How to Start a Public Relations Business 1-2-3
A public relations specialist or consultant communicates with the public on behalf of other companies or
organizations. Known for writing press releases, PR specialists also coordinate events.
Although there are no education requirements to get started as a PR
consultant, you need to be knowledgeable in the areas of journalism and advertising. Since you'll be
working with the public, you'll need to be able to communicate well, think creatively, have self confidence and
be self-motivated.
You can get public
relations training at home. By doing this, you can enhance your PR skills and add more credentials to your
resume, making it easier to attract clients to your PR Firm.
What Do You Need When Starting a PR Firm?
Get a separate business phone line - it's inexpensive (Were you aware that you can use an 800# for as low as
$2/month?). It's not professional to have customers calling you on your home phone. For
your business bookkeeping, you can hire a professional or you can do it yourself with affordable accounting software like Quickbooks Pro or Quickbooks Simple Start.
You will need a business license, even if you work from
home. All you do is walk into city hall and apply (you may even be able to apply online at your city's
website, depending on where you live). If you have a name for your business, register the name with your county
clerk. Then you can open a business bank account so your personal and business
finances are separate.
Create a website (you do this for free) to
advertise your PR services. Include company background information, the services you provide and most
importantly, the benefits that customers receive by doing business with you. Use your company logo to instantly
make your website look more professional.
No logo? Design a logo online. With technology these
days, you can design a really professional logo yourself without paying the high price. In addition, you can
take full advantage of it by using it on brochures, business cards and numerous business
materials like invoices (free invoice form).
 Start Your Own Public Relations Company
Find out how to start a public relations firm with help from PR Professional Lynne Bliss. Lynne has over
10 years experience in public relations and already owns her own successful PR agency. Cut your
start-up time in half, save money in start-up costs and avoid many of the common mistakes that new business
owners make.
What you find out:
 How to start a public relations business
with little or no money.
 Pricing your public relations services, setting up a
cost-effective office & how to maximize your profits.
- Identifying prospective clients, creating an impressive portfolio & developing a marketing plan to
get the best results.
- Discover different types of organizations you can work with: corporations, non-profits, government,
education & information on telecommuting, How to prepare a proposal (sample included).
 Become a Public Relations Consultant
Marketing Your PR Business
Announce that you're starting a public relations company by handing out your newly-designed brochures and
business cards to friends and business people you know. Give a first-time customer discount so that people are
encouraged to test-drive your service or refer it to others. Become a member of professional groups like
PRSA, local associations like the Chamber of Commerce and social
networking websites like LinkedIn.
List your firm in the yellow pages and other local online directories for increased exposure. See also:
Find Local
Customers Online and $50 Online
Advertising Credit.
Also, a great way to let the public know about your PR firm and demonstrate your skills is to write press
releases for local charity organizations and help plan and promote fundraisers in your community. People
appreciate you for your goodwill and see the benefits you provide first-hand. You're likely to get new clients
and referrals as a results of your generosity.
Finding Public Relations Jobs & Customers
Whether you want to find customers or do freelance work as an independent contractor, online job sites can
be a good way to find work and clients.
Why? Some companies looking to hire may be open to outsource to an independent contractor
because they don't have to incur hiring fees. You can also set up a partnership where you pay them a referral
fee for any customers they send you. You can also find freelance public relations jobs online here:
Freelance Job Sites.
Public Relations Business Resources:
Set up a simple website for under $50/year to
advertise your public relations services. Help people find you in the search engines: get listed in 20 search engines for free or in
300 search engines for $4.
Local Search
is becoming more and more popular. People are many times using online search instead of the traditional yellow
pages to find local businesses. Local Search sources that are affordable and receive substantial traffic
include: Google Local, Yelp, Super Pages and Insider Pages.
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