Blog - Evolved PR

When is the time right to invest in Pr?

olivia@evolvedpr.com (Olivia Walker) — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:06:23 GMT

May 26

When Is the Time Right to Invest in PR?

For anyone who has ever been the victim of bad timing, you know how frustrating it can be to waste time, energy, and money on an ill-timed endeavor that doesn't pan out.

Yet, anyone who has ever built something from nothing has likely made this mistake at least once, from launching a business before it was truly ready, or realizing too late that an opportunity has passed. It happens often, and in PR, the timing question can be especially nuanced.

Invest too early, and it can be difficult to gain meaningful traction. Without the right story, proof points, or market momentum, PR may feel like a costly effort with little return. But wait too long, and you risk losing your competitive advantage, missing key visibility moments, or allowing others to shape the conversation before you do.

That is why one of the most common questions I help clients and prospective clients navigate is not simply, "Do we need PR?" but "Are we ready for PR right now?" For each brand, company, and individual, that might look entirely different, but as a rule of thumb, here is what I can tell you about how to know if you are too early, too late, or juuuuuuuuuust right.

It may be too early…

The product or service is still changing or doesn't have a clean timeline for launch

We are big fans of pre-launch publicity! In our experience it can dramatically increase adoption and sales, and at the very least, subscribers lined up to know when the new offering does launch! But the timing here is critical. Case in point, we had an awesome client with an awesome new product that we were able to get immediate traction on. People were excited and outlets wanted to learn more. But momentum quickly stalled when one thing after another delayed to product until the time-to-launch became completely obscure. In this case, we aren't able to fully produce the results we were hired to produce and the client walks away with no real tangible results – so everyone loses. Moral of the story? Its best to have a hard date for when you know your offering is going to be available.

The team needs PR to generate new sales

You will hear me repeat this one a lot, because this is the common misconception of PR and one that drives a lot of clients to hire PR firms that ultimately fail. Remember that sales will come as a natural effect of long-term PR, but it is not the immediate goal, nor will it produce big sales traction in short turn around times.

Leadership is not ready to participate in interviews or thought leadership

Perhaps nothing stalls a PR campaign more than a CEO or leader who can't or won't do media interviews. Considering that most media are going to want to talk to the person who launched the company, get their background story, understand their challenges, and create a great rags-to-riches story, you need to have a leader who is ready to talk to outlets and podcasts. Without this element, it not only severely limits the narratives we can pitch, but it makes it really awkward when an interested journalist has to be declined because they want to incorporate a thought leader perspective.

You have no other established avenues

If you have no proof points, no clear audience or positioning, no social media, and no pre-existing credibility, it would be hard for any PR firm to come in and gain immediate traction. While we have helped companies create these grassroots efforts from nothing, if you are on a budget, it would be best to have these established in advance, otherwise you can expect to spend the first few months of a PR campaign getting these off the ground.

Of course, a lighter PR foundation may still help at these stages, such as messaging, founder positioning, media training, or content strategy, the likelihood of getting real, meaningful placements might still be some months off. Our recommendation? Before pursuing full-scale PR – especially if you are on a budget – make sure your social media accounts are active, your website is up (Or you have an "coming soon" page with "subscribe now" actions), you can clearly define your competitive advantage, and that there is nothing stopping leadership from being able to share their origin stories openly and often.

It may be too late…

If a crisis is well underway or long gone

I had a client recently that waited over 2 years after the media had dragged them through the mud before reaching out to me. By this time, media were not only no longer interested in the story, but when opportunities did present themselves, the client was too afraid or embarrassed to go on the record to discuss the story – halting progress and making our jobs immensely more difficult. In this case, the damage was irreversible no matter how much they paid a PR firm to represent them. Meanwhile, any client who has reached out to me within hours or days after a story broke was (In my humble opinion) about 90% more likely to control the situation and narrative, leading to more positive outcomes.

If competitors now have the edge

Being early is not always possible, but it does help when you are looking to edge out competition. We had a client recently that had been in business for some 50 years. During that time there had been no investment in PR, but when a new competitor emerged (And was showing up everywhere from local news to top-tier broadcast television shows) and began consuming a large portion of their sales, they knew they had to do something to regain their edge. Unfortunately for them, they wanted to repeat many of the publicity stories their competitor was sharing, which did nothing to separate them nor provide them with the same media opportunities. Eventually, they had to go back for a complete rebrand in order to stay relevant in a changing industry.

