Top FAQs
What is PR? Why should I work with a PR professional?
PR stands for public relations, which is the practice of sharing stories about a brand, person, or organization into the public realm. Sharing these stories, with the right audiences, can build awareness for a brand, foster a more positive public opinion of it, and help create more meaningful relationships between the brand and its community.
For these stories to reach the best audience requires the right storytelling platforms, as well as access to them — something that’s best achieved by a person who has dedicated their time and energy to building trustful working relationships with whomever controls those platforms. We’d call that person a PR consultant, and their main job is to advocate for a brand and act as its connector, intermediary, and story-sharer. This person is good at crafting a brand’s message into a compelling narrative for an editor, writer, or influencer to build on, providing them with all the right assets and shepherding the story through from inception to publication — and beyond.
Creatives and small-business owners often have many compelling stories to tell but either don’t have connections to the right journalists to share them with, or simply don’t have spare time to dedicate to the process. That’s exactly why Hello Human exists: We’re a collective of PR consultants with years of experience who know exactly how to support creatives on their journey to connect with like-minded journalists and consumers.
How do I know if PR is right for me? And when should I start thinking about working with a PR agency like Hello Human?
- Before you dive into PR, and the costs associated with it, here are a few things to consider:
- Are you aware of exactly what makes your brand or work different from everything else on the market? Your point of differentiation is often where your story is hiding, so you need to be able to speak confidently about this before you invest in PR. It might require a little soul-searching first.
- Does your online presence align with your vision of your brand? Do you have enough social media content? Is it visually appealing? What first impression are you giving to someone landing on your website for the first time? If there’s a disconnect there, you might want to spend time fixing it first, so when you’re reaching new audiences, you have the best chance of making an impact.
- Do you have high-quality photographs of your products and projects, or a budget to commission them? Publications are extremely discriminating when it comes to photography, so imagery can often make or break your chances of publication.
- Do you have the time to commit to a PR campaign? Even if you hire a professional to help you, they’ll still require your time and efforts to support the process.
If you answered “yes” to these questions, you’re in a good position to work with a PR consultant. But timing is everything — most PR teams, including Hello Human, prefer having a 3 to 4 month head start on whatever your “news” is, whether it’s the launch of your new company or the release of a new collection. That allows us time to build a strategy for you, and also to accommodate print magazines that write their stories 3 months in advance of the dates their issues launch.
If you’re still unsure whether PR is right for you, you might want to start with one of our Express One-to-One Consulting Sessions, which are up to 90-minute conference calls that help uncover your best options for press coverage and offer actionable advice that’s tailored specifically to your business.
How does Hello Human keep the cost of its services so low?
Traditional PR services can be VERY expensive. Before you even factor in separate costs like producing new photography, working with a PR agency can set you back anywhere between $3,000 and $15,000 a month, and often requires a six-month retainer. These prices make hiring a PR agency a non-starter for most small businesses.
When we first set out to create Hello Human, we did a deep investigation into why PR costs so much, breaking down all the steps that go into executing a PR campaign so we could see which ones were racking up the most costly time and energy. By doing this, we realized that if we could put more focus on educating our clients about the process of PR and how they could participate — making each engagement more collaborative, with clearly defined roles between the client and the PR consultant — then we could significantly streamline the process. With a streamlined PR method and a framework of services designed specifically for small, founder-led businesses, we’re now able to provide our services to brands we’re best aligned with, at an extraordinarily accessible price.
About Hello Human
Why does Hello Human exist?
Hello Human was founded in 2020 to offer independent creatives a mutually viable way to collaborate. Traditionally, PR has been reserved for larger brands with larger budgets that can accommodate the retainers that PR agencies require. These PR agencies can be extremely effective, however their model aims to reach profitability by growing their ongoing monthly retainer sizes, which can be at odds with businesses that have small budgets and prefer to work project-by-project.
Our business model and our motivations are different. We’ve tailored our à la carte PR services to these smaller clients whose work we feel more passionate about, so they can choose to engage us only at a level that suits their needs and budget, and only during the times when it makes the most sense for their business. And because we believe small businesses are at the heart of positive change, we’ve designed our services to scale so that they can support more creatives all over the world.
