How It Works
If you’ve hired a PR agency before and didn’t get much to show for it, you’re not alone. Most of the founders and service professionals I talk to have been through that experience. This page explains exactly how my work is structured and why it’s built differently.
Every project includes specific deliverables agreed upon before we start, so you know exactly what to expect. If the agreed-upon deliverables aren’t met by the scheduled end of the project, I keep working until they are.
ClearSpark Digital is a one-person operation. When you work with me, you deal directly with me. You won’t deal with five different people or have junior staff working on your project. Everything gets my full attention, from strategy to execution to final delivery.
How Is This Different From PR?
My work overlaps with some aspects of traditional public relations. I do aim to get you and your business covered by reputable publications, and I do that partly by pitching journalists, editors, and publishers. But there are several key differences between what I do and what a PR agency does.
1. No monthly retainers
PR agencies and publicists typically charge a monthly retainer ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 or more, often with a minimum commitment of several months.
My projects run for a defined length and are billed at a flat fee. There are no monthly retainers and no long-term lock-in. When a project wraps up, we talk about what makes sense next, if anything.
2. Specific deliverables, not vague outcomes
Working with a PR agency usually comes with no guarantees. You might get coverage. You might not. The outcomes are usually vague, so you don’t know exactly what to expect.
My projects include specific deliverables, including defined content types and a minimum number of placements. I can’t guarantee exactly which publications will cover you, but I do guarantee the output. If the deliverables aren’t met by the scheduled end of the project, I’ll keep working until they are.
3. Results aren’t dependent on successful pitches
The reason PR agencies typically can’t guarantee results is that their work depends almost entirely on journalists and editors saying yes. Even great pitches can fail due to timing, competing stories, shifting editorial priorities, or any number of things outside the publicist’s control.
While I do pitch stories to journalists, it’s not the foundation of my work. I have established relationships with publishers that allow me to place content without the traditional pitching process, and I use content syndication to get coverage on news websites across the United States. Those channels produce results even when pitches don’t land.
4. I create assets, not just coverage
Most PR agencies promote you without creating anything new. They pitch journalists and hope a story gets written. When the retainer ends, there’s nothing left behind.
My work involves building what I call authority assets. This includes original research, surveys, and data-driven content published on your website. A well-executed data study can attract links and citations from major publications for months or even years after it goes live, long after any campaign has ended.
This content also gives journalists and editors a reason to cover you. Original data is something they can cite and reference in their own work. You can see real examples of this in the Founder Reports case study.
5. Faster results
Traditional PR is slow, and understandably so. Pitching journalists, building relationships, and waiting for stories to come together genuinely takes time, and most of it is out of the publicist’s hands.
Because my work doesn’t depend entirely on that process, results typically come faster. In most cases, the first placements go live within a few weeks of starting a project. And since projects are priced at a flat fee rather than a monthly retainer, I have no incentive to draw things out.
What to Expect on Quality
A common concern, and a fair one, is whether placements will actually be on sites worth getting covered by. That’s a reasonable question to ask.
Coverage secured through my work has included distribution to outlets such as Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and major regional newspapers (Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer, Kansas City Star, Sacramento Bee, and many others, as well as placements on established business and industry sites relevant to the client. For a better idea of what to expect, please check these case studies:
Turn Your Expertise Into Visible Authority
If you’re ready to strengthen your visibility through credible media coverage, data-driven content, and strategic distribution, let’s talk. We’ll discuss your goals, identify opportunities, and determine whether this approach is the right fit for your business.