Q: Getting started - what are the first steps?

A: We understand that engaging a PR agency can be a daunting and confusing task. That’s why our appointment process is purposefully designed to be quick and easy. Simply choose the Book PR or Consumer PR package that’s right for you and we’ll be in touch – usually on the same day – to arrange a free consultation.

Q: Can we talk through the options?

A: Of course. We provide new clients with a full and free telephone consultation with absoltuely no obligation to engage our services.

What are your areas of public relations expertise?

We secure media coverage for everything including the kitchen sink (literally). Take our global campaign for The Jelly Bean Factory (which saw Kate Middleton’s face on a jelly bean) as an example. But we’re best known as a book PR agency, and for our award-winning work in consumer PR and high-profile launch events.

Will I get on TV?

We obtain loads of TV interviews and radio coverage almost daily (see Latest Publicity), but can’t always guarantee it. Our stories often go international and become major talking points worldwide. Take our ‘Monster Slipper‘ campaign – the story about the delivery of a true monster slipper following an error with a decimal point, for instance. It was covered by Russell Howard’s Good News (and many others).

You can view some of our biggest TV stories and favourite PR campaigns throughout the website. And you can read our thoughts about the importance of TV and radio interviews for authors on our publishing blog, PRscribe.

How can you offer guaranteed publicity?

We don’t own or control the media so we can’t guarantee that what we write and distribute – however newsworthy it may be – will always land, especially in the national press or on radio.

But if we guarantee the results of a service we’re charging for it means we’re confident about our chances and will have identified an angle we believe will work.

So should we fail to deliver that coverage, we will have got it wrong, plain and simple. And if that happens, we’ll refund the cost of that service in full or provide another PR service of similar value.

How long do most campaigns last?

That depends on the type of campaign, the nature of our role, and the intended outcome(s). We can usually secure 11th-hour publicity (typically after other public relations agencies have failed to do so) within just a few days of appointment, and widespread coverage within a few weeks – like our “nerd” campaign with Dr Sonja Falck, right, for example. Most PR campaigns, however, will run for between six and 12 weeks.

What is 'Palamedes', is it a large agency, and where it is based?

In Greek mythology, Palamedes (“pal-ah-meed-ies”) was apparently a bit of a controversial star. He led the Nauplians in the Trojan War and is credited with the invention of creative writing. Today, the term ‘Palamedes’ is commonly used to refer to or describe something ingenious.

As for the agency…well, we’re small and independent which means we’re only able to represent a tiny proportion of those who approach us (see About Us). When we launched the ‘Not for Bunnies’ world’s hottest Easter Egg (and its successor, the ‘Vishneaster Egg’, the world’s first inter-religious Easter Egg), for example, we worked on this campaign exclusively.

The Covid-19 outbreak meant businesses everywhere had to adapt their working models. In line with government guidelines, Palamedes introduced a combination of remote and with-client working. This hybrid model enabled our staff to work safely from home and – when it was safe and legal to do so – to meet with and work alongside our clients. For the next two years we proved that we could not only make this model work but that it benefited our clients far more than traditional office working. Today, we operate the same hybrid model and plan to do so indefinitely. We generally meet clients at The Charlotte Street Hotel in London’s SoHo, a stone’s throw away from our old stomping grounds and office, but happily travel outside of the capital as and when needed.

Do you offer charity PR?

We positively welcome enquiries from charities, NGOs and other welfare organisations which seldom receive the media recognition they deserve. If we can help, we will, and almost always for free or at a heavily discounted rate.

You can view some of our charity PR work, including our campaign for Samaritans with Noel Edmonds, right, on our PR case studies page.

Will a PR campaign always boost sales?

A strategic PR campaign should reach and engage with target audience(s), wherever in the world they happen to be. It will also disseminate positive messages about your brand/product/service by virtue of independent, third party media coverage. But whilst a good PR campaign can and will drive horses to water, it can’t make them drink. Any PR agency that says otherwise really are cowboys. The decision about whether to purchase your product(s), hire your services or visit your website will be determined by consumer/target audience behaviour and by numerous other factors – such as usefulness, originality, price points, USPs, branding, demand, competition and so on – outside of our control and remit. Or, to put it another way, no amount of persuasive publicity can influence a purchase if what’s on offer is flawed or in any way fails to live up to its price tag. That’s why we strongly recommend that clients undertake as much market research as possible before appointing us in order to gauge reliable (and genuine) consumer interest in their product or service and to ensure that any publicity is likely to have a positive effect on sales.
Our ‘Tears on my Pilau’ curry-scented perfume, for example, did remarkably well in the media and obtained worldwide print, digital, TV and radio coverage. But perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s fair to say that sales stank. Luckily it was all a bit of fun for a well-known brand.

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