Making major decisions within your
organization such as brand direction,
where and when to expand your
territory, when and how to launch a
product, or choosing a PR agency to
work with can easily become taxing.
Decisions like these can be especially
challenging because they tie directly
into the success of your organization,
but you have to give up control to
experts who are not always working
side by side with you.
[RELATED : Learn why you NEED a
content marketing plan at our
December content marketing
boot camp
.]
Choosing a PR agency that cares
almost as much about your business as
you do is tough, but necessary because
you really don’t want to decide to
work with an agency only to be
disappointed, fire that agency, and
have to start the process all over
again.
It’s just not fun for anyone involved,
and it’s exhausting.
The process of selection: It’s a two-
way street
There are many of us who have
experienced buyer’s remorse, and the
street goes both ways.
Smart PR professionals know that
bringing a new client into the fold is a
process of communication, education,
and expectation on both sides.
When choosing a PR agency, there are
questions you can ask before
committing. You can even go back and
ask these questions if you’ve already
decided on a firm, to set expectations
for all parties involved.
Ten questions to ask when choosing a
PR agency
If you’re a PR professional, keep the
following questions in mind as you
work with new clients. If you address
them early on, you will be well on your
way to a better client experience and
agency relationship.
1. How do you measure results ? We
talk about measurement often on Spin
Sucks. That’s because it’s essential
to the success of an agency in
retaining clients and tangibly moving
the needle on ROI. Tip: Media
impressions and advertising
equivalency alone do not move the
needle and results they do not make.
2. How do you stay on top of current
events and trends ? This helps you
gauge whether an agency is growing
and adapting or is instead using a
more traditional approach. Is it
actively researching and engaging
influencers and uncovering new ways
to add value to your organization?
3. What will you need from our team?
This ties into things such as: Will we
need to create content or connect
your agency with an expert from our
team or will you manage those things?
How often will our organization need
to be available for meetings or
interviews?
4. How often should I expect to see
media coverage ? This question is
huge . You can’t leave the answer up
to interpretation. Even though an
agency may not give you an exact
number of times you will be covered by
the media on a monthly basis (this
isn’t advertising), they should be able
to at least provide you with a range.
It is absolutely and unapologetically
unacceptable to pay a monthly retainer
without receiving monthly coverage.
5. How do you integrate media
relations with other communication ?
This communicates that you are aware
of the need to integrate marketing
mediums and that you expect to keep
from being siloed. This is also a great
time to discuss how the agency
communicates media coverage to you
and your team so it can be leveraged
and repurposed throughout your
marketing channels.
6. How else can you help our
organization ? This is a great tag-on
to the above question. Yes, you’re
coming to this agency for media
relations, but it’s quite possible they
are successful in other areas, such as
blogging or social media.
7. Why should we choose you ? It may
seem like a no-brainer initially, but
this question can help you get a grasp
of what differentiates a particular
agency from another
.
8. Will we be expected to pay additional
fees? I have heard one too many
clients say they had additional fees
tacked on to secure “media coverage.”
If you have to pay a fee for an
interview or feature, that coverage is
not PR; it’s advertising. Note : This
does not include budget allowances for
special efforts such as blogger
reviews.
9. Do you have contacts within our
industry? If the answer is yes, ask to
see the coverage the agency has
secured within your industry. You may
decide to choose a PR agency even if
the reps don’t have industry contacts.
In that case, ask for case studies in
similar industries.
10. Do you have client experience
within our industry? Choosing a PR
agency that has had other clients
within your industry is a major plus.
That said, some clients see others in
the same industry as competitors. To
avoid a conflict of interest, find
similar industries where the agency
has experience.
Never underestimate the power of
asking
If you only take away one thing from
this post, let it be this: It’s OK to ask
questions, and you should.
Great PR agencies want to be a
partner and asset to your
organization. If you’re finding that is
not the case with your current
agency, then it might be time to make
a switch. Ask questions and try to
understand how you and your PR
agency can work together to further
the success of your brand.
