Charging for PR Services

Lawyer David Boies, he of Bush v. Gore (he lost) and same sex marriage (he won) fame, charges $1,200 an hour for his services.

That pales in comparison to top lawyers at the Washington powerhouse Gibson Dunn, who charge $1,800 an hour.

But what about charging for PR services? How should these be priced?

Like lawyers, PR practitioners get paid for their time. And yes, there are a few – a very few – PR professionals who charge hourly rates approaching $1,000 an hour.

More often, the top of the PR consultancy profession may charge upwards of $500 an hour for their time, with more thrifty consultants charging as little as $50 an hour. The average hourly rate at a larger PR agency stands at $150-$250 per hour. Typically, a PR agency will charge a client two-and-a half times the hourly rate of those assigned to the account.

PR professionals live for the “retainer,” a monthly payment that is guaranteed, regardless of time expended, for the life of the contract. Typically, clients of size pay $5,000-$10,000 per month for public relations retainers. A large client – multinational company or foreign government – may pay many times that amount; $50,000 per month and up.

But what if a client (Perish the thought!) doesn’t desire a retainer relationship? What about a la carte services for public relations firms? How much is charged for typical PR communication services?

The answer is that PR professionals in different areas of the nation and the world may charge differently for individual services. Also, of course, what one charges depends on one’s experience and PR pedigree.

But if you’re looking for yardsticks, here are typical charges that will place you in a PR services ball park.

Speech/presentation
Speech writing – for Congressional testimony, management presentations or major addresses – is a lucrative PR service. Typically, a major speech is 10-12 pages, 2,500 words or so. This demands the most sophisticated writing expertise, as well as the ability to understand the speaker’s business and speaking style. This demands extensive interview, research, writing and editing time. Such a product should begin at $5,000 and extend upwards of $20,000 or more, depending on the gravity and complexity of the assignment.

Op-ed/bylined article
Ghosting a 500-800 word opinion/editorial for online or print consideration is another important product that can potentially influence significant numbers. So, too, bylined articles in industry publications or in native advertising forums may be important persuasive vehicles. Typically, such a writing assignment should cost $5,000 or more, often including placement work.

Blog content
Organizational and individual blogs are an excellent way to spark and retain a dialogue with customers and prospects. Public relations writers are hired to provide several (three-four) blogs per month. Such a service should cost upwards of $2,500 a month, often including posting and monitoring comments.

Media training
Executives in any organization must be prepared to meet the media. Training executives for media combat should be a core skill for any public relations professional. Savvy media trainers combine tutorial lectures with individualized training. A full day of media training for four individuals should run upwards of $7,500-$10,000 or more.

Public Service Announcements/Letter to editor/Social media campaigns
PSAs are a special service that must be written, recorded and produced for free airing on TV or radio. PR service also might include placement. So, too, letters-to-the editor campaigns, which combine tracking of key issues and creation and placement of letters, are often desired. As is creating copy for Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, often on a daily basis. Such services should be charged on a monthly basis, upwards from $2,500-$3,000.

Other writing
Beyond these services, organizations may desire assistance in writing any variety of products – from annual reports to web content to slick brochures. Here, a going rate is $5 per word.

Again, PR counselor charges may vary depending on a host of geographic and experiential factors. The most important thing for consultants to recognize is that in today’s hyper-connected society, communications are critical; meaning, what you provide is important.

So don’t give it away.

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Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for 40 years. He may be reached directly at [email protected].