For SMEs that don’t have big budgets for PR and marketing support, nor the time or activity for a full retainer model, getting a message out into the world can be easier said than done. Working to tackle this issue, Clear Hayes Consulting has launched a new subscription PR service called CHPR to help people get their stories told.
The new CHPR service offers regular market intelligence updates and easy access to professional PR services, to help small and medium sized businesses create a bigger impact in a crowded market.
Mediaweek spoke to principal of Clear Hayes Consulting, Alex Hayes, about the launch of CHPR and what it can offer clients.
How did CHPR come about, and why was now the time to launch?
“There’s an old saying – never buy the mechanic’s car. The idea is that it’s probably a wreck because they don’t have time to work on it, because they’re busy doing paid work. The same applies in the advertising industry. We have incredible small businesses doing hugely innovative things, and we don’t hear from them because they’re too busy doing the work to talk about it.
“There are a lot of reasons for that – they’re time poor without dedicated resources to do it, it is labour intensive because this isn’t their day job (and creating good PR assets is an art), and they don’t have the contacts to then get it out there. Often there are not things to be PRing the whole time, and it can be expensive to pay a retainer for a consultant or an agency just in case you need something done at some point.
“So CHPR is the solution we’ve come up with to solve this problem – it gives subscribers regular market updates so they are informed on what’s happening, from awards and events to exclusive media opportunities, providing inspiration and information on how you get out to market. Then when you have something to say, you work with one of our consultants to craft it and we get it out to the right people, so you have more of a chance of it getting picked up and published.
“We’ve been testing and honing the workflows and product with a few clients over the last six months and it’s working really well, so now is the time to open it up more widely.”
What are the differences between the three subscription packages you offer?
“The packages are all tiered at different price points and access to different products. So the top tier Business Magnet gives access to the whole menu and Insider Access intelligence from three different markets (APAC, AU and NZ), and it tiers down from there.
“For every tier, all subscription fees become credits, which are then redeemed against a menu of services on offer so clients are entirely in charge of their own budgets. If you want more, you can just top up as you need.”
Could you tell me a bit about Susie Thomson, and how she came on board as general manager of CHPR?
“Susie is an absolute gun. She has been with us for the last year, initially leading our business in NZ. Her 19 years of experience with big agencies across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK mean she’s led some massive campaigns and even started businesses, so she was a natural choice to help us evolve our thinking here.
“Her insights and expertise have been invaluable for our clients, she’s got a great eye for a story and is fantastic at helping get them told. Importantly she’s also a real leader in our business and has been pivotal in helping us hone CHPR to get us where we are today.”
Susie Thompson
Connecting Plots has been using the CHPR service for the last six months. What sort of results have they seen?
“Connecting Plots is one of the businesses which actually inspired our thinking around developing CHPR. We’ve worked with them on and off for a few years, but the problems I highlighted earlier were always there and it didn’t sit well taking a traditional retainer fee.
“They’ve been one of our foundation clients helping us develop the product and system – their feedback has been invaluable. Over the last few months, we’ve been able to help them create proactive commentary, opinion pieces, and create a launch strategy for their brilliant a.glo product.
“Firstly it’s raised their awareness and voice in the industry, now they are regulars on the conference circuit and getting calls for proactive comments. That’s led to more clients being aware of them and getting onto different and new pitch lists and proactive opportunities. It’s been a real business builder for them.
“I was at a conference with the founders Tom Phillips and Dave Jansen recently and they were doing a much better job of spruiking CHPR to new clients than I was – they certainly seem very happy with what they’re getting!
“But we’re not ones to rest on our laurels, we make sure we work hard for every client to get the best results we can.”
What are your hopes for CHPR?
“We’ve got big plans for the product – we’re launching in Australia and New Zealand now, but we’ll be pushing into APAC very soon as well (and already cover the APAC market).
“Success looks like a good sized pool of satisfied clients who are getting results they simply couldn’t have on their own.
“We want to create some scale and generate a real network effect, so journalists know we have a one stop shop with a diverse pool of experts to give them real insight on stories, and we can form meaningful partnerships with industry bodies to offer discounts, services and other great perks for our subscribers.
“For indie leaders it can be pretty lonely at times, so creating a network where people are able to network and share insights, thoughts and even leads is also part of the plan.”
See Also: Clear Hayes report unveils industry-defining trends from Advertising Week APAC
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Top Image: Alex Hayes