Where is Hello Human based?
Our PR consultants are based in markets all over the world, from New York to LA, Milan, London, Japan, and Australia. This gives our clients access to the world without costing the earth. It also means they can pursue PR Launch Campaigns in their markets of interest, partnering with local consultants who have local contacts, all while working within Hello Human’s tried-and-tested PR method.
What kind of PR does Hello Human specialize in?
Currently we specialize in design PR. This includes furniture, lighting, objects, interior design, and architecture. Sign up for our mailing list to be notified as we expand to offer services across other creative industries.
Can I choose which PR consultant to work with on my project?
If you find a consultant on our About page whose experience resonates with you, we welcome requests. However, due to our services model, we aren’t able to guarantee their availability for your specific project. We have a rigorous referral-only recruitment program, and we only work with the best communications experts in the industry, so you can be assured that you’ll be in good hands.
How do you choose which PR Consultant works on my project?
We have a set internal process to ensure we make the best match possible. When choosing a PR consultant for your project, we aim to make sure you’re both aligned on experience, professional background, interests, geography, personality, working style, and availability.
Billing
What currency does Hello Human support?
We bill clients in USD.
What payment methods are available?
We accept payment through all major credit cards. For services priced $3,000 USD and above, we also accept direct bank transfers.
Can I pay for your services in installments?
We require up-front payment for our services. However, we do understand that this can be a barrier for some small businesses, and can negotiate payment in 2 installments for select services.
One-to-One Consulting Session
What does the Express One-to-One Consulting Session include?
This service is great for new clients who’d like to chat things out with a PR professional before committing to a full engagement, or for existing Custom PR Toolkit clients that would like a follow-up session with their PR consultant. The call is entirely individualized to you. Our time is dedicated to assessing your current PR viability, diving into the challenges you're currently facing, demystifying the PR process, and sharing solutions and tactics that we think could take you closer to successfully generating media coverage. You can also lean on your PR consultant's expertise to advise you on messaging, events, photography, and anything in between.
To make our time together as efficient as possible, we ask that you prepare questions in advance so that your PR consultant can begin considering different approaches for you in advance of the call.
What does a Half-Day and Full-Day One-to-One Consulting Session include?
These longer sessions are meant for our clients who want the flexibility to work with a PR consultant in a less-structured and more organic way. Billed in half-day and one-day blocks, the sessions allow our clients to use their hours however they'd like. We like to call it “PR therapy,” where you can lean on your PR consultant's expertise to advise you on things like strategy, events, copywriting, photography, or fielding inbound press requests — and anything in between.
Custom PR Toolkit
How soon will I receive the toolkit?
You will receive your toolkit 7-10 days after we’ve received the responses to your interview questionnaire.
I have numerous upcoming launches and stories to tell. Will the toolkit provide me with PR talking points and advice concerning one of them, or all of them?
The Custom PR Toolkit scope allows for one launch or project. Feel free to tell us all about the other launches and stories you have in the works as you complete the interview questionnaire — the more context we get, the better — however your PR consultant will then proceed to focus on developing talking points and story angles around just one launch or project.
Can I progress directly to Hello Human’s different tiers after I’ve completed the Custom PR Toolkit service?
After the Toolkit is complete, we will advise you on next steps, whether that means holding off on a PR Launch Campaign, proceeding with it, or skipping to our Tier 3 Brand Profiling service. So no, it’s not guaranteed that all toolkit projects progress to the next tier of services. We value transparency, and we will not advise that you pursue PR if we don’t believe that you’ll benefit from it, or that we’re the best fit for your brand.
Can I speak with a Hello Human team member before signing up for the Custom PR Toolkit?
Unfortunately, we don’t interface with clients before beginning our introductory service offering, which is part of how we keep our prices so affordable. As much as we’d like to do so, we’ve taken great care to specifically design the toolkit to make the best use of both our clients’ time and ours. We also offer the Express One-to-One Consulting Sessions (up to 60 minutes) so you can hash things out with a PR professional before committing to a particular engagement.
