Why use an external public relations agency, surely our in-house people can handle it?

A good external agency brings a fresh perspective to products that you and your employees can be too close to. An agency will have non competing clients who are already receiving extensive media coverage in your target sector. In addition an agency will have well established relationships with the editors of relevant magazines - something that is much more difficult for in-house people to achieve

I play golf with a friend.  He has a local pr agency - that would suit me fine wouldn't it?

A local all-round agency is fine. However, it will not necessarily have the level of industry knowledge a specialist agency can offer.  A specialist agency will have in-depth knowledge of the technical terms editors use and will be able to write in the preferred style of particular magazines. A local agency may not have this skill nor the in-depth product knowledge and editorial contacts needed to raise your profile.  Raising your profile leads to more enquiries and contracts.

PRESS RELEASES

If our internal marketing people can write the wording for the leaflets, why can’t they write the press releases?

Although nearly every marketing person can prepare a press release, many magazines receive up to 500 per week, with often only a few pages allocated for news and information. Most magazines therefore have to discard 80% of the releases received.

An expertly prepared press release by a specialist agency has much more chance of being selected for publication.

Press releases must be fresh, have a news angle and be capable of being condensed without losing the basic story. People with jobs involves other marketing functions are unlikely to have the skills necessary to write in such a focused way. 

In addition to presentation, releases need to be given substance to back up the story i.e. typically 400 words and prepared using journalistic conventions.

The preparation of a good press release is only a small part of the work involved, as when dispatched, releases need to be extensively circulated to the target audience, although many companies only submit press releases to a very small number of magazines. From a search of our own 12,000+ contacts database, we will typically put together a list of 90 relevant publications! This means news about your company is going to many more magazines further increasing the likelihood of publication and increasing the chances of news about your company being seen by a potential customer.

FEATURES

Our technical people can write the feature stuff, you only need to know the products - don’t you?

The preparation of a press release is only part of the job and the agency must also be capable of identifying and writing in-depth features, if worthwhile editorial coverage is to be received.

One of the ways a specialist agency can help is by using professional feature tracking software to find out what features editors are planning up to 12 months in advance.

A feature is often difficult to write because whilst being detailed, it needs to remain focused on the client’s activities. Most good agencies (as in our own case) have a dedicated feature writer as the skills needed are very different from those needed for writing a press release.

Many magazines are wary of accepting features from non-PR agencies. This is because clients often overhype their product or service in the article and treat it like an advert.

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

I know a couple of editors. I met them at a show two years ago. If I approach them will we get lots of free publicity?

Most companies are unlikely to have the time available in-house to develop an effective and sustained campaign and to keep in touch with editors throughout the year. Editorial personnel can change frequently and because of our extensive contacts we are informed immediately of any changes. Personnel in your company will be busy running the business whereas we can get your PR campaign started immediately and start getting results quickly.

Editorial contacts remain at the core of getting good editorial coverage. Allott & Associates Ltd’s established editorial contacts extend to around 2,000 editors, providing a very good base for arranging editorial visits to your site and finding an editor interested in a feature about your company.  Both these methods lead to excellent high profile publicity that will drive the enquiries and contracts.

Additionally, editors frequently approach us asking if our clients have an opinion or wanting to know about industry trends and developments. As a client your company will figure prominently when these requests are received.  We can also put forward proposals to editors and work with them to develop a feature idea for your company.

PR VOLUME
Unlike in-house marketing people, the specialist agency is judged on the editorial coverage obtained. The volume of press releases prepared and circulated must be judged carefully and a properly measured approach will ensure that your pr campaign enhances the reputation of your business by maintaining a positive presence in the trade media throughout the year.


Why Allott & Associates Ltd?

Allott & Associates Ltd specialises in technical pr including food and drink, processing and packaging equipment, labelling, pharmaceutical, food ingredients and engineering.

The business has been trading for fourteen years and enjoys a very close working relationship with the media. This allows Allott & Associates Ltd to easily arrange editorial visits from leading trade titles and also receive advanced warning of feature opportunities.

At a number of publications editors keep our own dedicated in-tray, which perhaps illustrates the amount of pr activity completed.

Allott & Associates Ltd has the time to provide you with a committed and focused service and to bring a more structured approach to the promotion of your company. We will work with you to prepare a dedicated pr plan for the year to ensure that your objectives are met.

Allott & Associates Ltd will provide your company with its own dedicated database of editorial contacts, which will be maintained throughout the duration of the contract. We also use a ‘state of the art’ emailing system, which incorporates mail merge for the distribution of more urgent releases and a specialist picture downloading facility.

Allott & Associates Ltd can normally increase a client’s profile at least two fold from its current levels of publicity, leading to the generation of more sales leads and orders.

Allott & Associates Ltd works in accordance with a pre-agreed client schedule. In the event of limited pr stories, any surplus can be carried forward to the following month.

Allott & Associates Ltd as part of the pr package can arrange editorial visits to your premises and provide, where appropriate, background briefing packs, resulting in increased media coverage of your company and its products.

Allott & Associates Ltd will produce unique material for inclusion in press packs for exhibitions as well as preparing a preview press release announcing your attendance to the media and inviting them to visit your stand - again with a view to gaining increased media coverage for your company.

Allott & Associates Ltd will attend a regular briefing meeting to inform you of editorial opportunities and to discuss strategy. This will include the generation of agendas, minutes and the provision of free product photography (non-studio) excluding materials, during the visit if required
  
Allott & Associates Ltd will provide regular press cuttings and feedback following the dispatch of each feature and release. A regular campaign will help raise the profile and creditability of your company amongst existing customers and potential new customers.

Through a consistent and co-ordinated effort, Allott & Associates Ltd works hard to ensure that all clients are placed at the forefront of their respective industry!

All our consultants are members of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations with resources that ensure professional work to the highest standards.