In many cases, being too late doesn't mean nothing more is possible. If others in your market are becoming the go-to voices, PR can help you reclaim narrative space and position your company more strategically. You don't need to be the first on scene, but you do know how to make the most of the opportunities available to you.

Signs you are ready…

You have a clear story to tell.

You can explain what you do, why it matters, who it helps, and what makes you different without sounding generic. Often clients have multiple stories or aren't sure how their current stories apply to a larger narrative. This is when talking to an expert can be helpful, but generally, if you can say "This would be helpful or interesting for others to know" then you have the foundation for a usable story.

You have proof of momentum.

This could be customer growth, funding, partnerships, product traction, revenue milestones, awards, case studies, or strong founder expertise. On its own, it often needs a little fluff to make it sexy enough for journalists, but it's a good basis to attach to industry trends and market insights for a more powerful angle.

You are entering a visible growth phase.

PR can be especially valuable around launches, market expansion, fundraising, executive hires, new research, or major partnerships. Sharing this sort of news can be great for industry positioning, amplifying authority, and demonstrating leadership (through success metrics). Even better if it manages to impact the larger community, which can improve message reach, local reporter interest, and audience engagement.

You need to build trust with a specific audience.

PR is useful when credibility matters: investors, customers, partners, talent, regulators, or industry peers. Many of our clients choose to implement PR a month or two before a big raise, or ahead of a big talent acquisition or new product launch. This often helps increase awareness and credibility, leading to greater investment potential or initial sales. After all, a company that starts a campaign three months before a major launch is usually in a stronger position than one that starts three days before.

You have leadership with a point of view.

Strong PR is not only about company announcements. It is also about ideas, perspective, and authority. In fact, this is one of our strongest assets. A leader who can and will speak to outlets, podcasts, and broadcast news are far more likely to get their brand coverage. In some instances, I have seen clients pass this on to CMO's or CFO's, but as the face of the company, it's the CEO who should be ready to go on record, unless a particular situation requires a different expert.

In Summary

The right time often doesn't feel 100% perfect.

The good news is that you do not have to guess. If you have a clear story, proof that people care, and a strategic moment worth amplifying, PR can become one of the most valuable tools for building trust, authority, and long-term brand recognition.

If you're not sure whether your business is in the right place to invest in PR, that's exactly the kind of question worth talking through before you spend the money. Reach out to our team to schedule a strategy call, and we'll help you assess where you are, what opportunities may be available, and how you can move forward with a PR strategy that actually makes sense for your stage of growth.

PR Pricing: A guide for buyers

olivia@evolvedpr.com (Olivia Walker) — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 09:41:29 GMT

May 17

PR Pricing: A Guide for Buyers

PR Pricing: A complete guide for first-time buyers

Having been in this industry a long time, I often hear the same questions, hesitations, misunderstandings, and concerns arise from first time PR buyers. By the time they reach me, most are aware that they need to increase their visibility and credibility in a way that standard marketing just can't do, but they don't know where to start. They have a meaningful story, a product/service that sells, and a valuable offer that they want to get in front of a larger audience. In this case, incorporating PR is a smart decision, since leveraging trusted third-party voices works to amplify a narrative, build trust, and improve industry positioning.

In fact, studies show that 64% of buyers say a company's thought leadership content is more trustworthy than its marketing materials, and nearly half have decided to do business with a brand based solely on strong thought leadership (LinkedIn & Edelman, 2023). Additionally, 70% of people trust a company more after positive media coverage and 81% of consumers say they must trust a brand before buying. Considering these statistics, it's hard to negate the importance of PR, particularly on a growing company.

While you may understand the value of PR, if you don't know what to look for, it would be easy for some smooth-talking PR rep to sell you on something you don't need or make grandiose promises that are not in your best interest just to get the contract. So then how do you know if you are making a smart decision or dumping your money into a worthless endeavor?

My intention is to provide the clarity and insight that you need as a new buyer to make a well-informed decision. Thus, this guide will help you determine what you actually need, how much you can expect to pay for it, how to hire for best results, and the estimated timeframe it will take to get there.

