Article 13: How Much Time Do I Invest in a Tech PR Campaign?
I’ve always had a sense that it can be frustrating for in-house marketing managers, who hire a PR agency to take the pressure off, only to find they’re still expected to be involved in the delivery of PR.
Equally, I know PR agencies will often cite the exact same problem but from the other side of the coin. The agency is recruited to drive PR results, but the client steps-back once the contract is signed, leaving the agency without direction or access to the information they need.
In my view, successful tech PR campaigns are always a partnership. The agency brings expertise, relationships, and creativity, but you – the marketing manager – bring insider knowledge, access, and context.
So, how much time should you expect to invest in a tech PR campaign?
Feeding the Agency Information
What’s needed: Updates on new products, services, team changes, leadership announcements, acquisitions, or anything else newsworthy.
Timeline & Effort: Ongoing. You’re closest to what’s happening inside your organisation. Your PR team sits outside and only sees what you share. Keeping them in the loop ensures they can spot opportunities and craft relevant, timely stories.
Introducing the Right People
What’s needed: Connect the agency with subject matter experts or spokespeople who can provide insight and quotes.
Timeline & Effort: Short-term (mostly at the start). Once you’ve made introductions, the agency can often work directly with your experts. That saves you time in the long run, but you might still need to step in occasionally if things get stuck.
First Review of Content
What’s needed: Reviewing and approving press releases, thought leadership pieces, and other PR materials.
Timeline & Effort: Ongoing. Your input helps make sure messages align with brand and strategy. Agencies value a marketing manager’s perspective here — it’s about quality control!.
Sharing Content Internally
What’s needed: Distribute drafts or final pieces to internal experts and spokespeople for review.
Timeline & Effort: Short-term, with potential savings later. If you’re comfortable letting the agency liaise directly with spokespeople, you’ll save time. But if approvals stall, you might need to help move things along.
Scheduling and Hosting Interviews
What’s needed: Help to coordinate or host journalist interviews, briefings, or podcast appearances.
Timeline & Effort: Minimal. If your agency can arrange interviews directly, your involvement can be light. However, your support may be needed occasionally to clear bottlenecks.
Results and Measurement
What’s needed: Share internal data (such as web traffic, leads, or social engagement) so your agency can measure impact effectively.
Timeline & Effort: Ongoing. Agencies can track coverage and media impact, but they can’t always see how it translates to your internal metrics. A quick monthly data share makes a big difference.
Sharing and Selling Results Internally
What’s needed: Help communicate PR wins to the wider business or leadership team.
Timeline & Effort: Short-term. Your agency can provide reports and summaries, but you know best how to position those successes internally. You also have direct access to the people that matter. Once your organisation sees the impact, this step gets easier over time.
Tech PR Campaign
Investing in PR doesn’t mean you have to still do it all yourself! That’s definitely not how it works. But, it does mean staying connected to the agency and supporting their workload. The more you collaborate and communicate early on, the more efficiently your agency can operate in the future. A few hours a month of active involvement can unlock far greater results and ensure your PR campaign truly delivers.
