68 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / March 2020
PHOTOGRAPHBY^ SHUTTERSTOCK/WELLPHOTOSuppliers
Get the
Word Out
Franchisors and franchisees alike can benefit from a
talented PR firm that can tell their story—and get the
attention of new customers. Here’s how to find a match.
by HAYDEN FIELD
From Vinnie Sposari, franchise owner,
Mr. Rooter Plumbing hen vetting a PR firm, whether you’re
a franchisor or a franchisee, you want
to find the best value. Where’s the
intersection of quality and cost? To do
that, you need to ask a lot of questions.
What types of brands do you serve?
Who are your longest-term clients?
How do you keep them moving for-ward? Get specific. If you’re a franchisee, ask for
franchisee case studies that show how the PR firm
helped drive business. If you’re a franchisor, request
an example that outlines how much one company
paid and what it received in business growth, media
impressions, ad equivalency, site visitors, or social
media engagement. It’s also important to understand
a firm’s role in the industry. Ask: What’s your connec-
tion to franchising outside your firm? How intimately
are you involved? Ideally, executives will be ingrained
in the industry, sitting on boards or attending rele-
vant events. Another thing to consider: transparency.
Assess how straightforward the company is and the
clarity of its plan. How’s the team’s response time, and
what sense do you get of overall work ethic? PR isn’t
straightforward; it can take months to get the right
result. You need to know an agency is alongside you
for the long fight.
3 / Unexpected Success
From Jamie Izaks, president and cofounder,
All Points Public Relations
1 / Ask All Your Questions
From Neal Courtney, CEO,
Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids 2 / Be Honest About
Expectations
NEAL COURTNEY started as
a Cookie Cutters franchisee.
Today, he’s CEO. The brand
has more than quadrupled
its size in five years, and
PR firm Franchise Elevator
helped supercharge
his strategic plan with...1 / Real results
Since partnering with the PR firm,
Cookie Cutters has expanded from
24 locations to 110—and Courtney
could track the stories it placed in
relevant publications with a boost
in franchise sales. “I would say
10 percent of our growth is related
to the direct efforts of Franchise
Elevator,” he says. 2 / Quick communication
“We’re extremely aggressive, and I
wanted a firm that really wanted to run
with us as a hare,” says Courtney.
So before signing on, he had a lot of
conversations to make sure Franchise
Elevator could keep up with his
requests, ideas, and demands.3 / Trust
Courtney wanted a PR rep who
genuinely believed in his business.
“Especially for emerging brands,
you need to know that the partners
you’re working with are passionate
about what you’re bringing to
market,” he says. “Otherwise
you’re just another company in
their portfolio.”What he expected/ Mr. Rooter’s corporate office provides franchisees
with PR services through Fish Consulting, but Sposari was skeptical. He
didn’t think PR could actually boost business for a plumbing company.What he got/ Name recognition. Sposari constantly meets people who
recognize the name Mr. Rooter from articles, and sometimes people even
recognize him by name. Plus, the press has helped boost trust. “People don’t
always trust the plumber,” says Sposari. “This gives us some credibility.”