If you’re looking for a PR partner to help support your business objectives, there are many factors to consider. You’ll want an agency that meets some key requirements that best fit your business needs. Not sure what those requirements are? Keep reading to find out more.

Objectives

When you meet with a prospective PR agency, you should be clear about your business and communication objectives. These are goals or aims that are concrete, measurable, and often time-bound. In these ways, objectives are distinct from a company’s broader goals or visions.

You might set business objectives around brand awareness, product development, revenue growth, and operational efficiency. Meanwhile, communication objectives refer to an organization’s specific goals in guiding the messaging, tone, and channels used to convey information to stakeholders. Some examples include enhancing brand perception, promoting products or service awareness, educating stakeholders, and building thought leadership.

Clearly understanding what you want to achieve helps agencies identify the best strategies and tactics for your company to reach those objectives.

Budget

Often, your budget will dictate the range and extent of services agencies can provide. That’s why it’s important to discuss budgetary restraints and expectations upfront. A clear understanding of your budget and goals on both sides can help the PR partner develop a plan that maps to your budget and meets your business and communication objectives.

Chemistry

The right agency will become an extension of your team, so it’s important to meet the PR team members with whom you’ll work. Get an understanding of their personalities and work ethic. Chemistry matters. Often, people perform better when they collaborate with partners they enjoy and respect. This can translate into increased KPIs and better outcomes.

Representation

PR agencies often work with a wide variety of clients, so you’ll want to get a sense of the agency’s experience and portfolio. Who have they worked with in the past? What industry-specific experience do they bring? You’re looking for a balance of knowledge and availability. 

For example, if you’re a space tech company vetting a potential agency, you’ll want to know if that agency has other space tech clients. If some of their clients are direct competitors, that might not be a good fit. But if the agency represents space tech clients who aren’t direct competitors, it will likely have a finger on the pulse of your industry and already have relationships with reporters and others who can help you meet your objectives.

Skills

Given the nature of the industry, PR agencies have a number of transferable skills and industry knowledge that can help you meet your objectives. These include:

• Media Relations: Building and maintaining relationships with journalists and media outlets, crafting compelling press releases and pitches to secure media coverage, etc.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, the ability to tailor messages for different audiences.
• Strategic Planning: Identifying target audiences and crafting messages that resonate with them while developing strategic PR plans aligned with business goals.
• Crisis Management: Developing crisis communication plans and responding effectively to protect the client’s reputation.
• Research and Analysis: Conducting market research to inform PR strategies while analyzing data and metrics to measure the effectiveness of PR campaigns.
• Adaptability: Being adaptable to changes in the media landscape and industry trends while having the flexibility to adjust strategies based on evolving client needs.
• Content Creation: Generating various types of content such as press releases, articles, blog posts, social media content, videos, infographics, whitepapers, case studies, and more. Each piece of content is tailored to convey the client’s key messages and values.

References

References can play a key role in deciding which agency to partner with. Ask for references early in the vetting process. This gives you time to ask those references questions about the agency’s work, their outcomes, and how well the agency met expectations.

Once you decide, let all the agencies know as soon as possible. PR agencies often spend many non-billable hours developing proposals and working on new business opportunities. A quick notification shows you respect their time and work. It helps, too, if you can give the agencies you didn’t partner with feedback as to how you came to that decision. This helps them adjust their new business strategies for the future and supports your own professional reputation.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of PR agencies out there. But if you’re in the market for a new PR partner, just remember these key factors, and you’ll be able to find the agency that best fits your communication and business objectives.