Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The decision to hire a public relations agency has significant budget implications. The chief reason to bring in a PR firm is to get professional help in developing and executing communications strategies. It’s important to know how to manage the relationship with your selected firm to maximize the value you receive for the fees your company pays. Most importantly, you want to feel comfortable that your company ends up developing the most appropriate communications strategies and the execution of those strategies is successful.
Much of the work it takes to be successful comes at the beginning of the relationship with a PR agency. Here are six tips for getting off to a good start with your PR agency partner:
- The first step to managing the PR firm relationship successfully is to choose a firm you feel comfortable with.
“Things will go much more smoothly if both client and agency representatives speak the same language,” says Lynnette Werning, APR, founder and president of Blue Water Communications in Bradenton, Fl. “I’d advise anyone looking for an agency to go deeper in their vetting process than just whether the firm has had a similar client. Find out about the staff—have they just heard of your product, or have they worked with it themselves? We specialize in art museums, and we’re able to hit the ground running because the entire staff has a deep background in the arts.” You will get along better with your agency team from the get-go if you have confidence in the agency staff’s experience and capabilities. - Make sure you have the right person/people within your company to interact with the PR agency. Your internal contact person working with and managing the agency should have the ability to guide and work collaboratively with the agency on strategy and creative tactic development. They need the experience to oversee the agency’s work and offer feedback, as well as to communicate budget parameters, and to make (or get) corporate decisions and obtain senior executive comments quickly for the PR firm.
- At the start of your relationship with a PR firm you and your agency need to be in sync about expectations.
“I’ve been running Galvanise PR for close to a decade now, and I know how important it is for PR firms to set expectations for results with their clients when they hire a PR firm,” notes Shalini Singh, who heads Galvanise, headquartered in Bangalore, India. “Expectations, if not set, are likely to result in a misunderstanding, and undervaluing the PR efforts.” This also means setting up a system to measure the outcomes of the agency’s work. - Lee Weinstein, president of Weinstein PR in Portland, Ore., stresses the importance of fully briefing and
confiding in your PR firm. “Consider your PR firm your partner. The more they know about your organization, the better. If you have one, start with your brand plan, then your business plan, sales guide and more. Copy them on anything you think might help them better understand your organization. Be as honest and transparent with the agency as possible—it will help them prepare the best plan, and avoid potential minefields. Lastly, trust your gut: If you think, ‘I might want to tell the PR agency about this,’ do so.” 
Ellyn Caruso, principal, Caruso PR in Chicago, adds, “You need to spend time with your PR agency so they truly understand your vision and business objectives.” She says it’s especially important to be straightforward about the challenges your company faces. “PR pros are the most helpful when they are the most knowledgeable, allowing them to quickly pivot to meet your company’s changing needs while offering creative out-of-the-box ideas.”- Adds Alex Hankinson, joint managing director at Midnight Communications in Brighton, U.K., “Try to ensure decision-makers buy into the PR campaign from the outset. It’s a good idea for
the PR agency and the internal communications staff to hold a strategic workshop with all the company’s key stakeholders or decision-makers at the beginning of a relationship, where the goals, messaging, approach and measurement are clearly defined and agreed upon. If not everyone can attend, you should at least seek approval on the outcome of the workshop soon afterwards. Failing to gain consensus early on can hinder the approval of press materials or even lead to last-minute changes to strategic direction or tactics. The most successful PR campaigns permeate every level of the organization. That has to start at the top.”
Here are a few more tips for successful execution of the communications strategies you and your agency develop:
- “Be open to your PR agency’s guidance about media training,” suggests Debbie Hagen, Hagen and
Partners, in Leawood, Kan. “Often execs think they know their story and don’t need to prepare before an interview. Wrong! It is always best to work with your agency in advance to outline likely questions and prepare three to five key message points. Then hold a mock interview so your exec can practice ‘bridging’ to your key messages. If he or she will be interviewed on television or in front of a crowd, insist on a full media training session if they have not done this in the past.” - Arrange regular meetings with your agency team to review recent work, agree on the “to do” list, answer questions and receive input from the agency on their contacts with media and/or influencers. Note, these necessary meetings do eat up precious agency hours, so manage them carefully.
- Keep and regularly update a spreadsheet noting who is responsible (agency or company staff) for each “to do,” with deadlines.
- Your PR agency should play an advisory role and may occasionally question your company’s communications strategies. It’s the agency’s responsibility to give honest assessments even if they are sometimes critical of your desired strategy.
Finally, at the end of a project, the PR agency should develop a final report including the degree of success in achieving the quantifiable outcomes set up at the outset. The report should include the PR agency’s observations and suggestions for future PR work.