Public Relations FAQ: All of Your Top Questions Answered

by MagnoliaPR | Oct 18, 2023 | Childrens/Baby Brands, Fashion Accessories, Press

There are several common questions we’re asked when a business is considering public relations services, so we figured it may be helpful to answer them in a blog.

What is PR, exactly?

We’ll start with the official definition of public relations from Wikipedia: “Public relations is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization to the public in order to influence their perception.” While it’s often a combination of services ranging from media relations to influencer relations, PR is used as a tool to elevate a brand’s perception and visibility amongst their target markets.

While public relations is not considered a sales function per se, it does help influence sales decisions through building brand awareness and fostering consumer trust.

When do you need PR?

When you are ready to take the next step in your viable business and have the essentials in place – this could mean a functional website to showcase and sell your product or service, high quality product and lifestyle imagery, and a genuine understanding of public relations and its functions.

We’ve worked with brands right when they’re executing their very first launch as well as long-established brands looking to revitalize their brand’s perception.

What does it cost?

Public relations retainers will vary significantly amongst agencies, ranging from four figures to six figures per month. The scope of services a brand needs, the duration, and the size of the agency will be a factor. As an intentionally boutique agency, we strive to offer personal attention, tangible results, and foster a long-term relationship with our clients.

With our decades of vast experience, defined expertise, and proven results, we aim to be a mid to premium option for brands and experts. Our most successful clients stay with us for years and increase the time, resources, and services as they see results.

We also recognize the financial commitment of starting a new business and offer introductory packages with the intention for the brand to grow and ultimately expand services.

How do you work with clients? Do you only work with clients in Los Angeles or New York City?

Luckily, our business model allows us to work with clients worldwide, they do not need to be in Los Angeles or NYC. We’ve successfully worked with brands in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai, and more. Some of our clients we primarily communicate with via email or Zoom, while others we’ve had the opportunity to meet in person at trade shows or in our respective cities. Physical location is not a barrier to working together, and we love introducing brands to the U.S. market!

We typically start with the client’s specific public relations goals and needs, mapping out a plan of action and strategy. This could entail coordinating with the media for an upcoming product launch, noting media lead times and editorial calendars, sharing news to industry publications prior to a client exhibiting at a trade show, pitching for seasonal gift guides, etc.

Do you only work with kids brands?

We don’t solely work with kids brands, although we got our start with a children’s fashion brand and know the industry well. Over the years, we’ve grown and expanded to serve related industries using our established connections and deep experience. In 2023, the majority of the media/writers we work with are freelance. This means they work with a wide variety of digital publications on various topics related to our expertise (which means even more media opportunities for our clients!). We aim to be a one-stop shop for lifestyle, fashion, and family-oriented experts & brands.

We work with parenting experts, lifestyle/fashion experts, services for parents and women, gift brands, home goods, footwear, accessories, outerwear, formalwear, swimwear, apparel for baby, kids, teen/tween, and women, mattress brands, apps, physical stores, and e-commerce stores + services. Chances are, we’re a fit for your brand if you loosely fall within these niches!

Are you able to guarantee results, or give an idea of what we can expect if we work together? 

While no public relations agency can ethically guarantee results for earned media, we can evaluate your brand and determine if it will be a good fit with our expertise (lifestyle, fashion, and family-oriented/kids brands + experts) and media connections. From there, we can provide case study examples of brands or services in that niche as a guideline for potential outcomes.

As with any service, results will vary based on the client as well. For the best results possible, we expect timely responses to media requests, the latest newsworthy information, and required assets (high resolution product imagery) from the client. We recommend our clients have a designated person on their team to liaison with their PR team for smooth and consistent communication.

If any of this resonates with you, please feel free to schedule a call on our Calendly or drop us a line here.