A version of this article first appeared
on Spin Sucks.
organization such as brand direction,
where and when to expand your
territory, when and how to launch a
product, or choosing a PR agency to
work with can easily become taxing.
Decisions like these can be especially
challenging because they tie directly
into the success of your organization,
but you have to give up control to
experts who are not always working
side by side with you.
[RELATED : Learn why you NEED a
content marketing plan at our
December content marketing
boot camp
.]
Choosing a PR agency that cares
almost as much about your business as
you do is tough, but necessary because
you really don’t want to decide to
work with an agency only to be
disappointed, fire that agency, and
have to start the process all over
again.
It’s just not fun for anyone involved,
and it’s exhausting.
The process of selection: It’s a two-
way street
There are many of us who have
experienced buyer’s remorse, and the
street goes both ways.
Smart PR professionals know that
bringing a new client into the fold is a
process of communication, education,
and expectation on both sides.
When choosing a PR agency, there are
questions you can ask before
committing. You can even go back and
ask these questions if you’ve already
decided on a firm, to set expectations
for all parties involved.
Ten questions to ask when choosing a
PR agency
If you’re a PR professional, keep the
following questions in mind as you
work with new clients. If you address
them early on, you will be well on your
way to a better client experience and
agency relationship.
1. How do you measure results ? We
talk about measurement often on Spin
Sucks. That’s because it’s essential
to the success of an agency in
retaining clients and tangibly moving
the needle on ROI. Tip: Media
impressions and advertising
equivalency alone do not move the
needle and results they do not make.
2. How do you stay on top of current
events and trends ? This helps you
gauge whether an agency is growing
and adapting or is instead using a
more traditional approach. Is it
actively researching and engaging
influencers and uncovering new ways
to add value to your organization?
3. What will you need from our team?
This ties into things such as: Will we
need to create content or connect
your agency with an expert from our
team or will you manage those things?
How often will our organization need
to be available for meetings or
interviews?
4. How often should I expect to see
media coverage ? This question is
huge . You can’t leave the answer up
to interpretation. Even though an
agency may not give you an exact
number of times you will be covered by
the media on a monthly basis (this
isn’t advertising), they should be able
to at least provide you with a range.
It is absolutely and unapologetically
unacceptable to pay a monthly retainer
without receiving monthly coverage.
5. How do you integrate media
relations with other communication ?
This communicates that you are aware
of the need to integrate marketing
mediums and that you expect to keep
from being siloed. This is also a great
time to discuss how the agency
communicates media coverage to you
and your team so it can be leveraged
and repurposed throughout your
marketing channels.
6. How else can you help our
organization ? This is a great tag-on
to the above question. Yes, you’re
coming to this agency for media
relations, but it’s quite possible they
are successful in other areas, such as
blogging or social media.
7. Why should we choose you ? It may
seem like a no-brainer initially, but
this question can help you get a grasp
of what differentiates a particular
agency from another
.
8. Will we be expected to pay additional
fees? I have heard one too many
clients say they had additional fees
tacked on to secure “media coverage.”
If you have to pay a fee for an
interview or feature, that coverage is
not PR; it’s advertising. Note : This
does not include budget allowances for
special efforts such as blogger
reviews.
9. Do you have contacts within our
industry? If the answer is yes, ask to
see the coverage the agency has
secured within your industry. You may
decide to choose a PR agency even if
the reps don’t have industry contacts.
In that case, ask for case studies in
similar industries.
10. Do you have client experience
within our industry? Choosing a PR
agency that has had other clients
within your industry is a major plus.
That said, some clients see others in
the same industry as competitors. To
avoid a conflict of interest, find
similar industries where the agency
has experience.
Never underestimate the power of
asking
If you only take away one thing from
this post, let it be this: It’s OK to ask
questions, and you should.
Great PR agencies want to be a
partner and asset to your
organization. If you’re finding that is
not the case with your current
agency, then it might be time to make
a switch. Ask questions and try to
understand how you and your PR
agency can work together to further
the success of your brand.
A version of this article first appeared
on Spin Sucks.
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