The PR industry at a glance

The PR industry has changed a lot over the last few decades. Not just with the rise of AI, though that does have a dramatic impact on the future of the industry and how work is implemented now, but more consideration is given to where you show up and how. Long gone is the idea that "Any publicity is good publicity," and media placements on their own aren't always enough to move the needle. A good example of this is the beauty industry – no longer does one Marie Claire article about your face cream drive people to action. Consumers are looking to AI to determine what is worth their time and money, while brand summaries, which assess sentiment across earned, paid, owned, and shared content, are the driving force behind how AI develops an overall narrative.

This also means that publications that would have otherwise been considered worthless 10 years ago have become increasingly valuable now, such as blogs, Substacks, podcasts, and newsletters. Add in the shrinking size of newsrooms, and huge competition for story coverage (with fewer reporters to target) and you have a recipe for new emerging trends and best practices.

So, what does that mean for you? Well… a couple things. First, it means that hiring an experienced professional that can navigate the current industry landscape is increasingly valuable (I have spoken out extensively about the true cost of doing business with cheap PR firms/freelancers). Second, it makes it a little trickier for internal teams to successfully implement PR campaigns on their own, because sending out a standard press release isn't as powerful as it once was. The fact is, PR today has to be skillful, nuanced, and highly strategic. So what does it look like when you bring in a PR professional and what do they actually do for you?

PR Behind the Scenes

This is probably the part that I spend the most time explaining to new clients, because without transparency, it would be easy to assume the only work is emails and press releases. In reality, there is a lot that goes on in the back end to prepare for a successful campaign, and even more once the campaign is underway to ensure momentum progresses steadily. For instance, when we bring in a new client, we immediately research potential opportunities, develop a comprehensive pitching profile with bios, angles, narratives, and assets, outline strategies and tactics, create media kits, and establish media contact lists before we even begin outreach to reporters.

The point behind all this work is to make sure that we can get initial momentum (Think within the first 30 days) and also pivot as the campaign progresses. Since we utilize a proprietary approach, we find that the best campaigns involve simultaneous multi-platform and multi-angle pitching, but any PR firm would utilize a variety of tactics designed to align with your unique business goal. This could include any variation of:

Brand Awareness and Positioning – Leveraging brand offerings, services, internal happenings and aligning them with market trends and current conversations
Corporate Communications – Announcing change at leadership, new hires, acquisitions, sales, funding rounds, expansions, or partnerships
Thought Leadership – Expert commentary, subject-matter expert coverage, podcast/conference speaking gigs, opinion editorials, market insight interviews
Accomplishments and Events – Notable achievements, award announcements, public/media events, press conferences, day-of event outreach
New Product/Service Launches – Pre-launch coverage, post-launch interviews, third-party media reviews, partnership promotions
Content/Messaging Development – Press releases, media pitches, talking points, boilerplate statements, narrative development
Monitoring and Reporting – Message penetration, estimated number of views, domain authority, shares, sentiment analysis, success metrics
Partnerships and Collaborations – Research, applications, and outreach for third party promotion/publicity opportunities, meaningful collaborations, and partnerships with industry experts.
Crisis Communications – While this is the largest part of what we do, it is usually separate from a standard PR retainer and can include reputation management, specialized interviews, message/statement development, fast coverage, and immediate placements

Depending on your goals, a PR firm should be compiling those that would be the most impactful and relevant to you. Case in point, when a client came to me with a new children's book, no previous publicity, no online awareness/presence, and no user reviews, we had to start from scratch building an awareness campaign. This was made more difficult by the fact she wanted no thought leadership (I wasn't allowed to highlight the creators, their inspiration, or why they created these books) and we couldn't leverage market trends or insights. So we utilized a mix of third-party influencers and collaborations, events, and partnerships to get her off the ground.

Difference between small and large PR firms and where to start?

Not every company has the same needs, so the option you choose should match where you are versus where you want to be, how long you can afford to budget in PR, and what level of support you are likely to require. While size does not automatically determine quality, you should be aware that the right PR partner depends on scope, industry knowledge, media goals, senior involvement, and whether the team's capacity matches the expected workload.

Here are the most common options, along with their pros, cons, and who they are a good fit for:

Expectations in price points and why they vary

The #1 question we hear day in and day out: "Can I see your packages and price breakdown?" … to which I respond, "We have no such thing." This is because the cost of each campaign will vary based on scope, timeline, project details, goals, needs, and complexity. As frustrating as it is to have to go into a meeting with me first to figure out if there is going to be insane stick shock, PR pricing is just not one-size-fits-all.

