Public Relation Services – In-house & Outsourcing

Public Relation is an essential component for an organizations success.

However one always faces a dilemma in whether to establish a PR
department within the organization or to outsource PR services from another
firm.

Advantages of in-house PR

 Knowhow of concerned industry and organization. The major

benefit of having an established PR department within one’s own
organization is that the department will be well versed in the dynamics
of the industry and would have developed knowledge base and
experience through working within the organizational staff.

 Single client focus. The in-house PR team will only have to deal with
one client i-e own organization and thus will be fully available at your
disposal to provide you everything you need and whenever you need.

Advantages of Outsourcing PR services

 Wide ranging experience. The outsourced firm will most probably have

experience of working with a wide range of clients and circumstances.
Therefore they will not only be able to provide you a wide range of
solutions but will also be able to attend to odd & crisis situations more
effectively. The hardened PR firm will have gone through many odd
situations working with different clients and will therefore be able to
provide you with the best solution in any situation.
 Impartial View. An outsourced PR firm will have a more impartial view
about the organization’s products and services and will therefore be
able to contribute in a more unbiased manner and provide more
objective advice.
 Crisis Approach. The organization when faced with a crisis situation
will have to deal with it in a pertinent manner. An in-house PR
department will be affected with the crisis too and will most probably
deal with it in an emotional manner. An outsourced PR firm though is
prepared to deal with the emergency situations and has a backup plan
to implement within short span of time.
Additional Points to Contemplate:

 Inadequate HR. Organizations usually have limited staff in their PR

departments. Moreover they are often involved in a wide range of
activities with different organizational departments and feel stretched.
 Dynamism. PR firms have to evolve continuously to identify, develop
and employ new innovative methods of providing services so as to
provide their clients the best and are typically on the cutting edge of new
trends to ensure their clients receive the best and pioneering service.
 Evaluation. Evaluating services is an important step for any PR firm
involved in convincing a client regarding his return on investment. In
case if organization PR departments, the measuring of services in terms
of providing value is not a priority and is often discouraged.

Hiring a PR firm

PR firms usually have established association with journalists and media

houses and provide you with linkages, connections and interactive platforms
which otherwise will be difficult to manage on your own. The organizational
PR departments usually bombard the media with items of a similar nature
which discourages the media. The only way to establish effective PR relations
with media is therefore to hire a PR firm. Moreover, the objective advice of
outside firm facilitates the organization and its PR department to develop
knowledgeable and unbiased judgments related to business and
communications. The PR firms have experienced a wide range of situations. If
one faces an issue related to communications, a product or service launching
and looks for more media coverage, an established PR firm can provide the
solution. If the organization find itself in crisis it will most probably therefore
look for an outside firm experienced in crisis communication services.

An organization though ideally should both have a PR department and

services outsourced to a PR firm too. Whereas specific campaigns can be
handled by outside firm, the in-house PR department can provide you with a
continuous PR support with greater understanding of your organization and
industry.