Every business in the world can benefit from good PR. This is why it’s such a big and prosperous industry. As a result, there are many PR pros that often contemplate starting their own firms. Regardless of their experience, it’s seen as a tantalising idea. You don’t have to be someone that’s worked in this industry for years to start a firm. All that’s needed is a passion for PR, and tireless dedication.

If you fancy taking up a new challenge, then this may be a great idea for you. Instead of committing to a typical PR job, why not start an agency yourself? We know that there’s a huge demand for public relations help, so, the market is there for the taking.

However, before you start jumping into anything, it’s important you take everything into consideration. Starting your own public relations business won’t be easy work, and you have to be dedicated. For anyone out there that fancies tackling this tough task, I’ve written a guide to help you. If you carry on reading, you’ll find everything the need to know about starting a PR agency.

Understand The Industry Inside And Out

Before you even think about things like startup costs, you need to ask yourself one question. Do you know enough about the PR industry? If you’ve worked in it for a long time, then you may have plenty of knowledge built up. This knowledge is essential if you want to build a successful agency of your own. For starters, it helps bring a sense of structure to the company. If you know what you’re doing, then you’ll already have a  decent plan formulated in your head. You’ll know the tactics to use that will get you the most clients possible. Plus, if you know the industry, then you’ll likely have a few potential clients up your sleeve already. So, your agency can hit the ground running.

But, you also need this knowledge because it helps with other essential parts of running a business. If you’ve worked in this industry for a long time, then you’ll have a good idea of how things go. You’ll know the basic price structures for various PR services. As a result, you know how to price your agency services. This prevents you from over or underpricing in the early stages. There are many PR agencies that pop up and charge ridiculous fees for their services. Do they succeed? No, because everyone will go for the agencies that offer more competitive prices. If they’d known what the current prices are like in the industry, then they would have set their more realistically. Knowledge is power, so make sure you know the PR industry inside and out before starting your company.

Who You Know Is Just As Important As What You Know

In the world of PR, who you know is equally as important as what you know. Sure, you may know everything about this industry, but do you have any contacts? PR is built around the contacts you have and the ones you need. If you’re experienced, then you should have lots of contacts that will help you out.

Most importantly, you need to be friendly with people in the media. If you know people from media organisations, then your job will be a lot easier. You have a direct line to various publications and outlets. This will come in very handy when you have a client that needs more coverage in the public eye.

Think About Everything Behind The Scenes

When you think about starting a PR agency, it’s easy to get carried away with the public relations side of things. After all, it’s the main focus of your company. However, you can’t neglect all the things that go on behind the scenes. There are many additional things you have to think about for your business to be a success.

For example, you need to have an accounting system in place. There must be a way for you to log all the payments coming in and out of your company. Let’s assume that you’re a PR expert, so, accounting probably isn’t your strong point. You may have to outsource and get an agency in to help you with this. It seems like a drag, but it’s an essential part of every business.

Similarly, you have to consider your IT system too. If you want your business to provide great customer support, then you must invest in the latest technology. This means having a great IT infrastructure in place for your business. Again, you may have no clue about any of this, and will need some help. Thankfully, you can outsource to companies and get a virtual IT director to handle things for you. They’ll provide support and ensure this side of your business runs smoothly.

In addition to this, you’ll need to think about branding. How will your PR agency make it if no one knows you exist? You’ll need a graphic designer to come aboard and design a logo for you. It has to stand out and make people notice your agency. Then, you need to get your marketing hat on and promote your company. Get your brand out there, and make sure as many people know about you as possible. A solid marketing strategy, combined with your existing PR knowledge and contacts, will drive you to success.

As you can see, there are many things that go on behind the scenes of a PR agency. Not everything is about public relations! While that may be your focus, you can’t forget about everything else as well.

Hire The Best To Be The Best

Starting a PR agency and trying to take on the world sounds like a good plan. However, it’s very rare that someone will do that on their own. If you’re running a one-person operation, then there’s no way you can have as much success as possible. It’s physically impossible for you to compete with another agency that employees plenty of people. They have more manpower, and will end up dominating you.

The solution to this is simple; you have to hire some people to help you. Remember those contacts you spend a lot of time getting? Now’s the time to put them to good use. If you’re a seasoned PR pro, then you may have lots of respect within the industry. It might be easy for you to tempt some of the best agents to join your business. Many people are excited at the thought of joining a new company and being part of a new challenge. Have a snoop around and try and get some of the best talents on board.

Also, I mentioned right at the start that this industry is hard for newcomers. People that want to get a job in PR will find it difficult. But, this presents a great opportunity for you. You need staff, and there are tonnes of people out there looking for a first job in PR. Who knows, they could potentially be the next big thing in this industry? Someone needs to give them a chance, right? You can bring some new talent on board and mentor them.  Shape them into the best PR agents around, and grow your company with them. If you don’t want to take this risk, then you can always bring them on as interns. Have them there temporarily to see how they do, then hire them full-time if you like what you see.

With some staff on board, your business can move in the right direction. The other benefit of hiring staff is that they may have some contacts too. So, you expand your horizons and grow your database.

If you don’t have many contacts, then don’t worry. Spend plenty of time networking and increasing your links. You can go to PR events and start chatting to people there to try and form friendships. Or, join certain organisations that are reserved for Public Relations workers. You can even get on LinkedIn and try to network online. All of these are great ways to try and increase the number of contacts you have. By talking to other professionals, they may give you leads or point you in the right direction. Plus, they could recommend media contacts for you too, so it’s a win-win. In my opinion, you should do this before you start your business. Before you’ve paid for anything, spend lots of time networking, it will help you out a lot. This means you won’t waste time trying to get contacts when your business is up and running.

Final Thoughts

I’ll end this piece by giving a few of my final thoughts on the matter. I think that starting a PR agency is a great idea for some people. If you’re sick of working for someone else, then this is a great alternative for you. Or, if you want to start a career from the ground up, then it’s also a viable option.

However, you must remember that the process can be long and tricky. If you follow all the advice in this piece, then it might make things easier for you.