Julie Walke had to check out the details.
Walke, a La Jolla, Calif.-based independent PR practioner, who worked as a PR director for a San Diego bank before striking out on her own 10 years ago, recently got a call
from a contact who told her a major city was in the market for a communications manager. Walke, who currently represents the City of Imperial Beach, Calif., says the job would
have been a "perfect fit." But after some due diligence she declined the offer. "I didn't want to give up the independence," says Walke, whose clients include Belmont Corp. and
the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego.
Walke is part of widening reservoir of independent PR talent that corporations are increasingly dipping into. There are a bevy of reasons that companies are embracing
independents, the most obvious one being that hiring an independent is significantly cheaper than hiring someone in-house, who gets all the concomitant benefits. Rates for
independents typically start at around $100 an hour and vary depending upon the work involved. The market for independent PR practitioners is also growing because of the PR people
who lost their corporate jobs in the last few years and decided to start their own firms.
Another reason is that with PR directors spending more of their time working throughout the enterprise -- and reluctant to assign important tasks to newbies -- independent
practitioners can quickly get up to speed on a project without any hand-holding.
In addition, after meeting with a PR agency's heavyweights to land the business, corporations often find that the agency has assigned the project to an inexperienced account
executive.
Companies "should insist on meeting with the people who they're going to work with," says Sandra Beckwith, who runs her own PR firm, Beckwith Communications, and is the author
of "Streetwise Complete Publicity Plans" (Adams Media, 2003). "You have to be cautious when hiring an agency compared with someone who you know has experience as an independent."
Beckwith, whose clients include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Turner Construction, writes for her clients and doesn't do any pitching or media relations. She typically
charges $75 an hour but is willing to reduce her rates for long-term projects.
Peter Hyman, of PDH Communications in New York, adds that he discounts for start-up meetings in the hope that it will lead to a long-term relationship. "In '98, and '99 it was
name your price," he says. "Now it's gotten a lot harder [to price], but like anything, you have to deliver."
Aside from offering a fair price, independent practitioners bring a lot of other tangible benefits to the table. But it's up to the PR director to separate the wheat from the
chaff.
"The trick to hiring [an independent] is to make sure you're working with someone who can be fairly hands-off," says Cynthia Stein, a senior associate with Joseph Sullivan
& Associates, a Dallas-based management consultant. "The person has to be devoted to that lifestyle, which is different from someone who has been a consultant or is looking
for a full-time job."
For the last year Stein has farmed out written PR assignments to Candace Talmadge, an independent practitioner who, like any good independent worth her salt, is not from the
'Tell me what to do' set but just the opposite. "You don't have to explain the job to me," Talmadge says. "I will explain things to you and together we will raise your profile and
decide what mediums to use to do that."
PR directors seem to like the idea that independent practitioners make themselves available 24/7 and can be around when a reporter calls from across the country needing to
verify some facts about the client, but the client -- or the corporate contact -- is in transit, or tucking in the kids.
"As an independent you have to be flexible," says Deborah Schwartz, who has been a sole PR practitioner for 23 years and whose clients include several law firms, such as Cohen,
Millstein, Hausfeld & Toll. Schwartz initially charged $125 an hour but has in the last few years raised her rates to between $175-$225 an hour. "I try to give a fair price,"
she says. "If you treat the client right they're going to want to work with you again."
Others prefer to charge flat rates. Barry Wanger, APR, Fellow PRSA, of Wanger Associates, whose clients include Wheelock College and Fitchburg (Mass.) Redevelopment
Organization, charges between $3,500 and $4,500 a month for 20+ hours a month. He says the costs are justified. "As an independent [PR] practioner I'm focusing just on PR," he
says. "When I was a PR director I spent half my time in meetings all day, which isn't very productive."
With the volume of independent practitioners higher than it's ever been, the industry has started to take note. PRSA is in the process of formalizing an independent section -
with nearly 100 members -- to respond to this growing segment of the business. There's also an Independent Practitioners Network of PRSA in Boston with more than 50 members.
Some independent PR pros, however, are severing their ties to PRSA to develop their own collaborative networks. For example, Harry Bosk, APR, president of Bosk Communications
LLC, an independent PR practice, is also president of the Independent Public Relations Collaborative (IPRC), a group of 24 independent PR pros working in the Baltimore area. Bosk
says separating from the PRSA, while amicable, gives members of the group more "leeway" to cultivate new business. He adds: "Just because we're independents doesn't mean we
operate any differently than a good, sizeable PR agency, delivering proposals, laying out expectations, and being responsive."
The Entertainment Publicists Professionals (EPPS) is an independent group of approximately 400 members representing clients in the music, film, TV, sports and non-profit areas.
The group is for companies "looking for seasoned professionals with a specific skill set," says Scott Pansky, general manager and partner of Allison & Partners and president
of the EPPS. "They're not dialing for dollars but can show clients the difference between a junior A.E and a senior practitioner."
Contacts: Sandra Beckwith, 585.377.2768, [email protected]; Harry Bosk, 410.665.4787, [email protected]; Peter Hyman, 212.673.2266, [email protected]; Scott Pansky, 310.314.5410, [email protected]; Deborah Schwartz, 301. 897.8838, [email protected];
Cynthia Stein, 972.272.4678, [email protected]; Candace Talmadge, 972.227.8273, [email protected]; Julie Walke, 858.729.9933, [email protected]; Barry Wanger, 617.965.6469, [email protected]
Independent Practitioner Fees
[based on an informal poll of the Independent Public Relations Collaborative]
Hourly Rates: Range from $50 an hour to $150 an hour depending on years of experience. Experience of IPRC members range from four years to 30+ years. Also, IPs backgrounds
come from a variety of industry sectors including agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and organizations such as universities, hospitals, etc.
Retainers: Retainer fees vary from as little as $500 a month to $5,000 a month. IPRC members tend to set rates according to the number of hours required for monthly work and
on the nature of the work. Fees will be higher for both retainers and projects if the scope of work will be more strategic than tactical. For example, one IPRC member recently
won an account on retainer with a major educational organization that provides tutoring services. The account is to do a re-branding campaign for the organization. The scope of
work includes developing the strategic plan for the re-branding. The IP on that account will charge a higher fee than if the scope of work were more tactical such as writing and
distributing press releases. Also, some IPRC members charge a minimum retainer generally starting around $500 a month.
Project fees: Fees vary according to the number of hours required and according to the scope of work. Similar to retainers, many members of IPRC charge different fees according
to whether work will be strategic or tactical. Additionally, many members of IPRC charge a different hourly fee according to the client's organization, i.e. nonprofit, corporate,
government. Some IPRC members have a minimum project fee generally starting around $300.
Source: The Independent Public Relations Collaborative; http://www.independentpr.com
Contact: Harry Bosk, APR, President, Bosk Communications, LLC; 410.665.4787, http://www.boskcom.com