A $5,000 monthly retainer and a $25,000 monthly retainer may both be reasonable, depending on scope, seniority, speed, industry complexity, and the level of media outreach required. The most transparent PR proposals explain not just the fee, but what team provides, including deliverables, response times, and success metrics.

The following is a general rule of thumb if you are pricing out potential PR services and what you would expect to pay. While budget is always a concern, it should never be the sole influence in deciding who to hire. If that were the case, everyone would at some point get burned by cheap PR alternatives.

These are typical U.S. market ranges, not guarantees:

No Matter What You Choose, It's Going to Take Time

No PR firm worth their salt is going to tell you they can guarantee coverage. Why? Because guaranteed coverage also equals paid placements, which are usually filed away in inaccessible parts of a website where no one would ever organically read. They are also typically label for what they are as "Sponsored content" or "Contributor placements" letting people know that it was paid for. Plus, they live on the platforms for no longer than 12 months. Want to see what it looks like after 12 months?

These tactics don't build trust or move the needle, although many firms operate solely on selling this very type of publicity. In order to build real momentum and media coverage that moves the needle, you must be willing to commit 6 to 12 months.

Back when I first started, I used to do 30-day campaigns. Those were both hair-tearing and widely inefficient, since a successful campaign can get nothing done in that time frame. Then I moved to 3-month minimums, and again I realized it was doing a great disservice to clients. This is because if you are investing $4500 per month and finally start seeing momentum and results, who is it really hurting to pull the plug when things are getting good? The answer is both parties… our time and energy went in to something that gets abandoned, and the client never sees the full potential of these efforts despite their financial investment.

So, 6-months became the minimum for standard PR campaigns. In our experience, this is the exact amount of time where publications, podcasts, and interviews start going live, we can leverage them for more placements, we have more metrics and analytics to work against, and we can pivot when things aren't working (Or alternatively we have more time to track and jump on immediate opportunities).

Transparency: In some cases, project-based initiatives or crisis situations can get away with a 3-month timeline (Although for crisis, I typically recommend 6 because of the unknowns that can pop up).

For instance, things like announcing a new CEO, discussing an upcoming hiring push, promoting investor funding or raise, or any other quick bursts of information can be done within a 3-month timeframe. But also consider this – once your company has publicity momentum, its often easier (and you get better results) if you can keep that going.

In Summary

PR is one of the most powerful tools a growing company can use to build credibility, visibility, trust, and long-term authority, but only when it is approached strategically. The most successful PR campaigns are not built on generic press releases, guaranteed placements, or vague promises, but on clear messaging, thoughtful positioning, strong media strategy, consistent outreach, and a realistic understanding of what it takes to create momentum.

For first-time PR buyers especially, transparency matters. Understanding the difference between a freelancer, boutique agency, mid-sized firm, or large agency can help you choose the level of support that actually matches your goals, budget, and internal capacity. Likewise, knowing how pricing typically works across audits, messaging, media relations, retainers, launches, and crisis communications can help you avoid both overpaying for unnecessary services and underinvesting in work that requires time, experience, and strategy.

The biggest takeaway is this: PR is not a quick fix. It is a long-term investment in meaningful reputation building that requires a longer-term commitment. When implemented correctly, it does more than generate coverage, but shapes how your company is perceived, strengthens your industry position, and creates third-party validation that marketing alone often cannot provide.

At Evolved PR, we believe in empowering our clients through education, awareness, and insights that can improve collaboration and make the campaign more successful down the line. If you still have questions on your own particular scenario that this guide did not cover, feel free to reach out and we can assess your situation for free.

Reach out to us to start a conversation about what PR could look like for your brand.

The 7 Biggest PR Myths – BUSTED!

olivia@evolvedpr.com (Olivia Walker) — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 06:28:58 GMT

Jun 23

The 7 Biggest PR Myths -Busted!

There are very few things that I can hear in this world that make me cringe. I think this is partly because I keep an open mind and partly because I always try and see two sides to every story. But throughout my PR journey, I have heard the same myths over and over and they never cease to stop me in my tracks. And I must admit, I have a terrible poker face, so anyone can tell right away exactly what is on my mind.

