Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does it work?
   We've tried to keep it really simple.
   
   For businesses:
   
   Just contact us and we'll help you to clarify your PR needs, put together a brief that hits on all your targets, then match you to a consultant who can do a great job. We'll stick with you in the initial stages of the campaign, hosting regular Work in Progress calls to make sure things are on track.
   
   For consultants:
   
   Register on the site with all your details, including your experience, areas of specialisation and PR background. We'll call you back to grill you on your freelancer credentials, then if you are up to scratch you will be approved to join Re:public.
2. How much does it cost?
   Businesses:
   
   You can spend as much as you want on your campaign. Re:public retains just 20% of the total campaign fee, and releases payments to the consultant according to the ‘package' and payment schedule agreed (see below).
   
   PR Packages
   
   As cashflow is king, we also realised that paying up-front for a PR campaign may be a tough call for a business. But we also had to protect the PR consultant. Expecting a consultant to work without regular payment is an equally big ask. So we've designed three core packages to make campaign roll-outs easier for everyone:
   
   

   • Short Term Project Agreement: 1 month – 6 weeks
   • Longer Term Project Agreement: 6 weeks – 3 months (divided into three ‘phases' to monitor activity and schedule payments)
   • Ongoing ‘Retainer' Agreement: 3 months + (divided into monthly ‘phases')

   
   
   Consultants:
   
   Registration for consultants is free. All consultants are interviewed prior to them being ‘approved' to join Re:public.
3. Is Re:public involved with managing the PR campaign?
   No. Our role is to match the business to the consultant and facilitate that relationship. During the initial stages of the campaign we arrange and host regular Work In Progress meetings to make sure things are on track, but the PR campaign is run by the selected consultant.
4. Can I call to discuss my PR needs for free?
   Yes. We realise that putting together a PR campaign is a complex process so we are very happy to run through things with you. We have nearly 20 years' experience in the public relations industry, so can give you valuable advice on whether you need a PR campaign, and if you do, what's the best way to structure it.
   
   Just contact us for a chat any time.
5. What are the terms and conditions?
   Terms and conditions are available here
6. What is Public Relations?
   Do you want more people to know about your business? Do you want to build brand? Do you want to be involved with social media? Well, you may be looking for a public relations campaign.
   
   According to Wikipedia, “Public relations, abbreviated as PR, is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.
   
   Another description may be that it a form of reputation management – a means to appropriately promote or protect the reputation of a company, organisation or individual.
   
   As such, the discipline itself leverages a range of communications tools; press releases, events, social media, blogging, networking and newsletters to name just a few. Now, more than ever, public relations is becoming an umbrella term for your communications campaign.
   
   The power of public relations is often in the inferred endorsement of the publication or media property covering the issue. However, this also means it is impossible to guarantee that commentary will be lifted directly from a press release or conversation.
   
   But a good PR consultant will know this – and be prepared. And this is the art of good PR. Anyone can write a press release, but only an experienced public relations consultant will understand the subtleties of media negotiation.
7. Why do I need PR?
   Do you want to boost your brand profile? Do you want more people to know about you? Do you want people to have a clearer understanding of what you do? Do you want to stand out against your competitors?
   
   If so, you need a compelling public relations campaign.
   
   Public relations is much more than just press releases. It is a highly complex skill that encompasses a whole range of communications techniques. But importantly, it's a key ingredient to driving your business forward.
   
   A good public relations campaign is based on a clear brief: what do you want this campaign to achieve? What are your business goals? A talented PR consultant should be able to build a program that supports those goals and delivers tangible business results.
8. What is Social Media?
   According to Wikipedia, the term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content.”
   
   Popular social media platforms include internet forums, weblogs, social blogs (e.g. facebook), microblogging (e.g. twitter), wikis, podcasts, video (e.g. YouTube), photo sharing (e.g. flickr) and social bookmarking to name a few.
   
   There's no doubt that social media has driven significant changes in the communication between organisations, communities, and individuals. For this reason, it has become an integral part of the public relations skill set. Some recent statistics include:
   
   

   • Social networking now accounts for 22% of all time spent online in the US
   • A total of 234 million people age 13 and older in the U.S. used mobile devices in December 2009
   • Twitter processed more than one billion tweets in December 2009 and averages almost 40 million tweets per day
   • Over 25% of U.S. internet page views occurred at one of the top social networking sites in December 2009, up from 13.8% a year before
   • Australia has some of the highest social media usage in the world. In usage of Facebook Australia ranks highest, with over 9 million users spending almost 9 hours per month on the site
   • The number of social media users age 65 and older grew 100 percent throughout 2010, so that one in four people in that age group are now part of a social networking site
   • As of June 2011 Facebook has 750 Million users

   
   
   According to a report by Nielson
   
   “In the U.S. alone, total minutes spent on social networking sites has increased 83 percent year-over-year. In fact, total minutes spent on Facebook increased nearly 700 percent year-over-year, growing from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009, making it the No. 1 social networking site for the month.”
   
   The main increase in social media has been Facebook. It is now ranked as the number one social networking site. Approximately 100 million users access this site through their mobile phone. According to Nielsen, global consumers spend more than 6 hours on social networking sites.
   
   "Social Media Revolution" produced by Socialnomics author Erik Qualman contains numerous statistics on Social Media including the fact that 93% of businesses use it for marketing and that if Facebook were a country it would be the third largest. In an effort to supplant Facebook's dominance, Google launched Google+ in the summer of 2011.
9. How much does PR cost?
   A very tricky question. From personal experience, I don't mind how much you have to spend – just be clear and up-front about it. I've wasted many hours developing complex and extensive public relations campaigns for clients who won't discuss budget – only to find out that they can only afford a fraction of the plan I've written.
   
   Fees are often based on an hourly rate. consultants can generally charge much lower fees than an agency as they don't have the overheads, so in my experience, I reckon you could expect to pay anything between $100 and $150 per hour for a consultant (although many consultants are happy to negotiate a day rate which means things can become more cost effective). Agency fees could be upwards of $180 per hour for a junior member of the team.
   
   But remember, the fee is just one of the many things that help you to put together a good brief for your consultant. And a good brief is the key to good results.
   
   Ultimately, you need to be realistic about what you can afford, consider the returns you want on that investment, and brief your consultant comprehensively about what you want your campaign to deliver. For more information or to chat through your public relations needs, just contact us any time.