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Public Relations · Published July 18, 2022

Ronn Torossian
Founder & Chairman, 5W

Indie Public Relations: Why work with an Independent PR Firm?

indie public relations why work with an independent pr firm
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There are plenty of reasons why companies should be working with independent PR firms. Between the personalized experience they’ll receive, to getting a more hands-on approach, there are many benefits.

Personalized Experience

When a business decides to work with an independent PR firm, it gets to work with the same professional for any of its public relations needs. That includes everything from media outreach to billing and contracts.

On the other hand, when companies decide to work with big PR companies, most of the time, these companies tend to share all of the tasks and work they have to do for clients with different people, based on their expertise and level of skill.

That means the business will have to communicate with one PR professional regarding the media outreach they want to pursue, and then a different professional about the billing and contracts.

This can quickly turn into a confusing situation for businesses, especially if the big PR company they’re working with has a big staff on board. However, when working with an independent PR firm, companies get to communicate with the same PR professional all the time, which means all the communication is going to be easier to manage and a lot more direct.

Cost-effective

Most independent PR firms tend to work from smaller offices and have a smaller number of people on staff, which means they won’t have the same overhead costs that big PR companies tend to charge their clients.

That’s because big PR companies have to take into account all the different expenses they have when calculating their rates.

That means independent PR firms tend to charge a lot less for the services they provide, which makes them a great option for companies that don’t have a big budget to spend on working with big PR companies.

Skills

There’s no need for companies to worry that they might be working with professionals that have less experience or different skills when they’re working with independent PR firms because that’s not the case.

In fact, many independent PR firms have professionals that have just as much, if not more experience than the people that work at big PR companies. That means companies will get all of the same benefits of working with experienced and skilled PR professionals when working with independent PR firms.

Resources

Many businesses tend to think that they need to work with big PR companies because they have a lot more resources that can help in achieving their goals.

However, that’s not quite true. Most of the independent PR firms actually have access to all the media databases and any other resources that big PR companies have.

While a big PR company might also have an SEO expert or a graphics designer on staff, independent PR firms can easily subcontract the same work to other professionals and provide businesses with the same level and quality of service.

Indie PR: Why an Independent PR Firm Is A Good Option

When companies are looking to work with a PR firm, it’s important to choose a firm that’s going to align with the values that the business has, and is able to deliver great results at the same time.

For many businesses, that means looking toward the big PR companies that have a big reach, resources, and a lot of contacts.

However, that’s not the only, or in many cases, even the best option that companies can choose from. Independent PR firms can provide companies with the same, if not more, resources, contacts, and overall services and capabilities, with plenty of other benefits to go with that.

Approach

Instead of receiving the generic PR services that big PR companies provide their clients, companies that work with independent PR firms get the benefit of working with professionals that have specialized skills or talents.

That might mean that they’re specifically focused on a specific service, such as crisis communications or media outreach, or they have several PR professionals on board that have a variety of more specific skills that companies can communicate with.

This strategy allows independent PR firms to deliver more specific and strategic results for the companies they’re working with. It also means that independent PR firms tend to have fewer clients which ensures that each business gets a more personalized approach to their needs, which results in more informed and high-quality work overall.

Focus

When it comes to independent PR firms, they consider each and every client they have as valuable and important.

That’s why these types of PR firms invest a lot of time and effort in making sure they provide their clients with tailored and effective services and capabilities that will meet all their needs.

Additionally, since independent PR firms tend to be smaller, they tend to work in a similar way that in-house PR teams do, which helps them better understand their clients’ goals and figure out the best ways that they can help in achieving them through their efforts.

Flexibility

Independent PR firms tend to operate differently than big PR companies, taking a team effort that allows them to have all of their PR professionals work together to cater to their clients’ needs.

This way, they’re able to draw on the experiences and capabilities of all their staff members, while bringing in new and different perspectives to various situations, which, in turn, helps foster a lot more creativity while allowing all the staff members to be more flexible and agile on the solutions they provide clients.

Most companies tend to be concerned that they won’t get the same fast responses and actions when they’re working with independent PR firms, but that’s not true.

Independent PR firms provide their clients with a very personal approach that has allowed them to create a big network of very talented and skilled subcontractors, which means they’re able to add more skills or capacities to their services quickly when necessary.

Ronn Torossian

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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