But I really don't blame the client. Most are just repeating what they have heard or making assumptions based on what they have seen. Recently, I was a participant in a webinar when the host called me out personally since she was aware I did PR. She mentioned that her PR mentor recently told her that "Having a bad reputation is better than no reputation at all because at least you have something…" I couldn't control myself. I went off mute and said, "A professional told you that?" I felt this a great opportunity to clear the air, in case anyone else on the call was looking to take that advice to heart. So, my response was "Bad reputations kill companies. No reputations stop companies from scaling. In only one of those two scenarios is a brand desperate enough to throw tens of thousands of dollars at the issue." I by no means meant to embarrass her, but she definitely didn't call on me again to answer any questions.

The point is, there is a lot of misinformation rolling around. And don't just take my word for it, but use this as a basis to conduct your own assessment and research which can lead you to conclusions based in fact, not hearsay.

So here is my list of the top 7 PR myths that need busting NOW:

Any publicity is good publicity – This is an age-old adage and was probably true 50 years ago when consumer choices were not based on how they FELT about a company. They simply needed to know that you existed and that you had a product that they wanted. Less competition also meant they didn't have the choices they have today and would buy no matter how they felt about your business practices. In modern society, that is simply not the case anymore. People do not do business with businesses they don't know, like, or trust. If your values don't align with theirs, they likely won't choose you… but this isn't a bad thing. In fact, it makes targeting your true audience easier and opens the door to finding those who can be translated into loyal brand evangelists. But then on the flip side, we have seen many who followed a brand faithfully decide to part ways when bad publicity revealed a dark side to the company they could no longer get behind.

Guaranteed placements are a PR standard – There is perhaps nothing that irks me more than the paid placement debate. There are many PR firms that make their living getting you in the exact publication you want – for a price! But the fact is, paid placements ARE NOT PR. They are advertisements wrapped up to look like earned media coverage, and most readers can tell the difference. Most painfully, there is little to no benefit in the paid placement route, though some companies will bank on your desperation or immediate need to push this alternative. Readership is low, placements can be expensive, and the only true upside is the vanity aspect. But if bragging to your followers about your Forbes placement isn't pushing the needle, then what was the point of the whole thing anyway?

The more you pay the better the results – Some of the higher-tier, well connected firms will argue that their relationships with high-profile journalists and producers will help move your campaign along faster – and their price points will reflect that. But some of the most successful PR practitioners didn't have pre-existing relationships when they landed big coverage, they just knew how to implement the proper PR fundamentals. Obviously, having relationships can be helpful, but it does not guarantee coverage. Reporters can be uninterested, too busy, no longer employed, or unavailable to cover your story, which leads these big firms back to the same starting point as the rest of us – cold email outreach. There is never a time when a firm has so many good relationships that they aren't reaching out to new contacts with new storylines. Cold email is a constant, never-ending battle, no matter how connected someone is in an industry. So never feel like you have to pay more for better results, you just have to hire right (See my blog on PR Pricing for New Buyers)

The less you pay the better for your bottom line – In the absolute antithesis of the above, many clients come to me to see what bargain prices they can get. And when I was first starting out, they were in fact bare-bottom prices. So, I know firsthand how discount PR can be detrimental to a company. Not because I was employing these tactics (I was actually doing much more than I was paid to do – which ended up costing me money), but because in order to remain profitable, those getting paid next to nothing to do a technical, time-consuming job are going to have to cut corners somewhere. And that means your campaign will be miniscule. Strategy gets cut. Pitching and targeting gets cut. Mass distribution becomes a go-to. And few real, tangible results occur. I shared a lot more insight on why discount PR may not be the best route in this Linkedin Post

ChatGPT can do all the writing for me – I do so love when people assume that AI is going to take over the job of a PR professional. To be honest, this is the least of my concern… in fact, according to a recent article by INC magazine, PR budgets are expected to double by the year 2027 because of AI searches. While the way people are finding recommendations, data, and information is changing, the media landscape is not budging. They still require stories with substance, from real humans, with real impacts, in areas they cover, that would be of interest to their audience. The way things are written, framed, presented, and pitched still require human interactions. Though some more lazy professionals (And DIY PR practitioners with no fundamental knowhow) look to AI to craft their material, the skillful architect understands that media is utilizing AI to determine if a story, quote, pitch, press release, or email has been written using AI so they can dismiss it entirely. This not only does not support your cause, but it gets you blocked.

