About

A Tech PR Expert Consultant

The Company

Emissary Communications, Inc. is based in the greater Los Angeles area and actively consults with technology companies worldwide, from California, to Europe and Asia. This includes experience with startups to large publicly traded companies. It also includes in vertical markets where products target the automotive, education, finance, government, healthcare, retail, and various other industries.

The Consultant

Rafael has worked with dozens of companies across their varied life cycle stages: startup, SMB, and publicly-traded. In addition to 20+ years experience as a PR consultant, he previously was an account executive / manager at MSL (then a top 10 worldwide PR agency), Capital Relations (then a top 5 California tech PR/marketing agency), and Ketchum (then a top 10 worldwide PR agency). Rafael also served in the US Air Force and California Air National Guard with an honorable discharge. He earned his BA in Journalism / Minor, Political Science, from California State University, Northridge, where he graduated with honors. Contact Rafael anytime with your PR questions.

Affordability

Eliminate paying agencies that are all too-often highly expensive and usually more focused on how to maximize your spend each month rather than working smarter with you.

Reliability

Avoid PR agency personnel continuity issues that diminish results, which are all too common with agencies: shifting account leads, employees leaving, delegating work down instead of up, etc.

Experience

Rafael has strong first-hand experience managing and executing comprehensive PR, marketing and social media programs. Current work relationships average multiple years of on-going month-to-month work, a testament to the affordability, reliability, and overall value provided. Get senior-management results without the very high agency hourly rates.

Retainer Setup

There are clear reasons to work on a retainer basis that are advantageous to both parties. But don’t worry because you’re never locked into a long-term contract. To be transparent about it, some of the reasons are mentioned on this page.

Approach

Why Do I Use a Retainer Approach?

PR is only fully maximized if it is continually worked on and not approached as a project here or there.
Because I can commit to a company / client for the long-term, which has the benefit of being more intimately understanding of you and your products or services.
Jumping from project to project is a highly unstable business model. Who wants to be a part of that?
Project-to-project, I may be available next time you contact me, or I may be committed to other projects and unavailable to you.
With a project here or there, I can never become as knowledgeable about your business and products and that impacts success.
I make retainers affordable enough that finding a new client to commit long-term is not so tough.
If I can choose to work with a client that is committed to the long-term requirements of PR, I then do not need to settle for project work.
Even though you may not need a full time PR person, there is usually a lack of full understanding of the need for PR if someone wants to only tackle it with a project here or there instead of consistently month to month.
It is inefficient – we would be in a state of constant negotiation for each project rather than focused on getting results.
We are aligned mentally and strategically when I find a client that is committed to on-going PR. And that sets up a win-win scenario.

Approach

Why You Benefit from a Retainer Approach.

PR is only fully maximized if it is continually worked on.
Because you have done your homework and fully understand PR requires a long-term consistent commitment, even if you don’t need it with a full-time employee.
Your competition is likely doing PR on-going to stay ahead of you and if they are not, well, you doing PR on-going will provide an advantage against them.
Finding a good PR person to work with on-going with an affordable retainer is not so tough. Your on the right website for it.
The next time you contact that consultant for a project they may be booked, leaving you high and dry. Worse, they may be out of business.
If you look at the market leader in just about any product or industry, you will most likely see on-going PR efforts, not a PR project once in a great while.
If you look at some of the more successful startups too in any industry, you are likely to see consistent PR efforts.
Working with someone on-going establishes the strongest bond between client and consultant and that continuity more favorably impacts results.
You might be familiar with SEO and if you become intimate with it, you will uncover that the best SEO is done with PR.
If you are not constantly pushing content, your SEO will suffer. If your content is not rooted in PR wins, it will take five times longer to get SEO results. That is many years, if ever – especially if your competition is using PR.