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Chapter 2 – Going pro or going solo

Once you decide that your app is destined for the top of the charts, the next step is deciding who is going to be the brains of the operation. You can either go it alone, hire a public relations firm, or an independent consultant for the duty. Read on for each of their pros and cons.

Going solo

Going solo is the most affordable option. Because you are putting your own manpower behind it, there’s no need to budget for any kind of public relations activities. Even better, you can make your own hours!

The trade off of course is the time commitment needed to make going solo worthwhile. The ramp up time for any public relations outreach can be especially labor intensive because of all of the research involved. It can take weeks, even months, to pull together messaging for your product, decide on key media targets to approach, write a pitch, write a press release, and speak to the press—and those are all things that need to be done before your product is even released.

Even if you can code an app in your sleep, creating these critical public relations documents can slow you down to a snail’s pace because writing prose is a lot harder than writing code. If you’re a developer, you need to ask yourself whether you have the bandwidth to take on these tasks and whether that time is better spent ironing out the features of your app.

Going solo can be beneficial for developing relationships with the reporters that can make your app famous. There’s nothing better than being able to pick up the phone, call a reporter, and have them interested in your product because you have that rapport with them. You also get the added bonus of a sense of accomplishment when you eventually see your product in the headlines.

The only catch is, with millions of developers and other manufacturers vying for the ears of reporters, it is near impossible to get their attention if you don’t have the right know-how. (Luckily you have this book, of course!)

Aside from the time investment required for relationship building, the fact that press people are less accustomed to dealing directly with product developers means your voice stands less of chance of being heard. Make no mistake about it—PR folk are LOUD! And that’s one of the reasons they get heard.

Hiring a public relations firm

Hiring a public relations firm means you get a team of professionals who are dedicated to getting your product in the spotlight. They are the ones with experience dealing with the media, spinning news, and managing the reputations of many brands. Best of all, they have access to a slew of fancy public relations tools to make them efficient while doing so. Of course, all of this isn’t going to come cheap.

Estimates for hiring a public relations firm can vary drastically depending on the length of contract, size of team, and promised results. Some won’t work for less than their minimum fee and some can even charge a premium for launching a product. For many agencies, a month long commitment for even a small public relations campaign can cost $10,000, $15,000, $25,000, or more. So what does that get you exactly?

For one, it gives you access to people who have made a living promoting products. They know the ins and outs of the business, including how to find reporters, how to talk to them, and influence them to make your product famous. They can make your product appeal to the broadest audience possible, or even zero in on a specific demographic and make sure they hear about it.

One of the downsides when hiring an agency is that they might not have direct experience in promoting for your industry, however.

As an example, let’s say you developed a cooking-themed app for sharing recipes on the go. There are many firms out there that specialize in promoting consumer technology such as this type of mobile app, but it is a rarity to find one that specializes in cooking products as well. As a result, when hiring a firm, there is significant ramp-up time that needs to be taken by them to learn the industry, to learn who the power players are, and to develop rapports with them. After this ramp-up time however, they are free to operate as a well-oiled publicity machine!

Another downside to hiring a PR firm could be a competitive conflict. Some firms will specialize in mobile apps, meaning they represent several developers. That’s a good sign that they are experienced, but it’s also a warning sign that your app might not get top placement when it comes time for them to pitch.

Insider knowledge: If you’re looking for a PR agency or contractor, you might come across one that has something called a “Pay per placement” cost model. Essentially, what this means is that they work on contingency--you only pay when they deliver certain results. For example, your goal could be to be featured on certain technology blogs, so you only have to pay when a media placement is secured. It sounds like an attractive option, but in reality, using this type of pay model can get expensive in a short amount of time. Rates for getting featured on a single publication can vary greatly, some costing thousands of dollars.

Hiring a consultant

Hiring a public relations consultant is the middle ground for developers who are nervous about going “all in” with a firm. Consultants have all of the experience of firms, normally at a fraction of the price. The reason for that is because they are essentially a team of one that works out of their own office, using their own resources.

Consultants are often graduates of public relations firms, and normally have a long list of credentials to show for it. Like public relations firms, they can even show you examples of their previous successes. One of the big benefits of hiring a consultant however is that they are normally exposed to many different industries throughout their careers. Because of their strong ties to media professionals in different industries, the ramp-up time for consultants can be negligible, which saves you money in the short-run.

Their pay is normally more flexible compared to public relations firms, depending on the type of work they will be doing, because they can be paid on an hourly basis, monthly basis, or for a specific task. A typical rate for consultants can range from $150 per hour or $3,000 for a month long project. They also have the flexibility to be open to other payment arrangements as well, such as bartering for another service you can provide for them or discounting their rate in exchange for other things.

Similar to public relations firms, the downside of consultants is that because they can with several clients at a time, they typically work won’t be working for you full time. For some developers, this works best for their budget, however.