Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About PR, Digital Marketing and Advertising

What is PR?

Public relations (PR) refers to the practice of managing how information about an individual or organization is released to the public. It’s a strategic communication process that allows a person, brand, or company to manage how the public sees and feels about them.

Every individual or business entity operating in the public eye faces the spread of information about them to the public. PR allows us to cultivate goodwill with the public towards the individual or company.

For a more in-depth answer, check out our blog: What Does PR Do? (And Why Should I Care?)

How does PR work?

PR is quite different from advertising or marketing. The goal is to present the person, brand, or company in the best light possible by sharing important news or information about them to the public, especially through the media.

PR can take the form of a press release, news conference, social media post, interview with a journalist, and many others. PR professionals work to get clients featured in magazines, television programs, newspapers, and articles online.

Why do I need PR for my business?

An effectively managed PR campaign can benefit your business in several ways:

PR helps deliver the right message about your business to the public, creating a good brand reputation.
PR is an efficient way to boost the credibility of your company because it operates through trusted media outlets.
PR helps enhance the online presence of your business, increasing your visibility among your target audience.
It’s a reliable way to connect with the public and give your business a positive image.

PR is one of the best practices to focus on if your company is looking at ways to engage your audience.

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How long will it take before I start seeing results?

We understand that you want to know how quickly your name, brand, or company will appear on national news media or digital press outlets. However, PR requires an efficient strategy that is implemented consistently in order to earn the expected results, which is what you’ll master through your sessions with Black Girl PR™.

The time it takes to see the results of a PR campaign depends on the goals of the campaign. But generally, it takes a relatively short time to start seeing the results of PR when practiced properly.

I’ve tried PR before, but it didn’t work. What’s different about this?

Due to the nature of PR and how it works, professionalism and experience are key to a successful PR campaign. That’s what Black Girl PR™ brings to the table, and our goal is to give you the blueprint. Our PR strategies center on user experience and are tailored to the established goals of each client. The precision of our PR approach, proven strategies, and many years of industry experience give us an edge that you can take advantage of. We’ll work with you to ensure your brand knows how to maintain a positive reputation in the public eye.

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What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the act of promoting a business to actual and prospective customers through the internet. Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing is done online and provides an avenue for two-way communication between a business and customers.

How is PR different from digital marketing?

PR and digital marketing are meant to build brand awareness, help you reach the right audience, and convey a positive message about your brand to the public. However, they employ different strategies and there are key features that set them apart.

Generally, marketing focuses on sales, while PR focuses on creating a positive impression about your brand to the public. And digital marketing typically consists of short-term campaigns that seek to drive instant improvement in sales performance, while PR brings long-term benefits to a business.

How does PR support digital marketing?

PR supports digital marketing in several ways, including:

Helping companies reach their target audience
Improving the reputation of a business and creating brand awareness
Refining marketing messages
Amplifying marketing strategies and campaigns

Creating a PR plan that is informed by and designed to enhance your digital marketing plan is key.

What is advertising?

Advertising is a communication strategy that employs a sponsored or paid message to inform people about something or promote a product, service or idea. In advertising, you will pay for whatever you want to promote or communicate to the public, and you have control over the message.

Advertising is communicated through various media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, television, radio, blogs, social media, websites, search results, and many others.

How is PR different from advertising?

Advertising differs from PR in that you, as the advertiser, pay for a message to be shared with the public and have control over it; while PR is earned media that happens as a result of you providing the media with information about your business or brand in the form of press releases etc.

Furthermore, advertising is one-way communication, while PR is a two-way communication wherein your company can listen and respond to the public.

How does PR support advertising?

Advertising is done to promote a product or brand to the public. PR allows you to build a strong reputation with the public, which will influence their decision in choosing your product or brand over others. PR paves the way for advertising and can significantly influence the success of an advertising campaign.

Read Marketing For Black-Owned Businesses

Questions About Black Girl PR (TM)

Is Black Girl PR™ a Black PR Firm?

Yes, Black Girl PR™ is a 100% Black-owned PR consulting firm. Currently, the firm is led by PR specialist and digital marketer Nantale Muwonge, and the majority of outsourced services are sourced from within the Black business community in the US and abroad.

Black Girl PR™ is committed to supporting the under-served Black business community and is always seeking opportunities to do so more effectively, and more efficiently.

Read The Voice Behind Black Girl PR™

What are the Benefits of Working With a Black-Owned Consulting Firm?

The main benefit of working with a Black PR consultant is not having to explain your culture or the context of your message, since things can get lost in translation.

Partnering with a Black-owned consulting firm also means you'll be working with experts who are fully aware of how media frameworks sometimes suppress Black voices (whether intentional or unintentional) and how to successfully navigate them to get your message across.

Furthermore, as a Black brand you can feel comfortable showing up as you are. No need to edit or censor your self-expression for fear of being seen as too much because the complexity and fullness of your Blackness is welcomed and celebrated, regardless of how you choose to express it.

Read 9 Benefits of Working With a Black-Owned PR Consulting Firm

What services does Black Girl PR™ provide?

Black Girl PR™ offers a 12-week program for ecommerce business owners who want to generate publicity and press features consistently, so they reach more people and have a bigger impact.

The Brand Impact Program™ is designed for business owners who want to:

Increase their market share
Build credibility
And consistently place their brands in front of their ideal customers

If you want to know the exact strategy that we use in the The Brand Impact Program™, watch our free case study video.

Your booking calendar is full, what do I do now?

If the booking calendar is full, please email info@blackgirlpr.com to inquire about possible openings.

