Hire a Generalist or Specialist PR Agency? Analysis on Approach

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Mark Macias

MACIAS PR has run media and branding campaigns for clients across industries: health care, technology, nonprofits, real estate, politics. In multiple ways, we have taken a generalist and specialist PR to each campaign – based on the need.

Despite the diversity of clients, one common thread remains consistent. We have delivered top tier media placements for our clients with the most influential news organizations.

It doesn’t matter if our clients are promoting the latest tech wearable, pushing a cause or selling health services to businesses. We have relationships with media outlets and reporters in all of these industries.

Generalist or Specialist PR Agency

Potential clients frequently assume that a specialist PR agency from their specific industry will deliver better results.

In my experiences inside the media and as the owner of this PR agency, I’d say the better framed question revolves around how much each PR agency knows about your industry.

I’ve written extensively for Forbes on what to look for when hiring a publicist. You can read that thought leadership here. And whether it is better to hire an East Coast, West Coast or local PR firm. (Read that insight here)

Regardless of your industry, I frequently tell my friends if I had to hire a PR agency for my firm, I’d always go with the generalist who understands my industry.

This generalist approach always gives MACIAS PR an advantage with reporters. Our team speaks with dozens or reporters and producers on any given day. This exposure gives us more opportunities to repackage and sell other clients’ stories on these calls.

But don’t take my word for it. Instead, evaluate our media deliverables.

You can read our client case studies from different industries on the following links: health care, technology, mobile apps, consumer wearables, real estate, nonprofits, physicians, consumer services, B2B health tech and politics.

If you’d like to see a case study for your industry, just message us and we can share more.

ABOUT MACIAS PR

Marketing peers named MACIAS PR the 2017-2020 Strategic PR Firm of the Year. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Finance Monthly named MACIAS PR the Financial PR Firm of the Year. The founder – Mark Macias – is a former Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York. City & State Magazine named him a PR Political Power Player in New York.

Client Case Study – Media and Content Campaign for Lending Organization

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Mark Macias

MACIAS PR led the publicity, social media and content marketing for Provident Loan Society from June 2014 to June 2019. Our media strategy introduced their alternative lending services to new and existing clients across the New York metro area.

Over the course of our partnership, MACIAS PR helped grow their customer base among college students, business owners, immigrants and consumers with no credit.

Their former CEO and CMO both credited MACIAS PR with increasing their revenue and growing their customer base by 50 percent among Latinos. You can read their testimonials on Linkedin.

Our media campaigns also introduced their services to consumers who speak Spanish and Mandarin.

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Value Working with Boutique PR Agencies

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Mark Macias

I read this confessional last night from a publicist who described the state of the public relations industry. It’s a candid look at how large PR agencies are lowering their standards and putting the dollar above relationships. The writer also lays out an argument for boutique PR agencies, and why they have a larger advantage.

To paraphrase the article, “There’s a lot of desperation. Not only to keep the lights on, but to keep people, to keep employees.

And what are the challenges? She writes, “[B2B tech brands] don’t often have stories. They’re unable to talk about themselves outside of product features and benefits. There’s zero or very little value based messaging. And too many PR firms will take them on as clients. The reason why they take on these clients is to keep the lights on.“

The article got me thinking about MACIAS PR and the value we bring as a boutique PR agency.

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Strategic Messaging Mistakes by Airbnb

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Mark Macias

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Airbnb plummeted more than 10 percent today.

Every entrepreneur knows when you lose a whale, you must find a replacement quickly or revenue will fall. In the case with Airbnb, it lost its whale in January when New York City banned short-term rentals, and there is no replacement in sight.

I’ll go on a limb now and predict the company will continue to slide for the rest of the year and beyond based on their strategic messaging mistakes. These are mistakes entrepreneurs, CEOs, business owners and marketers can all learn from.

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Forbes Article – 3 Tactics for Standing out from Noise

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Mark Macias

It’s never easy standing out from the noise in a cluttered space, but if you’re going to survive as a startup, you have to figure out this formula fast. Otherwise, your business, product or new technology might never have a chance to catch on with the masses.

I elaborated on this approach in an article I wrote for Forbes, called –Three Tactics For Standing Out From The Startup Noise. You can click on that link to read but here is abridged version if you’re short on time.

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Gen. Z Consumer Market Survey Reveals What Motivates this Generation to Buy

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Mark Macias

The consumer market changes quickly, and Gen. Z is leading the charge. It seems like yesterday we were discussing how Millennials were disrupting the workforce. Now, there’s a bigger change in business right around the corner.

In less than 5 years, Generation Z is projected to overtake Millennials when it comes to buying power. If you’re trying to sell any product or service, you better learn quickly how to target this sophisticated group of consumers.

