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If you are one of the thousands of businesses looking to gain national exposure for your corporation then you are probably facing the difficult decision of finding the right public relations firm. What can make this decision difficult is that there are so many different kinds of public relations firms out there. Some are local, some national. Some retainer based, some project based. So how do you know which public relations firm will be the best fit for your marketing plan ? Here Marsha Friedman, Managing Director of EMSI, a national public relations firm , will share her 10 tips on how to choose the RIGHT public relations firm to get your message the media coverage that you desire.

1. Find a PR firm that specializes in your industry. "For example," says Marsha Friedman," if you have a technical B2B business then you should find a national public relations firm that specializes in Business to Business . If the public relations firm regularly works with companies that are in your industry, they will be familiar with how to communicate your message to the media." Also, they should be able to get started right away . "If you choose a national public relations firm who is unknowledgeable of your business , be prepared for them to spend some time researching your industry in order to get a full handle on your topic" adds Marsha Friedman. And guess who will be paying for the public relations firm's research time: you! "Most firms charge a costly monthly retainer, so the longer it takes for them to get started the more money that will be coming out of your bank account . Just to give you an idea the minimum is around $3,000 per month, the industry average is approximately $5,000 per month and the large public relations firms can charge anywhere from $20,000-30,000 per month."

2. Choose a PR firm that specializes in your medium of choice. If you are ready to hire a public relations firm, then chances are that you have given a bit of thought as to what medium you want to use. "By the time you start looking for a PR firm you will probably have a good idea if you want to use talk radio, television, newspapers or magazines to get exposure for your topic. It is useful to know that not all public relations firms work with all types of media," says Marsha Friedman. "A whopping 95% of firms specialize exclusively in magazine and newspaper attention ." So if you are interested in doing radio or television you need to find a firm that specializes in these mediums. "The best way to find out," says Friedman, "is to ask the public relations firm what media that they specialize in!simple as that!"

3. Ask the PR firm to supply sample campaigns. "Before choosing a PR firm, request to see some sample public relations campaigns that the firm completed for their clients," says Marsha Friedman. "This way you can see the quantity and the quality of the media obtained for their clients." Also, find out how long the campaign was. "For example, if they show you a public relations campaign that has one huge newspaper placement (such as USA Today or The New York Times) and the duration of the campaign was 2 years - think twice. "If it took 2 years to get one major newspaper or magazine , based on the minimum retainer level, you would have paid a massive $72,000 for that one newspaper hit." Sample public relations campaigns are a great indicator of the effectiveness, especially the cost effectiveness, of a public relations firm's work.

4. Find a pay-for-performance public relations firm! The costly monthly retainer can put a crunch on your finances, so it is good to know that there are other options out there. Marsha Friedman says, "There are a handful of public relations firms out there that get paid based on their performance . My PR firm is one of these and it really works for our clients . The reason is that they only pay for the media exposure that my public relations firm actually obtains for them. So instead of paying a monthly fee, they pay for the results that my public relations firm obtains for them." By choosing a non-retainer based firm you are truly making your public relations firm put their money where their mouth is!

5. Speak to the public relations firm's clients. When you are choosing a national public relations firm it is very important to ask to speak to some of their clients, past or present. When you get them on the phone, ask the public relations firm's clients what sort of radio, TV and print exposure they received and how long it took for the public relations firm to obtain it for them. Marsha Friedman adds, "Great questions to ask are; How well did the public relations firm's staff interact with them? Seem to care about your campaign? How creative were the pitches and press releases? These answers will give you valuable insight as to how the public relations firm will handle your campaign."

6. Be confident in their skill in public relations . Before you agree to work with a public relations firm , make sure that you are convinced that the public relations firm will understand your business enough to communicate it to the media . Make sure to ask lots of questions, request copies of sample campaigns and then do a comprehensive review of all of the materials. "I would suggest that before you make your final decision you talk to owners and definitely request a proposal", says Marsha , "ask the important questions. Where are they going to get you media exposure? How long the campaign will last? Do they have quantitative goals for the campaign? How long will it take to meet these goals? How the public relations firm answers these questions will ultimately determine the level of confidence you have in their ability to service your campaign .

7. Don't limit yourself to public relations firms in your area. If you're looking for regional or national exposure don't limit your search to public relations firms that are located within your area . "Many people believe that you need to have a firm located just down the street so that you can have regular face-to-face meetings with them, "says Marsha . "But this is not how it works. In my 20 years of gaining national and local media attention for my clients, I have only had a face-to-face meetings with a handful of them. The reason for this is that I don't need to. All of a public relations firm's work can be done via phone which is a far more efficient, and time saving, way to work." If your goal is to attain national media attention, find a public relations firm that specializes pitching to the national media. A national media public relations firm's know-how is what is important, not where they are located. Looking for local media attention? The look locally! Marsha says "As they are in the middle of the market you are after, their contacts and knowledge will be far more effective than that of a national public relations firm."

8. Meet your Campaign Manager. There is one person in particular who plays a vital role in driving the success of at the public relations firm: your Campaign Manager. When deciding if you are going to go with a PR firm it is vital to meet your Campaign Manager. . Find out what their experience level is and how long they have been with the public relations firm. "A great nugget of information is that many Campaign Managers are rookies straight out of college," says Marsha . "Even more frightening is that many national and local public relations firms hire interns to handle the client accounts that are not from one of their 'big guns.' " If you don't investigate the qualifications of your Campaign Manager, then how can you be confident that your campaign will be handled by a professional?

9. Find a public relations firm that believes in you . The best type of public relations firm is one that not only understands your message but also has enthusiasm for your topic. Marsha says, "If you find a public relations firm like this, their enthusiasm for your message will show in the work that they do. Their efforts will be more creative and their communications to the media will be attention grabbing and clear." In order for a public relations firm to successfully work for you, they need to understand your passion and be able to translate it into something that will be of interest to the masses. It can be quite costly if they misunderstand your point."

10. Trust your gut. Marsha says, "My final tip to choosing the right public relations firm has everything to do with your instincts '. When you are in the process of deciding if a public relations firm is a right fit for your needs it is inevitable that you will have strong views about their work and approach. I would advise that even if everything looks fantastic on paper, or in a snazzy presentation, if you have absolutely any reservations think twice about choosing the firm." Gut feelings tend to be accurate, so if something seems a little off in any way, be weary of working with them . There is nothing worse then finding out your gut feelings were right when it is too late!

Well there you go! The 10 tips on how to choose the right public relations firm for you! If you would like to learn more about gaining national or local media attention for your company, product or service, without the financial burden of monthly retainers, Marsha Friedman would love to help. Feel free to contact her directly at mfriedman@emsincorporated.com or visit her firm online at http://www.emsincorporated.com. As a public relations expert Friedman has the ability to get the media attention that you desire without breaking your budget with costly monthly retainers .

Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook "How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest" visit http://www.emsincorporated.com.