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Key Takeaways
- The ideal agency offers three things: a standardized workflow, measurable results, and the strategic backbone to tell you when your story is failing.
- Let agencies prove their practices, demand recent wins that meet your standards, be specific about who will manage your account, be honest about your budget, and be careful with independent publicists.
- Choose an agency that challenges you. If the agency only agrees with you, they are not protecting your best interests.
If you’re hiring PR because you want “more visibility,” stop. Visibility is not the goal. The goal is trust at scale. The right PR partner will give you credibility that advertising can’t buy, and the wrong one will turn your story into noise. Your job is to choose an agency that builds equality, not one that chases attention.
If you want PR that actually moves the company, you need a selection process that rewards execution. Here’s how to do just that.
Reset your baseline before you start
Most bad PR experiences are not proof that PR doesn’t work. They happen because expectations were vague, the agency was managing too many accounts, the retainer didn’t cover the actual labor, or the agency couldn’t show what it was doing from week to week.
Stop looking for ‘creative partners’ and start looking for an operating system. The ideal agency offers three things: a standardized workflow, measurable results, and the strategic backbone to tell you when your story is failing.
Cut the list quickly
Don’t collect a pile of proposals. This way you ultimately choose based on writing style and big promises. Limit yourself to two or three agencies before asking for a full proposal. The proposal should confirm how you will work together, not try to hypnotize you with a dream outcome.
If an agency can’t achieve a top three ranking after one or two phone calls and a basic review of their recent work, it’s not your agency.
Let them prove their case
I don’t care how smart someone sounds during a sales call. I care what they can show. PR is a production system, and weak operations are reflected in missed follow-ups and vague updates.
Ask to see the backend. Ask how they track pitches and responses and how they share campaign status. Ask what happens from approval to outreach.
If they can’t guide you clearly through their systems, you’re taking a risk you don’t need. If you do not understand where the campaign is within two clicks, the operation is not smooth. If they can’t show you their workflow because it’s “proprietary,” it usually means it’s messy.
Follow the time, not the conversation
Output requires time, and time is the resource you are really buying. It either goes towards pitching and building relationships, or it disappears into administration.
Ask how your commission translates into hours and then ask how those hours are used in different roles. You should be able to see who is writing and pitching, how approvals are going, and how many customers your lead is supporting. If one person is spread across too many accounts, you’ll notice it in delayed drafts and rushed outreach.
Claim recent wins that match your requirements
Don’t be distracted by a flashy one, like Forbes or Wall Street. What matters is whether the agency provides qualified coverage month after month on a budget like yours.
Ask about last 30, 60, and 90 day coverage for customers with a similar advance payment. Be careful if they refuse to share it or only show curated highlights. Also ask to see a full year of coverage for at least one client. PR is a long game. You want to know what the agency produces over time once the novelty wears off.
Be specific about who manages your account
Ask how many press hits an account manager is expected to bring in per month per customer and what support structure makes that possible. Then ask what that team member has brought in over the past 120 days.
Doing so doesn’t mean you’re questioning someone’s worth. You just want to confirm that the agency is realistically staffed and that the person managing your work is currently productive, not just theoretically talented.
Be honest about your budget, because PR is not a test
Premium results require top-notch infrastructure, and meaningful PR requires sufficient budget for consistent execution. Budget from €12,000 to €15,000 per month to secure a high-performing team. In this market, $10,000 is the absolute operating floor. If there is less, you pay for cutting the corners.
PR is like an engine. If you remove parts to save money, you won’t get the same car. So when someone tells me that PR hasn’t worked for them, my first question is what they paid and what they actually bought with that budget. The investment can be worthwhile because the equity and strong coverage become a reference that you can use for years to come.
Be careful with independent publicists
There are talented independents, but they are rare and not cheap. The bigger problem is capacity. If you don’t have the budget for a unicorn hire or a top agency, focus on internalizing your content strategy.
Use founder-led storytelling to establish a baseline of authority so that when you finally engage the press, you’re operating from a position of strength and not desperation.
One final standard that matters more than people admit
Choose an agency that challenges you. If your message is unclear or your story is a mess, a good team will tell you straight away. PR is positioning plus performing under pressure. If the agency only agrees with you, they are not protecting your best interests.
Remember, PR is not magic. It’s disciplined output, guided by an operating system. Choose based on evidence and cadence that resonates with your team, and you’ll build a reputation that makes everything else easier.
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