As is the case with most things in life, using either a PR agency or having an in-house PR team comes with some positives and negatives.
We have decided to take a look at both PR methods to show you the pros and cons of each.
In-house Positives
Focus
Probably the main advantage of having an internal PR department is that the team will focus only on the company products and its markets. They won’t be distracted by any external projects.
Cost
In-house means having only one client.
This gets rid of many of the elevated costs found with PR agencies and having to deal with several organisations
Time
The time is all dedicated to you.
An in-house PR department can enjoy the luxury of having all the time it needs to find PR solutions.
In-house Negatives
Less reach/contacts
If you have an in-house PR department, they may not have as big of a contacts list as a PR agency would, meaning the reach could possibly be limited.
Skills
The skills of employees working with an in-house PR department are likely to be broad, rather than having certain people specialising in certain areas of PR.
Productivity
Employees may have to devote some of their time to PR work and some of their time to other aspects of work, meaning that productivity could suffer.
PR Agency Positives
Strength in numbers
PR agencies can have a large number of employees.
This allows them to have multiple ideas from multiple sources on the best way to improve a client’s relationship with the public.
Contacts
A successful PR agency has the power to contact many influential members of the media.
This can be a huge benefit to any organisation that wants to improve its relationship with the public.
Know-how
A good PR company will have skilled, experienced and knowledgeable employees who have the know-how to improve various client’s relationship with the public.
PR Agency Negatives
Cost & Focus
These two negatives go hand in hand.
PR agencies are independent companies. They can have large numbers of employees. This can result in it being costly to obtain their services.
PR companies may also take longer to solve your issues, as they will be dealing with other clients’ problems too.
This means they could take longer and end up costing more money.
About MediaHQ
Designed for PR and Communications teams, MediaHQ is the all-in-one media contacts database and press release distribution software with the mission to connect your story with your audience. It was founded by entrepreneur Jack Murray in 2009.
Our cutting-edge software is the best, fastest and most accurate way to find the right journalists, build media and pitch lists in seconds, send press releases and get results.
The comprehensive MediaHQ database lists the details of every journalist, and media outlet in the UK and Ireland and is full of time-saving features.
More About Jack
Jack is a media innovator with over 20 years’ experience at the most senior level in the Irish communications industry. He has worked in marketing, journalism, and media relations. He is a former political spokesperson and government advisor, as well as an award-winning corporate PR practitioner.
