International Public Relations

When it comes to running a PR programme in more than one country, the options usually boil down to one key factor &mdash budget.

Central to this is how the PR campaign is carried out in each country you need covered. Ultimately, if you have someone ‘on the ground’ in each place, with local knowledge and local contacts, that’s going to add significantly to the cost.

The upside of this is that in most circumstances, it also adds significantly to the effect. But ultimately, what you do in respect of international PR will largely be determined by how much you want/can spend on it.

This guide is designed to give you a basic overview of international PR options and the questions to ask PR agencies to assess your options.

If you have an international-size budget:

Consider how you want the work to be carried out. If you already have a PR agency in place in your home territory, do they have their own offices in other countries? Smaller agencies, they may well operate without the local offices, but with a local partner. In these circumstances it’s important to assess the effectiveness of the relationship by asking for examples of successful PR campaigns they have run together in the past.

If budgets don’t stretch so far:

For most businesses, paying for a PR agency in every country in which they operate can prove too expensive, but there are plenty of PR agencies who can offer international services from their HQ office. Be aware of countries where language will be a major factor and ensure your agency has the language skills to cope. Then there are factors such as time differences – can your UK-based agency really do a top quality job for West Coast USA (up to 8 hours behind the UK).

Questions to ask PR companies about international PR:

What are your in-house PR capabilities for Europe/USA/Asia/etc?
How do the hourly/daily/monthly rates differ according to the country being targeted?
How do you co-ordinate PR activity across different countries?
What centralised reporting/measurement options do you offer?
How long have you been working with your PR partners in other countries? Can you provide examples of successful activity?
What are your contract terms for international PR?