#PRChurch – but is it really a crisis?
I was asked on IG for tips on quoting for crisis management.
But let’s start with this: is it really a crisis? And are you doing anything extra to manage that crisis?
Crisis PR = bling bling money no?
If you know me, you know I love a crisis. I love the down low, the thinking, the counsel, the turning of a tide. And you can charge a lot for a crisis (rightly so). BUT. Is it really a crisis? I can’t tell you how many times over the past two years I have talked the client out of throwing big money at a non-issue / problem. In their world it might be. In the wider world it is not. So start there. Drama, drama, drama … when actually there is nothing there or it will all blow over in days or this is not actually about the client. You get me? Energy attracts energy and if you are drama, attracting drama, I am not sure you are going to create anything other than … drama. Usually for the client – who is terrified (and thus pliable to pay exorbitant fees).
Are you actually doing anything extra?
If my normal fee is eg R1k/hour (based on skills, experience etc), I am showing up for my client, at that full R1k/hour – giving them my full presence, knowledge, counsel, experience. Whether they are briefing me on a new campaign, brainstorming a tricky business challenge with me or asking me to write a very beige press release that needs to tick the boxes.
I don’t have rate cards for a press release, a thought leadership piece, a strategy etc etc – that is not my business model. But it may be yours, and you can google those to your hearts content to see what could / should be charged. Rate cards are good when you are starting out with very little experience as people can peruse it like a menu in a restaurant and order a starter to gauge the experience before they go with the full tasting menu. Similarly the annual AdTalent salary survey is a good indication of working out what you could / should be charging according to your level of skill and experience.
But I digress.
Often crisis comms projects are nothing more than issuing holding statements or press releases and battening down the hatches and keeping schtum. So why would you charge extra for that?
Ok but this is a real bona fida crisis
So then the costing again comes down to your business model.
And I work on scoped project fees (according to my hourly rate).
With 1st 50% required upfront (that should cover all your hard costs so that you are never out of pocket if the 2nd 50% becomes tenuous).
And then 2nd 50% due on the final report.
If it is a longer project then I stagger payments accordingly.
What I never do, is charge by the hour. Because a)clients will argue timesheets and b)when do you stop and start thinking in a crisis?
How do I scope a crisis project?
Simply by what resources I need to deliver.
What tools I need to deliver.
And the brief.
Resources?
What can I do vs where do I need to pull in resources? Do I need someone to pull media and social media reports? Analyse? Do I need a writer? Designer? Do I need a researcher? Publicist? What is the optimal team I need to create to deliver the highest quality work at the quickest turnaround? Spoiler alert: my crisis teams to date have never been more than four people even on the biggest projects lasting 6 months: you want to be agile, adept and on the pulse with everyone working to clear deliverables.
Tools?
Do I need media monitoring services, social media monitoring services, analytical tools etc.
And the brief.
If you tell me there is a crisis, this is where my head goes: this needs 24/7 availability, this needs 5am headline analysis reports, this needs 6am war room briefings, this needs daily stakeholder engagement: from reception staff to board members, this needs real time engagement with media, this needs real time comms and updates with decision makers. And that is when I double my rate. For my hyper alert, hyper aware, sense checking, counselling and crafting of appropriate responses when an organsisation is on its knees and has lost perspective and good stuff is at stake.
What does a client want to know?
Not your hourly rate. They want to know your availability, experience and EQ levels. They want a concise one pager detailing team, tools and process.
What do you want to know?
That they’re the good guys. That they respect you (by paying 1st 50%) and that they give you access to the decision makers.