I should be able to see positive results in the first few months – If you are looking for immediate results, then PR is not for you. I had a client recently tell me "It's been a month and a half and we haven't seen anything yet" despite the fact that we had already arranged nearly 6 media spots for him. I could tell this would be an uphill battle. He felt that if it wasn't top tier and didn't get people to immediately jump on his platform to do business, that it was wasting money. I encouraged him to discontinue all PR, and focus on marketing, which seemed to be what he was really looking for. Truth: even if we got you 12 media interviews per month, and they roll out haphazardly over the next 6 months, it would still take considerable time for consumers to take notice, take interest, and take action. They need to grow to understand you, like you, and want to do business with you instead of your competitors. That kind of trust just isn't built in a month and a half.

One top-tier publication is all I need – One placement, no matter how high-profile, does not a company make! Often, starting at the top indicates that you paid for the placement, and on top of that, it does not maintain long-term interest or (on its own) drive consumer action. Consistency is key and those looking for real value will find it when they stick with a traditional PR campaign for long enough. Especially when considering HOW individuals make decisions on what company to do business with, and that comes down to consistent, long-term, meaningful earned media coverage over a specific amount of time – which also contributes to your ability to show up as a "Recommended option" on AI platforms.

Do any of these sound like something you have heard before? I imagine a likely "Yes" to at least several of them. As un-certified myth busters, we are here to help you navigate what PR should and could look like for you, but it will never contain any of the above. We believe in the power and impact that a real PR campaign can bring to your company, because we have seen it happen time and again. But if you rely on false beliefs, or outdated models to help you get to your goals, all your achievements will be moot.

Don't fall victim to grandiose promises or lackluster knowhow. If you have questions, or need to know how to navigate a certain situation, we are here to help.

PR Firms Are Now Selling “AI Visibility.” Here’s What They’re Not Telling You

olivia@evolvedpr.com (Olivia Walker) — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 06:00:17 GMT

Aug 27

PR Firms Are Now Selling
"AI Visibility." Here's What
They're Not Telling You

There is a lot of competing information out there on the benefits of paid placements, even newswires, have their arguments. What you may be seeing especially popular right now is the promises that these paid placements and newswires help boost your brand image and awareness on AI platforms. Even I have been getting emails from PR firms and paid placement agencies promising to get me "Higher placement in AI searches" by using their services. This is a real message I got on LinkedIn and again via email… twice!

UGH. Worst tactic ever if you're targeting someone who also does PR. And what's more I understand the pro's and con's of what he is REALLY offering me. But many professionals are looking at that thinking "Wow! I didn't know PR could do all that!? I might be open to this."

There are several things about this that irks me… One is that it is completely misleading and misconstrues the facts. The other is that it makes the PR industry look really bad. The message he is sending is that one media placement is all you need to get your brand recognized and suddenly you're going to come up higher in search engines – the same shady way people used to sell you SEO services. But those two things couldn't be further from the truth. Lets go ahead and break it down…

Why is it Misleading?

Ai does indeed rank earned media very highly in the algorithm, but EARNED MEDIA, not paid media and newswires. Why? Because it recognizes the higher value of a traditional, reputable media outlet in a news story that wasn't bought and paid for. Think about it, if a reader sees an overly complementary story with no real context or angle, they are probably going to be hesitant to believe it. But then when they scroll up and see "sponsored content" they think the brand is a joke.

The same is true with AI, because it accounts for owned (your content), shared (what others say or how they share your content), paid (marketing/advertising) and earned (traditional media coverage), and if you have done all your work right, it will assess a value to your company based on those elements. Not simply one placement, and especially not paid placements. The great news is though, the more media coverage you get, the more you will be consistently ranked higher because the algorithm places a higher emphasis on the praises of a real journalist writing a real story.

How do Paid Placements Really Work?

Paid placements are one thing only – advertisements packaged up to look like traditional PR exposure. The problem is that most readers know the difference because so many are labeled sponsored content or contributor status. So, then the agencies starting finding back alley ways to pay reporters to cover stories, and charge you (The user) even more of a premium to avoid those pesky labels. But in the end they always appear the same…

That is an image from an actual story that a client of mine paid for on MSN. Why are you seeing this? Because paid stories are highly unlikely to stay online for longer than 12 months. They simply take up too much bandwidth and get no real readership, so the editors remove them after a period of time… Then what!? No more AI ranking!

