The PR Red Flags No One Talks About
Not all PR is good PR, especially when the red flags start waving. Whether you're working with an agency or handling PR in-house, here are some major warning signs that something’s off.
🚩 1. When a journalist asks you to pay for media coverage
While paid media such advertisements are a way to secure coverage and backlinks quickly for your brand, ads are legally required to be labelled, and the more prestigious publications generally shy away from paid opportunities to maintain journalistic integrity. Earned media is a more organic way of securing PR coverage for your brand, as the journalist can vouch for your brand enough to promote it to their audience. Sometimes, you think you’ve secured a warm PR lead, but suddenly the journalist drops an invoice on you. In that case, RUN!
🚩 2. When your press release sounds like it was written by a robot
If your press release is packed with jargon, buzzwords, and phrases like "synergistic alignment" or "cutting-edge disruptor," chances are journalists will hit delete. PR should communicate clearly and concisely, if a press release takes three reads to understand, it’s just simply not doing its job.
🚩 3. When your press release goes to every journalist out there
Blasting your press release to every journalist under the sun is not a strategy, it’s a waste of time, sorry. Sending a food industry story to a finance journalist? A fashion launch to a tech editor? That’s how you burn media relationships QUICK. PR is about targeting the right people with the right stories.
🚩 4. When your PR team disappears after the press release goes out
A good PR team follows up, builds relationships, and actively pitches your story to ensure coverage. If they’re MIA the second a press release goes live, you might be dealing with a ‘spray and pray’ agency that’s more about quantity than quality. Again, RUN!
🚩 5. When PR promises you instant, guaranteed results
PR is a long game. If someone is promising you front-page coverage overnight, it’s either too good to be true or they’re paying for placements (see red flag #1). PR is about strategy, timing, and relationships - real impact takes time.
🚩 6. When there’s no clear PR strategy
If your PR agency doesn’t have a solid plan beyond sending out press releases, that’s a problem. PR is about shaping perception, building credibility, and supporting your wider business goals. No plan? No progress as far as we’re concerned!
