6 Tips for Successfully Working with a PR Agency
You hired a public relations (PR) agency with high hopes, but now you're wondering why you haven't been featured in your industry's top publications. Maybe you're frustrated by the constant back-and-forth when writing a press release or confused about what your agency partner is actually doing behind the scenes.
While PR agencies bring valuable expertise to the table, creating a productive partnership isn't automatic. It requires careful management, clear communication, realistic expectations—and an understanding of helpful tips for working with a PR agency.
Understanding the Role of a PR Agency
Before you can create strategies for working with a PR agency, you need to know what they actually do—and don’t do. Unlike a marketing strategy, which focuses on promotion and leads, or sales, which concentrates on conversions, PR centers on building relationships with media and the public. It involves building and managing your brand's reputation, refining your messaging, generating awareness and creating positive associations with your target audience.
A good PR agency can offer expertise and connections you might not have in-house. They can help you:
Determine what information is and isn't newsworthy.
Craft compelling stories that will appeal to journalists and your target audience.
Develop strategic communications plans aligned with your business goals.
Build relationships with relevant media outlets, journalists and influencers.
Create crisis management strategies to protect your reputation.
Measure the impact of your PR efforts and adjust strategies accordingly.
Identify speaking and award opportunities to boost your industry presence.
Time your announcements for maximum impact and visibility.
Remember that you and your PR agency are on the same team working toward common goals. While it might take some time to get in sync, the effort to establish guidelines for working with a PR agency and build a strong relationship is worth it when you start seeing your company's name in the right headlines.
Top Tips for Working with a PR Agency
Finding the right PR agency is just the first step in a successful partnership. Use these tips for working with PR companies to develop an approach that’s both strategic and collaborative—and that makes the most of your investment.
1. Set Clear Objectives and Expectations
Your PR agency will make recommendations, but you’ll still need to set them up for success. They need to know: What are your goals? What does success look like? And what does it not look like? First, make sure your internal PR and business goals are aligned so that you can give your agency the right targets based on your overall business strategy. Take time to understand your current reputation and articulate how you want to change or enhance it.
From there, you can set goals like increasing brand awareness, improving reputation, engaging with your community or establishing thought leadership. Then your PR agency can break these goals down into measurable units such as media coverage, social media engagement, web traffic increases, lead generation or event attendance. Setting benchmarks for success together creates accountability and helps both sides understand what you're working toward.
2. Define Roles and Responsibilities
Like setting goals, your PR agency will only know their specific roles and responsibilities to a certain extent. Partnerships vary, so you’ll still need to clarify who handles what in your specific agreement. Will your in-house team write the first draft of press releases or will the agency handle all content creation? Who will be responsible for social media monitoring? Will you need crisis communication support? Who will be the main points of contact and how quickly are they expected to respond to media opportunities?
Create a detailed responsibility matrix that outlines who handles each aspect of your PR strategy, like content approval processes, media response protocols and reporting structures. When everyone understands their role, the relationship runs smoothly and you avoid the frustration of dropped balls or duplicate efforts.
3. Establish Realistic Budgets and Timelines
Building a reputation takes consistent effort. PR agencies need time to get to know your company, define and build your story, and pitch you to the media. Plus, media coverage always has lead times, from a few days for bloggers to several months for major magazines. Even the best agencies can't guarantee you'll be the feature story right away, and you should be pleased with even a mention when you first start your PR journey. One of the toughest tips for working with a PR agency is often to simply give it time.
Your budget also needs to reflect these realities and allow for sustained effort over time. Be upfront about what you can afford and ask your agency to help you prioritise activities for maximum impact within your budget constraints. Remember that PR isn't about quick wins but about building lasting relationships and credibility that deliver value over the long term. Understand that some months may be quieter than others in terms of visible results, but consistent presence and relationship building are still happening behind the scenes.
4. Maintain Regular and Transparent Communication
Effective communication is the foundation of a successful PR partnership. Your PR agency needs to know about significant company developments like new hires, partnerships, product launches, content releases, events and appearances, new locations and store openings, and sales and promotions. They can't promote news they don't know about, and finding out too late can mean missing your chance.
Being responsive is another important tip for working with a PR agency: If you take days or weeks to respond to your agency's questions or approval requests, you'll miss valuable opportunities. At the same time, you shouldn't overwhelm your agency with constant emails, calls and requests. Ask yourself what the objective is for each communication and prioritise accordingly. Finding the right balance takes time, but establishing the right communication cadence will help you stay aligned and efficient.
5. Provide Constructive Feedback
Feedback helps refine your PR strategy and strengthen your agency relationship, but it needs to be constructive. The best tactics for working with a PR agency include making sure your feedback includes exactly what worked and what didn't. Connect your comments to your business objectives so your agency understands the context. For example, instead of saying "This press release didn’t hit the mark," be more specific: "The press release didn't emphasise our technology innovation, which is our key differentiator in the market."
Be sure to schedule regular review sessions to discuss press release analytics, campaign results, earned media coverage and progress toward goals. These conversations should be two-way, with both you and your partner agencies sharing insights and suggestions. Creating a culture of honest, respectful communication builds trust and leads to better outcomes for everyone.
6. Encourage Proactivity and Creativity
Especially in the world of digital PR and shared media, the best results often come from innovative thinking and fresh approaches. Encourage your agency to think outside the box and bring creative ideas to your campaigns by sharing examples of PR you admire and giving them room to experiment with different angles and approaches. You could even set aside a portion of your budget specifically for testing new ideas.
A collaborative approach yields the most impactful results here. Create brainstorming sessions where no idea is rejected. Recognise and celebrate creative successes to reinforce that you value innovation. Remember: PR agencies bring expertise from working with other clients and industries. Their outside perspective can help you break through the noise in ways you might not consider.
Beyond Agencies: How PR Newswire Can Help
Ultimately, the best tip for working with a PR agency is open collaboration. PR agencies offer valuable expertise and relationships—that’s why PR Newswire partners with agencies of all sizes, from the world's biggest organisations to local boutique firms. Together, we collaborate on behalf of their clients to provide comprehensive communications solutions.
PR Newswire also provides many of the services you might get from an agency and more, including press release distribution, creative services, media tours, content hubs, microsites and landing pages, and paid placements. If you're looking to supplement your in-house team's capabilities, contact us today to discover how PR Newswire can help you achieve your communications goals.
FAQs About Working with a PR Agency
What are some examples of tips for working with a PR agency?
Key tips include setting clear objectives upfront, defining roles clearly, maintaining open communication channels, providing timely feedback on drafts and campaigns and establishing realistic timelines for seeing results. Be transparent about your budget constraints and business developments that might impact PR efforts. Following these examples of tips for working with a PR agency will help you build a successful relationship.
How can I effectively communicate with my PR agency?
Schedule regular check-ins with clearly defined agendas and establish preferred communication channels for different types of information. Be responsive to time-sensitive requests and provide comprehensive briefs for new projects, including background information, objectives and any constraints or requirements.
What are the challenges businesses face when working with a PR agency?
Common challenges include misaligned expectations about timelines and results, communication breakdowns and budget concerns when results aren't immediately visible. Cultural mismatches between the agency and client teams can also create friction, as can a lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities.
How do you measure the success of a PR agency?
Success should be measured against the specific objectives you established at the outset, which might include metrics like media coverage quality and quantity, website traffic increases or social media engagement. Look beyond vanity metrics to indicators that show real business impact, such as improved brand sentiment, increased share of voice compared to competitors or growth in qualified leads.