How to Find the Right PR Agency: A Step-By-Step Guide

Finding a public relations agency that makes sense for your brand is going to take a little bit of work — but once you meet the right fit, it’ll totally feel worth all the steps you took to get there. We’ve come up with a list of questions to ask yourself — almost like a flow chart — that’ll help you find success with one agency in the knick of time. 

First things first: are you ready for a PR agency in general?

• Are you ready to commit long term? PR does not generate overnight results. If you have at least six months, you’re in a good position to start PR.

• Do you have a dedicated budget? Know your numbers before shopping around.

• Do you have a marketing campaign running? If your goal is to generate leads or revenues, make sure to incorporate a marketing strategy to complement your efforts.

• Is there someone on your internal team who can act as the point person for the PR team? You will need someone to act as the main contact within your organization to filter or field press requests.

If you’re ready to add a PR agency to your team, here is our step-by-step guide to aligning with the perfect one!

1. Identify your top three business goals for the year ahead. What are you hoping to accomplish that is new or different than what you have already been doing? Is there anything you want to continue trending upward that has been working well for your business already? Do you a specific sales goal or metrics in mind? Make sure to document these prior to your discovery call.

2. Think of your newsworthy announcements coming up. What do you have in the pipeline that would be a good topic for PR professionals to highlight in their pitches? Launches are wonderful, but you want people to remember you even outside of your new launch periods. Clarify your “launch seasons” and your “off-seasons” so your PR partner has an idea of timelines and strategies to support.

3. Draft a list of the top five successes you can envision with PR. Examples include…

   1. Wishlist media outlets to be featured in

   2. Influencers to work with

   3. Brand partnerships

   4. Messages to transmit

   5. Anything else you can think of - dream big! It’s not every day you have the opportunity to make this kind of list! Striving for substantial change is what gets PR companies excited to work with you, knowing you trust them enough to shoot for the stars when it comes to coverage. Though they can’t guarantee anything, the more specific you are, the more pointed they can be in their efforts.

4. Get clear on exactly what kind of PR you want. When you can narrow this down, the PR firm will know which employees of theirs to put on your account who specialize in what you’re looking for:

   1. Local media

   2. National media

   3. New media

   4. Influencers

   5. Crisis communication help

   6. Launches and events

   7. Industry news

5. Determine the length of time you need an agency for (if it's anything less than three months, you're probably going to fall short.) Agencies can certainly commit to short-term engagements — event planning, for example — but giving them time to establish a rapport with journalists, influencers, editors, etc. will always help in the long run.

6. Get clear on your budget. Not only will you want to set aside resources for the PR agency but also for activations. Be sure to have established an agency fee and an activation fee.

7. Start Googling PR agencies:

   1. Jot down your top five - what makes you attracted to them? Is it their brand? Is it the types of clients they already work with? Is it the story they tell on their website? Make sure to pinpoint why you gravitate toward who you do.

   2. Ask around, too! Local entrepreneurs and business owners may have recommendations.

8. Set up a call!

   1. Things to ask for on the call:

      1. Case studies - what have their findings been when they’ve worked with other clients? What are they noticing that is trending this year?

      2. List of media they work with regularly - do they have legitimate results? Who are they reaching out to — and hearing back from — consistently? Does this align with what your goals are?

      3. Realistic expectations - what is their turnaround time on projects that don’t require other people’s responses? What have they noticed in general when working with other clients?

9. Ask for a proposal. Your agency of choice should be happy to provide something more concrete for you after you’ve spent time on a call together. Just don’t expect a plan or specific ideas – that comes after you’ve signed an engagement contract.

10. Make a decision. Finally, narrow down your selection to the agency that meets most if not all of your requirements. And remember, your investigation goes beyond just what is on paper. You want to be sure you like who you might be working with, too! In addition to garnering results, you want to make sure you have a great relationship with the team you’re going to be working very closely with! Make a decision and commit for at least six months together.

Congratulations! Once you’ve gotten to this point, hopefully you have a public relations partnership that you’re excited about that will help generate more visibility for your brand. If you’re a home, beauty, wellness or lifestyle business, we may have an agency we can suggest! Contact us.