and help you reach a new audience. If you are willing to meet your publicist halfway and try some creative ideas when pitching, you’ll have more opportunities to increase your base.
Bonus Result: Sometimes the Wins From Your PR Campaign Keep Coming
The nature of a PR engagement means that it often takes time between pitching and landing a feature. It’s not unheard of for a client to land a placement after the engagement ends, at which point we always pass along the win with a big congratulations.
In October 2021, we identified Stefani Sassos as a great reporter to cover Lil Mixins. We sent Stefani a product sample, offered the additional details she needed, and kept in contact with her.
Well, we recently woke up to a fun notification that Lil Mixins had made Good Housekeeping’s Editors' Top List of Favorite Products for 2024—THREE YEARS after pitching it!
While this is an exception regarding timelines, this is how some placements work. The timing has to be perfect, and they can land without warning.
I won’t sugarcoat it. Choosing a PR agency is a big decision.
Most agencies, including Cleary Strategies, have a minimum initial time commitment and require a financial investment demonstrating true dedication to the service. With this in mind, it’s no surprise you take the decision seriously and want to see results. So, make sure to select an agency with a creative, strategic approach that aligns with your vision so you don’t miss the moment.