Where do You Search for a Public Relations Firm?

Where do you search for a PR company when you want to employ one? On Google.com, Bing or any other search engine, or do you go straight to reputable sources that list the best of the best in a directory of sorts? Do you, perhaps, rely on Twitter and word of mouth recommendations? Listing all possible resources for PR is a monumental task – in the following I will mention just a few, the crème de la crème – excluding search engines and Twitter.

When it comes to a directory of companies it all boils down to what you want to employ – a company that makes millions yearly in revenue, highly corporate, clinical (and at times even unscrupulous, propagandist) or a small, boutique company that will accord special attention to your business, getting involved heart and soul, committed to the truth. So consider the market you target and your budget and go from there. Believing that a small company cannot do a good job is a prejudice.

Hiring a small company for a job that can only be done with a high number of resources is a mistake. Relying solely on DIY PR is, in some cases, unproductive. Remember that PR is not reduced to sending out press releases – it’s a more in-depth, carefully planned process that involves everything from corporate identity planning to marketing and even sales. PRs, as the name of the profession implies, are involved in every aspect of the business that ends up in front of the media and the public.

The following are what we consider reliable directories:

O’Dwyer’s PR firms database – updated in March 2009, it is still indicative of “PR power.” Here you will only find US and Global players that are making net profits of up to $449,231,193 yearly.

Council of Public Relations Firms – US based, pretty much same listings as O’Dwyer’s, without all the details.

PRSA – listing all firms and individual PRs in the US who applied for inclusion. Probably the most trustworthy PR resource in the world for all PR professionals. Ethics, business standards, free resources and more – PR customers will find this a great information hub.

PR.com – with an international public relations directory, categorized per industry – you can find here everything you need and more.

The Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) – same as PRSA for professionals in this country. PR customers from Australia will find this an incredible resource as well.

The Canadian Public Relations Society – lists 492 members who have attained accreditation with the professional society.

European Public Relations Confederation (CERP) – represents about 22000 PR practitioners, consultants, in-house-specialists, teachers, researchers and students in Europe.

The German Public Relations Association DPRG (Deutschen Public Relations Gesellschaft e.V.) – with around 2200 PR consultancies registered, however, impossible to find on their outdated, old fashioned website. I only mention them as a courtesy, since we operate in Germany.

And you can always contact Everything PR News for help finding the perfect PR partner!