As your organization has grown, you have probably asked yourself “Should we manage public relations in-house, or should we hire a public relations firm?”
It’s a tough question, and it can depend on your situation. But to start toward an answer, let’s start with some questions: What is in-house PR? What is a public relations firm? What’s the difference?
What is in-house public relations?
Some organizations are perfectly happy to have their PR needs handled by someone in-house. It usually falls on the shoulders of someone in the marketing department or a staffer whose sole job is to handle public relations.
Advantages of in-house PR
Cost
At first glance, the biggest advantage is cost. If PR duties are delegated to an existing staffer, the manpower costs you nothing more. The only added expense are the tools your staffer needs to produce or distribute information, e.g. photos, graphics, video, distribution services.
Industry familiarity
If you face a public relations need like a new product roll-out or significant product change that requires publicity support, you already have someone on staff who knows the ins and outs of your industry and can be relied upon tell your story succinctly and clearly.
Control
It is easier to monitor what someone is doing when they are based in your organization. Also, you have no confidentiality issues to worry about.
What does a public relations firm do?
When you rely on the services of a PR firm, you significantly strengthen your ability to use publicity as a meaningful marketing tool.
Advantages of a PR firm
A team of professionals
You can capitalize on the marketing experience of an entire PR organization, as opposed to one or two people who likely will defer to whatever management thinks they should do.
Outside insights
A PR firm can borrow ideas and successful strategies used in other industries that may be new to your industry.
Professional outreach
An in-house staffer may be good at writing but unacquainted with how to most effectively distribute your information to the widest and most useful journalistic audiences.
Additional PR skills and tools.
A PR firm provides additional skills and services that include:
- Social media
- SEO
- Crisis communications
- Media training and audience analysis
Further, PR firms already have an arsenal of tools at their command, like distribution services and affordable, qualified resources for support services.
Focused attention
A lone PR staffer’s job generally has to take on non-PR marketing-related tasks that diminishes their effectiveness in their PR role.
Objective advice
PR staffers naturally say “yes,” in order to please management. PR firms will occasionally push back with frank, candid answers that are influenced by the firm’s wider experience in the marketing arena.
Can you combine in-house PR and a PR agency?
What if there was a way to gain the advantage of a less-costly PR staffer AND the services of a qualified PR firm?
There are two ways to gain the advantage of a PR firm without adding full-time service costs.
Monthly retainer
One is to maintain PR firm availability on a monthly retainer. It doesn’t have to cost much, but a retainer can provide you with immediate access to the services of a PR firm without having to go through a long startup period. Generally, the retainer will provide a minimal number of dedicated hours with any hours over the retainer fee billed by the hour, plus out-of-pocket expenses.
Special projects
The second way to capitalize on a PR firm’s abilities is to negotiate a special project fee. Grand openings, new product rollouts and special events all represent the kinds of special projects a PR firm routinely handles on project fee basis.
The costs for project management have to be negotiated, but the costs can be manageable and under the direction of your marketing or PR staffer.
Work with an experienced Florida public relations firm
As 2026 rounds to Q2, take a second look at your marketing plan and determine if you can strengthen your overall marketing with a dose of publicity and PR that might be lacking.
Whether you delegate PR to an-house staffer, a PR firm, or use a PR firm for a special project is governed by your needs and your budget.
If you are uncertain which way to go, give us a call at Wellons Communications and we will be happy to talk it over with you and give you our candid recommendation. You can reach us at 407-339-0879…and we are ready to listen.