What to Look For When Hiring a PR Firm

Ryan Banfill

It’s no secret that legislation can have a massive impact on your business. What happens at the Capitol can make or break you. With so much at risk, it makes sense to hire a PR firm with a seasoned public affairs practice to enhance your communications efforts in regards to legislation and how it impacts your business. But where to start?

This process raises questions, of course, especially if you already have a lobbying team working on your behalf.

This article is featured in O'Dwyer's Feb. '16 Environmental PR & Publc Affairs Magazine

If you go in blind, there’s a good chance you’ll make costly mistakes that can burden your business for years. Spare yourself those painful mistakes. When it comes to government relations, there are 5 things you should look for when hiring a PR firm.

Knowledge of the process and players

It’s absolutely crucial to have a PR team on your side who has a deep knowledge of the intricate process of how laws are made in your state and who understands the players involved in the process. If your firm truly knows “the process” side of lawmaking, you can accomplish big things in the legislature. The flip side is also true. If you think you can hire any marketing firm or handle your own communications, instead of a firm that actually has experience in the public affairs/legislative arena, it’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight. You will be at a disadvantage from the beginning. That’s a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

If you believe the legislative process begins when the gavel goes down to start a legislative session, you are mistaken. In Florida, where lawmakers technically serve on a “part time” basis, the business of the Legislature can go on throughout the year.

Even without “special sessions,” called when a specific issue needs immediate attention, there are crucial interim meetings happening in the run up to a new legislative session. Lawmakers are considering and filing new bills. It’s during those times that your firm should be educating people and communicating with people. If your firm tries to start communicating your issue at the beginning of session, it’s like a quarterback staying in the locker room until the 3rd quarter of a championship contest. A good part of the game has already been played, and you haven’t been on the field.

It would be very difficult for your business to succeed in a country where you didn’t understand the rules. Yet, so often, without understanding the rules and the players, businesses think they can make progress in the Capitol simply because the facts are on their side.

That’s a mistake you can’t afford to make.

This is why a communications firm is a key part of your team. It is critical to have the facts on your side. But presentation counts. You also must present the facts in a way that is easy to understand — no jargon and no acronyms. Keep your story simple and keep it consistent.

Adaptable and nimble

It is good to have a plan going into session. But, like former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson brilliantly said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

The sands of the legislative process can quickly shift under your feet. Unexpected twists and turns are common. Opinions can quickly change direction. People can change their minds. Information not favorable to your position can come out. This can happen at any moment in our always connected social media era. This means that the firm you hire must be able to pivot on a dime, adjust its approach, immediately address threats and tweak messaging accordingly.

If your firm can’t confidently handle change, they can’t play and win in the legislative process. Your team must be able to change the game plan at a minute’s notice or you will need to choose a different firm.

Brilliant framers

It’s not enough to simply talk about a political issue. The issue must be framed so that lawmakers and the public at large understand what’s really at stake. The best PR firms can strategically frame an issue so that the true impact is felt, both by voters and by lawmakers.

The firm you hire should be able to take complex political issues and brilliantly frame them in ways that move hearts and minds. The firm should understand what truly matters to your target audience and then be able to frame your issue so that it connects with your target audience.

Masters of messaging

You have a message that must be heard, and the firm you hire should be able to deliver your message in a way that is clear, compelling, and cuts through the noise. They should understand your target audience inside and out, and should be able to creatively speak in a way that truly resonates with your ultimate target audience. In the case of passing legislation, it must be a compelling argument to carry a majority in every committee that considers the issue. It must pass both houses of the Legislature and be signed by the governor.

Every day, legislators have their attention pulled in a thousand different directions by a thousand different messages. Your firm should be able to craft a message that is easy to understand and simple to act upon. They should also know how to get your message heard by those inside the legislative process. They should know which mediums are most effective for communicating with various parties and individuals. They should be able to cut through the noise.

The firm you hire should have a knowledge of how key members of the Legislature receive their news and information. They should research to find out what particular programming key members enjoy — if they watch “SportsCenter” every night or never miss an episode of “Scandal.” If you know that information, you can target advertising appropriately. They should know which social media sites lawmakers are using and should be able to craft a message that stands out on those sites.

No matter what the medium, your firm should be able to craft a clear and compelling message that perfectly fits the medium and deeply connects with your target audience.

Digital experts

Communication has become so much more than newspapers, televisions, and radios. The explosion of social media means that important conversations are happening at speeds unheard of back in the days when you had to wait a full 24-hour news cycle. Opinions are literally being shared while important events are unfolding. You must be ready to shape the story in real time as it is happening.

Additionally, many people don’t consume news and information from traditional sources. They get their news primarily from social media networks. Video ads that would never be viewed by some on television have a much higher chance of being seen on social media networks like Facebook and Instagram.

This means at least two things. First, the firm you hire should understand how to track important conversations happening on social media. They should know who matters, why they matter, and what they’re saying.

Second, the firm you hire should know the rules of communicating on social media. Social media communication is very different from other mediums, and the firm you hire should have a firm grasp of the nuances required for social media communication.

Make sure the firm you hire to assist your government relations team knows its way around the legislative process. Make sure they know how to create a message that is compelling, clear and cuts through the clatter and that they know the right channels to use in communicating to target audiences. And make sure they know how to successfully navigate social/digital media.

Don’t play fast and loose when it comes to hiring a PR firm for your critical public affairs work. You can’t afford to make mistakes when it comes to navigating the legislative process. The passing or killing of legislature can literally be the difference between massive success and your business dying a slow, painful death.

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Ryan Banfill is Partner and Senior Vice President of Sachs Media Group.