EGAL Good publicity can be worth its weight in gold to a new business, but too many entrepreneurs have spent small fortunes on public relations with little or nothing to show for it. Of course, the issue for many start-ups isn't what to do, but whether they can afford to do PR at all. If you decide to take the PR plunge, your strategy will depend in large part on how much you spend.
Many entrepreneurs decide to retain PR agencies rather than hire a full-time employee.
These firms usually can handle a larger workload and provide greater depth and breadth of experience, objectivity and access to a wider range of resources than a single staffer or small PR department. But as numerous entrepreneurs will tell you, working with a PR firm can be a dream come true or a nightmare. Consider the following case studies. Within two weeks, articles mentioning the New York-based company began to appear in major travel, consumer and business publications. In the next several months, the trickle became a flood, resulting in more than 200 stories on or about the company by CNN, Conde Nast Traveler, BusinessWeek and other news organizations.