Dropped $2,400 on a PR agency retainer for a product launch and got 3 clips from blogs nobody reads
I run comms for a small hardware startup in Austin and we had a launch back in April, so I pushed hard to hire an outside agency. They promised media relations and a press push, but three months and $2,400 later we had three blog mentions and one podcast spot that got maybe 40 plays. My CEO was nice about it but I could tell he was doing the math in his head. Now I'm second guessing whether outside help ever works for a company our size. Has anyone here had a retainer actually pay off, or is it all just a lottery?