Can I speak with the PR consultant who prepared my toolkit if I have any questions?
For any follow-up questions that may arise from your PR toolkit, we offer the Express One-to-One Consulting Sessions (up to 60 minutes) so you can work directly with your PR consultant, get any follow up questions answered, and work out the best way forward for your brand.
Do you advise on social media and identify social media influencers to partner with?
Currently we don’t offer influencer-marketing support. However, this may change in the future, so please sign up for our monthly email newsletter to be alerted to any updates.
PR Launch Campaign
Can my PR Launch Campaign reach a specific international audience?
Absolutely. We work with PR consultants in major creative markets around the world. If you’re interested in reaching a specific international audience, simply fill out this inquiry form and let us know which market when we get in touch with you.
How much lead time do I need to allow before doing a PR Launch Campaign?
We recommend a lead time of 3 to 4 months, in alignment with how much time monthly print publications need to write, edit, and photograph a story before their magazine issue is sent to the printer. However, on occasion we’ve been able to work with shorter lead times if necessary, such as when a brand is exclusively targeting online publications.
If I purchase a PR Launch Campaign, am I guaranteed media placements?
As much as we wish we could, we’re unable to guarantee media placements — not even the highest-paid agencies can do that! That’s because, as PR professionals, we can never control the editor decisions, editor preferences, editor responses, layout decisions, final edits, or editorial calendars of any publications. Our job is to communicate a considered, timely, and compelling story that fits each publication’s specific needs, which gives your story the best possible chance of getting published.
It’s important to remember that PR is a long game. Sometimes an editor may not immediately take to a story idea, but then 6 months later they may reach out after having bookmarked your initial pitch. Any opportunity to communicate news about your brand is never a wasted opportunity — all communications should be seen as a chance to keep your brand at the top of editors’ minds.
Brand Profiling
Who will I work with at Hello Human for my Brand Profiling pack?
We have a set internal process to ensure we make the best match possible. When choosing a PR consultant for your project, we aim to make sure you’re both aligned on experience, professional background, interests, geography, personality, working style, and availability.
What does the Brand Profiling package include?
It’s a bit more detailed than our other packages, so please input your information to this inquiry form, and someone will be in touch shortly with a quote which outlines the entire scope of services. In general, though, the Brand Profiling pack buys 6 days (48 hours total) of your PR consultant’s time, whether that’s strategizing with you, giving advice, answering emails, or introducing your work to the media. Once we kick off, we outline a planned scope of work that we aim to achieve in the time we have together, but we add in room for flexibility so we can pivot as your business needs change.
Can I jump into a Brand Profiling pack immediately?
We reserve the Brand Profiling pack for existing clients who we’ve worked with before on a Custom PR Toolkit or PR Launch Campaign. As such, these clients already have good insight into the PR process, how we work, and the assets we require from them to tell an effective and compelling story to the journalists we communicate with.
How does my PR consultant track time against my Brand Profiling pack?
We use time-tracking software to log the time we spend collaborating with our clients and working on their projects. We pay close attention to our use of time, to ensure it’s spent working on tasks and tactics that can move the needle for you. We’ll also be sure to alert you when we’re a day away from completing the hours in your Brand Profiling pack so we can decide the best next steps together.
Do the hours in my Brand Profiling pack need to be used within a certain period of time?
We give you the flexibility to use your Brand Profiling pack hours on whatever schedule you need them, over a maximum 6-month period.
PR Subscription Package
How much do PR Subscription packages cost?
This varies from client to client; we tailor your subscription package based on your business’s individual needs. Get in touch with us to discuss your PR needs and whether the PR Subscription package is right for you at this time.
What’s the benefit of buying a PR Subscription package as opposed to your other services?
Clients that work with us on a PR Subscription package enjoy the continuity and relationship-building benefits that come with working with the same PR professional over a longer period of time. Our other tiered services, by contrast, don’t come with a guarantee that you’ll be working with the same consultant as you move from package to package.