Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I think for the beginning handling the PR on your own is possible and necessary since budgets are tight. But if you plan to expand then out sourcing is a good option so that you can focus on the other important aspects of the business.

I think you need to be getting pretty big to want to hire an outside PR firm, they're pretty expensive if they're any good, if they're cheap you could do it yourself or just hire a part timer or freelance to work a couple days a week. You'll know when you really need professional PR and marketing, like a product goes stratospheric and you get a load of media focus, or you come up with a product that you think can go BIG, and you have the resources to roll it out BIG, you just need the public awareness on a BIG scale, these are the kind of times you start looking at pro PR.

PR firms help in building better corporate relationships and hence in growth of your business as a whole. Thus they do play a crucial role in getting the flow of your customers and building an ethical base for your business to grow.

I agree with the responses on here in that the early stages of PR can be done by yourself. The key is to establish your credibility in the online world. Also, all of the tweeting, blogging and guest blogging you can be doing does wonders for back linking.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham area, and are interested in publicity opportunities for your business, I suggest you check out Techpreneur Spotlight. Details below:

I would like to introduce you to Techpreneur Spotlight, a website created to provide technology entrepreneurs (or techpreneurs) with a go-to resource for PR-specific tools, advice and opportunities. With Techpreneur Spotlight, entrepreneurs can gain exposure by posting their start-up news for more visibility with key influencers, such as other like-minded entrepreneurs, investors and media.

Specific opportunities from which entrepreneurs can benefit include:

·         Submit a Press Release: registered users can post their press releases at no cost to increase search engine optimization and gain further visibility.

·         Expert Resource Profiles: registered users can submit “Expert Resources” searchable by media to identify experts in different industries.

·         How-To Articles:  a collection of best-practice articles intended to help techpreneurs learn more about PR and other topics relevant to their success.

·         PR Opportunities: a collection of published opportunities including editorial, speaking and award opportunities users can pursue on their own or with help from Crossroads PR.

·         Techpreneur Insight: tips, lessons learned, and best practices from entrepreneurial experts (e.g., Chris Heivly of Triangle Startup Factory, Dhruv Patel of CED and Adam Klein formerly of Durham’s Startup Stampede).

·         Techpreneur Spotlight: monthly feature highlighting local entrepreneurs.

Want to  share your experiences, feedback and advice for other techpreneurs? Join us as a guest blogger! We are also looking for entrepreneurs who want to participate in a Q&A.

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PR firms are basically required to get exposure of your business to mass and getting more people aware of your products and thus making it easier to sell. PR is more than just managing media contacts or issue of press releases, especially when it comes for small businesses that lack profile and reach. PR not only builds recognition but also enhances sales. 

If you're thinking of taking on all or some of the PR yourself, check out Joan Stewart at publicityhound.com. She's got amazing tips & tricks for small business owners, nonprofit executives, authors, speakers, experts, corporate PR pros, publicists and marketers who need online visibility as well as print and broadcast publicity.

Do you have $5K-$10K/month to invest in your PR. That's where you'd start with an agency so if you want to outsource go with a freelancer/solo publicist.

Well, If it's just a start up and you have enough funds and time on your hands, then you could manage on your own. However if you're looking to grow and cant exactly concentrate on the PR then you could handover to an agency.