Unlike previous generations, social media won’t close the deal. And forget about TV ads. So how do you reach and motivate Generation Z?

MACIAS PR recently worked with the online news portal, Brooklyn Chatter, to gain more insight into this generation. Read on to see what our online survey found.

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How to Gain Traction after the Media says “NO” to your Story

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Mark Macias

Every publicist or entrepreneur will experience it at some time or another. You pitch an idea to reporters and hear crickets in return.

So what should you do when the media ignores your ideas or worse, says no?

The above podcast episode provides some insight on what our agency does in this situation. A lot of these tactics come from my time in the media when we had to salvage a story that went south.

If you’re on the go, you can subscribe to our Always Fresh PR podcast by clicking here. You can also read more tips on re-framing your story for coverage by clicking here.

Entrepreneur Magazine – Are You a Good Candidate for PR?

Posted on October 15, 2022 by Mark Macias

Not every business is a good candidate for PR. And if you reach out to the PR firm at the wrong time, there’s a good chance that they won’t tell you that you’re wasting money on PR.

Big shocker, especially since I own a PR firm but it’s the honest truth.

I recently wrote a story for Entrepreneur Magazine that detailed which types of businesses are wasting their money on PR. You can read that editorial here.

But if you’re short on time, here’s an abridged version of the advice I shared with their readers.

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Tech Publication Grit Daily Asks MACIAS PR for Advice for Startups

Posted on September 9, 2022 by Mark Macias

The popular tech publication, Grit Daily, recently turned to MACIAS PR for PR advice. Their editors said they wanted to help their readers, entrepreneurs and startups who were struggling to find the best PR agency for their business.

You can read that full Q&A here.

If you’re short on time, here are two questions that our founder, Mark Macias, answered about finding the best PR agency for your business.

What should you look for when hiring a publicist?

MARK MACIAS: I’ve found the best publicists have a deeper understanding of how the media works from the inside. They have an intuition that spots trends and news stories before others.

A great publicist also understands the nuances of the media – because messaging is always a subtle sell around news. Experienced editors and journalists can spot an advertisement within seconds of hearing a pitch, and if it remotely sounds like a commercial, they won’t run it. The best publicity campaigns are able to weave themselves into the news fabric or pop culture.

Intuition is another overlooked factor. Journalism is usually centered around human behavior. It’s about connecting the invisible dots around people to form a story. And that’s not reading tea leaves. Intuition is a component of behavioral science.

How much should a startup pay for PR?

MARK MACIAS: Prices and approaches vary by firm, but it helps to understand how the payment plan works. You can pay by the hour, by the media placement or under a retainer.

I’m a firm believer that nothing is free in life, so if a publicist claims you only pay if they make a placement, I’d ask a lot of questions. It costs time and money to generate organic (earned) media. And a press release does not fall under that definition. It takes time to write a successful pitch and find the right reporters, and resources to secure the story. If someone offers to do work for free, I would question their experience and PR understanding.

Paying a lawyer, consultant or publicist by the hour scares me. If a story isn’t catching on, it’s easy to add more time – and under this payment plan, hours add up quickly. Personally, I prefer retainers because the cost won’t fluctuate, even when unexpected issues arise. And if the firm or consultant is reputable or cares about your business, they will likely add extra hours to ensure they meet your expectations, regardless of what happens.

MACIAS PR has a free PR calculator to help you get a real idea of how much PR would cost for your business. Click here to go to that calculator.

Why Empathy Takes your PR Campaign Further with Better Results

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Mark Macias

Want to get the most out of your PR firm or publicist? Try showing a little empathy with your team and see how it leads to better results.

Most experienced entrepreneurs and sales leaders understand the value of empathy, but unfortunately – when it comes to outside vendors – it’s frequently forgotten. I’ve observed and experienced this inside and outside of the PR business.

As a former Executive Producer with NBC, I always showed empathy with my producers and reporters because I genuinely felt their pain. I recognized when employees needed a break to recharge their mind and body, or when a family issue needed time outside of work. It might not have been financially aligned with the corporate spreadsheet but it always inspired more productivity and loyalty.

Plus, it was the right thing to do.

In this era of tight employment and waning worker loyalty, empathy needs to be on a higher level. You can’t fake it because workers will see through it in time.

Unfortunately, when it comes to hiring an outside PR firm or publicist, we don’t get to experience empathy until after the contract is signed. Over the last decade of running this agency, I’ve seen how clients who value our work with a spreadsheet are typically the most difficult. They ignite more stress. In the worst situations, they believe they know more about the media than me and undermine every decision.

Here’s a closer look at some of the warning signs that suggest you might need to do an empathy check. And if you have empathy, trust me, the best pr firms will always want to work with you and usually at a lower price.

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