Managing Public Relations - 7/7/2009

Entering Unchartered Waters

Managing Public Relations

So you want to add Public Relations to your marketing mix? Great idea, congratulations!

Why add PR? To gain consumer confidence in your club and programs? Correct.
How about getting more media coverage? T.V., newspaper, magazines, and radio? You bet. Problem: Every time I try to get some PR, it never works. Welcome to another challenge you will master.

All businesses should have a public relations strategy. Why? Because public relations campaigns are 3 times more credible than any advertising campaign you may plan. Many companies build their brand with public relations, and than sustain their brand with advertising. The problem with the vast majority of clubs/businesses is that their PR effort is extremely weak, because they dont know really understand how public relations works; subsequently, they dont know how to manage public relations. And, with public relations being more valuable than advertising, the business is really missing a big opportunity.

How to create and manage a successful Public Relations program?
First and foremost you need to understand how public relations works. Once you know this, you can manage the process.

The media is looking for things that are newsworthy. This is not your annual 2/1 on initiation fee special. It is your brand new aquatic center that will be working in conjunction with the National Arthritis Foundation, offering Fibromyalga classes. Or, your Personal Trainer who just qualified for the Olympics, or your Spa that just launched a new promotion for Valentines Day, that uses imported Belgium Chocolates with several of their services.

How do I get my newsworthy information in the media? The key here is to make a commitment to public relations. You can do this one of 2 ways.

1.Hire your own Public Relations Director
2.Hire a PR firm.

Usually, what happens in the majority of clubs/businesses want to test the waters, and pass on this added assignment to someone in the club who may have a degree in communications, or someone who they think can handle it. Usually this path gets minimal results. Why? Because this person has no or minimal experience and is not qualified for the assignment.

The next effort sometimes is to hire their own Public Relations Director. Someone who has worked in a PR firm for a year or two, or someone who worked for a national company in their PR department. The thinking here is that a full-time employee will be more valuable than using an agency, part-time. Have more control, more effort. Most of the time this fails. Why? Because this person may not have enough experience. Or, they may not be creative or entrepreneurial enough. Or, they may not be connected. And that is a segway to the best option. Hire a Public Relations firm that is connected.

The media is the key to getting Public Relations. And the media wants to deal with people they know and trust, people they have relationships with, and that takes years and years to accomplish.

How to hire and manage a Public Relations firm.

First, you need to understand the economics involved. A PR firm will offer you 2 options:
1.Pay by the hour. Anywhere from $100-$150 per hour.
2.Pay a monthly retainer.

Your best option will be to pay a monthly retainer. You need to determine your budget before you start interviewing agencies. It is important to have realistic expectations. You will need to commit to anywhere from 20-30 hours per month to be able to get measurable results. This will cost anywhere from $2,500-$3,750 per month. (Based on $125 per hour average).

Now it is time to begin interviewing agencies. You may start by asking your peers if they have any referrals. I would interview 5-6 established agencies. Interview agencies with at least 5 years experience in the local market. This will insure they will have established relationships with the media.

You need to also get a sense of their current client list. What type of companies are they representing? Are they in similar industries? Or are they in the manufacturing industry or biotech industry?

Do not look at agencies that are a one person office. Why? As they grow their business, there are numerous promotional opportunities and events that come up. A one person office can only be at one place at a time. Offices with 3 or more employees would be a minimum to consider. Also, with an agency that is too big, they tend to count all the minutes. You wont get more than you are paying for. A smaller, established agency, will tend to give you more than you are buying, and not nickel and dime you.

Another really important consideration is their understanding and aptitude of the fitness industry. Do they work out? Are they familiar with your company? Do all their friends workout at your club/s?

Have the competing agencies give you a proposal/presentation of what they see themselves doing for the next 12 months for your company. Take a close look at the content and ideas that are presented. Are they on the mark? Or are they way off target? Dont expect the agencies to be experts in the industry. However, they should present some good viable ideas.

Many agencies also like to manage your advertising as well. This is a tricky area. If youre advertising needs a professional make-over, than you may want to consider the agency for both. Unfortunately, what happens most the time is the agency will spend your entire retainer with advertising, and not public relations. You will need to review their advertising capabilities. Do they have a graphic artist on staff, or do they farm that out? Do they have their own copywriter on staff? Take a look at campaigns they have done for other clients. And than, you need to be able to budget for both: advertising and public relations.

The next step may be to negotiate a short term assignment with the agency you choose. Do you have a project that will be a reasonable test? It could be an expansion, a grand opening, or a community based charitable event.

After negotiating the trial, you will need to have 2-3 meetings with the firm to outline the event and your expectations. Determine who will be managing the firm. This needs to be someone who has the time and aptitude and management experience to oversee this assignment. You need to view managing PR, in a similar way you would manage a department head. You need to educate them on your company, culture and vision. You also need to teach them your business, and the promotional opportunities you think are out there to capitalize on. They will build on that, and be able to package and present the information to the media in such a way, the media MAY pick up this story. In the Public Relations world, there is no guarantee that the media will pick up stories. Sometime, you will be scheduled for a T.V. segment, and have it canceled at the 11th hour due to breaking news. But if you are making a long term commitment, you will get results and the marketing edge over your competitors.

If things go well with your trial, and if you are ready to make the commitment to public relations, negotiate a monthly retainer you feel comfortable with. Like any business relationship, it needs to be a win-win for it to work. You shouldnt sign a one-year contract. Go month to month. You should be looking at this as a long term relationship, providing both parties are fulfilling their obligation. You dont want to change and interrupt the continuity with the media. As the media learns XYZ firm in representing your club/business, they will hunt down the agency regularly when they are doing a story.

Another way to leverage your results and budget with your potential agency is to negotiate membership trades as part of the package. The reality is you want all the members of the firm using your club, so they really understand your business.


The money you spend on public relations should be part of your marketing plan. Whoever manages the advertising/marketing, would be the logical person to mange the public relations agency.

On an ongoing basis, you should plan on meeting with the firm at least 2 times a month particularly at the beginning. Keep in mind, all your meetings go to the hours from you retainer. After a few months, you may be able to get buy with a monthly meeting.

For the first year, you should plan an annual calendar together. Keeping in mind you are teaching the firm your business. They will build on this plan, and help create newsworthy events and information, to present to the media. Keep in mind that some forms of media, particularly magazines work several months out, so you need to be planning not only for today, but the future.

One of the requirements you should ask the PR agency for is a quarterly media report, highlighting the media hits. This will be a detailed description, and with the back-up when possible for each and every time your business shows up in the media. You will see the type of hit, the impressions, and value of the hit. The value will be shown 2 ways:
One will be if you were to have to purchase this, based on current media rates. The other number you will see is the perceived value of the hit. That will be 3 xss the cost to purchase the space, if you were to replace that with typical advertising.

The most important thing to remember when making a commitment to Public Relations is it is a commitment. You should make a long term commitment, and be committed to teaching the agency your industry, and being an active participant in the process.

Your $30,000-$50,000 a year investment to PR, should result in $300,000 - $500,000 in annual media exposure, a healthy return.

Alan Cohen is the Founder and President of FitnessJobs.com. This content of this article was written based on his 30 years experience in the health and fitness industry.

Alan can be reached at 800-259-4397, or by e-mail, alan@fitnessjobs.com.