Want to know the real shady part? Agencies using this model often pocket a significant share of the fee, making it far easier, and more profitable to sell you paid placements than to do the time-intensive work to land legitimate media coverage. How much more are we talking? It could be substantial. I have seen USA Today go for $8,000 but the reporter only received a $3,000 paycheck. Want another one? How about Forbes for $15k when the reporter received $5k. One more? I have seen Wall Street Journal for $100k… you can bet that makes for a good day for that firm. It takes very little work (almost none), and while they realize it provides little actual value, they love the revenue stream it brings in. That's why they want you keep buying more and more and more, likely in the name of "Your reputation." Greed can be an all consuming thing.

But Newswires can do it…Right?

Not really. But they sure do like to promise they can. These platforms are up against a similar but varied issue that the paid placements are. They basically spam out your press release (whether it is good quality or not – but they most definitely wont tell you that) to hundreds or thousands of completely irrelevant sites where no real reporter is going to pick it up. It simply lives on that website as a press release from the company (Not from a journalist and with no real authority). Additionally, if you have never seen where some of these get placed, just take a look at some of the names and website my client got when the piece was geared around civil rights, culture, and women in the workplace…

It goes on like that for about 250 outlets. None of these readers would give a hoot about the story, even if they were able to find it amongst the other junk. Even worse, she ended up paying about $1,000 extra for the distribution on this only to land in low domain authority sites.

How does Traditional PR do it if the Others Can't?

Most experienced PR professionals won't tell you that it takes one or two placements. And the more experienced agencies won't even consider contracts smaller than 6 months. They realize it isn't a quick fix and it doesn't provide instant results. Anyone looking for "right now" and "immediate high-tier placements" are not understanding the actual strength and capabilities of real, long-term PR. The problem is, many clients want the "right now" and the "immediate top tier coverage" because they think that's where the greatest ROI is. But in actuality, its where they waste the most money. If you want to know how to hire right person based on your needs, take a look at our Pricing Guide for New Buyers

So the longer you do it, the better your results. In PR, long-term results come from long-term efforts

How do I know When Its Empty Promises?

If you want to know if you are being sold on worthless PR, with empty promises, or grandiose and short-term time frames, here are a couple of things that even I hear from these individuals trying to make a case on why I should work with them:

A story in ADWEEK can get you ranked higher in AI platforms (No, it wont. It takes many many placements and they need to be consistent and from reputable sources over time before you can start getting REAL rankings and recommendation boosts)
Did you know that our newswire (enter any newswire company) can get you instant recognition and rank you higher on AI search engines (Only if someone is looking for your specific name. And even then it is only going to pop up with links to your press release – not a true trust building scheme)
We can get you in Forbes, which will immediately boost your business (Nope, this is a vanity placement hidden far within the far reaches of the company where no real reader would come across it)
We can guarantee coverage in hundreds of major media outlets within days. (What they are usually guaranteeing is automated press-release syndication, not legitimate editorial coverage earned through a journalist. One release copied across hundreds of nearly identical pages does not equal hundreds of meaningful placements.)
We can guarantee millions of impressions, putting your brand in front of a massive audience. (Again, this means mass distribution and often not with your actual audience. Millions of theoretical views mean nothing if the coverage never reaches the right audience or produces measurable business value.)

In Summary

Both paid placements and newswires have their place in the world, and on occasion (Such as a crisis when we need to get out OUR story) I may use either tactic to expand reach and strengthen a company's searchable footprint. But they are tools, not miracles. Used in isolation, they are unlikely to create meaningful visibility, credibility, or business growth.

However, when incorporated into a complete, strategic PR campaign, even paid placements and newswire releases can support a larger objective and help move a company forward. At Evolved, we rarely use either tactic, but when we do, there is a damned good strategic reason and a clear result we expect it to produce.

Not sure whether the PR opportunity being pitched to you is a smart investment or an expensive vanity play? Send it to me at olivia@evolvedpr.com. I'll give you an honest assessment of what it can realistically accomplish—and whether it is likely to deliver any meaningful return at all. Fair warning: I love talking PR, so you may get more insight than you bargained for.

About the Author

Blog - Evolved PR

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