How do I cancel or reschedule my strategy session?

If you need to cancel or reschedule your strategy session, please provide a minimum of 24 hours notice. You can cancel or reschedule within the scheduler, email info@blackgirlpr.com or call 480-420-6810.

If you are a no call, no show, you will be blacklisted and you will not be able to book in the future.

What is Black Girl PR's refund policy?

Black Girl PR™ does not issue refunds or accept returns for consulting sessions, courses or digital products. However, your satisfaction is important to us. If you have any issues, questions or concerns, please email info@blackgirlpr.com or call 480-420-6810 and we'll figure out a way to solve your problem.

Why did Sezzle decline my order?

If you placed an order using Sezzle and it didn’t go through, please try one of the following:

If you’re a first-time shopper, consider lowering the amount of your order. Initial orders of around $50-$200 are typically approved. And as you use Sezzle and establish a history by paying off orders on time, they’ll begin to approve larger orders.
Verify that your account was created correctly. Double-check your account information since errors can cause you to be declined for orders.
Check your payment method. If there’s no payment method tied to your account or Sezzle isn’t able to charge it for some reason (e.g. it’s expired), you won't be able to place an order.
If you’ve used Sezzle before, check to see if you have a failed payment on your account, or whether you have any unpaid orders that may need to be taken care of first.

Questions About Black Girl PR™ Merch Store

Delivery

When will I get my order?

Usually, it takes 3–7 days to fulfill an order, after which it’s shipped out. The shipping time depends on your location, but can be estimated as follows:

USA: 3–4 business days
Europe: 6–8 business days
Australia: 2–14 business days
Japan: 4–8 business days
International: 10–20 business days

[Covid-19] When will I get my order?

Our fulfillment times may be longer than usual and may continue to increase until things get back to normal. We're seeing delays in our supply chain, including distributors and shipping carriers as the entire industry is grappling with challenges.

It's difficult to predict the shipping times. You can follow our product manufacturing times and add an additional time for shipping on top of them:

Product Type	Shipments from US	Shipments from EU
T-Shirts	2-7 business days	2-7 business days
Mugs	2-5 business days	2-5 business days
Notebooks	2-5 business days	2-5 business days

Where will my order ship from?

We work with an on-demand order fulfillment company with facilities worldwide!

Will I be charged customs for my order?

An additional customs and tax fee can occur on international orders. This fee is not in our control and is assessed by your local customs office. Customs policies vary widely for every country so please check with your local customs office directly to see if they apply duties and taxes to your purchases.

My order should be here by now, but I still don't have it. What should I do?

Before getting in touch with us, please help us out by doing the following:

Check your shipping confirmation email for any mistakes in the delivery address
Ask your local post office if they have your package
Stop by your neighbors in case the courier left the package with them

If the shipping address was correct, and the package wasn't left at the post office or at your

neighbor’s, get in touch with us at info@blackgirlpr.com with your order number.

If you did find a mistake in your delivery address, we can send you a replacement order, but

shipping will be at your own cost.

Orders

How are your products made?

We work with a print-on-demand drop shipper. They have locations worldwide, so depending on where you are, your orders are printed and shipped from the facility that can do it most efficiently!

How do I track my order?

You’ll receive a tracking link via email when your order ships out. If you have any questions about

your tracking or shipment, drop us a line at info@blackgirlpr.com.

I received a wrong/damaged product, what should I do?

We’re so sorry if the product you ordered arrived damaged. To help us resolve this for you

quickly, please email us at info@blackgirlpr.com within a weeks' time with photos of the

damaged product, your order number, and any other details you may have about your order.

We’ll get back to you with a resolution as soon as possible!

Returns

What’s your return policy?

We don’t offer returns and exchanges, but if there’s something wrong with your order, please let us know by contacting us at info@blackgirlpr.com! Your satisfaction is important to us, so we’ll do what we can to fix the problem.

Do you offer refunds?

Refunds are only offered to customers that receive the wrong items or damaged items. If any of these apply, please contact us at info@blackgirlpr.com with photos of wrong/damaged items and we’ll sort that out for you.

Can I exchange an item for a different size/color?

At this time, we don't offer exchanges. If you’re unsure which size would fit better, check out our sizing charts—we have one for every item listed on our store, in the product description section.

Though rare, it's possible that an item you ordered was mislabelled. If that’s the case, please let us know at info@blackgirlpr.com within a week after receiving your order. Include your order number and photos of the mislabeled item, and we’ll send you a new one, or issue a refund!

Return Policy

Any claims for misprinted/damaged/defective items must be submitted within 4 weeks after the product has been received. For packages lost in transit, all claims must be submitted no later than 4 weeks after the estimated delivery date. Claims deemed an error on our part are covered at our expense.

If you notice an issue on the products or anything else on the order, please email info@blackgirlpr.com.

Wrong Address - If you provide an address that is considered insufficient by the courier, the shipment will be returned to our facility. You will be liable for reshipment costs once we have confirmed an updated address with you (if and as applicable).

Unclaimed - Shipments that go unclaimed are returned to our facility and you will be liable for the cost of a reshipment to yourself (if and as applicable).

Notification for EU consumers: According to Article 16(c) and (e) of the Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights, the right of withdrawal may not be provided for:

the supply of goods that are made to the consumer's specifications or are clearly personalized;
sealed goods which were unsealed after delivery and thus aren't suitable for return due to health protection or hygiene reasons,

therefore Black Girl PR™ reserves rights to refuse returns at its sole discretion.

This Policy shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the English language, regardless of any translations made for any purpose whatsoever.