How to Evaluate a PR Agency: A Business Owner’s Checklist

How to Evaluate a PR Agency: A Business Owner’s Checklist

Introduction: Why PR Agency Evaluation Matters

Imagine you’re at a bustling farmers’ market. There’s a vendor shouting about their “world-famous” salsa, another offering free samples of honey, and a quiet booth in the corner where a woman hands you a warm empanada with a story: “My abuela taught me this recipe in Oaxaca. We use peppers grown by local teens learning sustainable farming.” Which one do you remember?

That’s the power of PR. It’s not about being the loudest; it’s about crafting stories that stick to your ribs. But finding the right storyteller for your brand? It’s like dating in a city of smooth-talkers — everyone promises the moon, but few deliver.

Take Mia, a founder I know who launched a vegan leather brand. She hired an agency that pitched her to Vogue and Forbes, but the articles felt generic. Then she switched to a boutique firm that dug into her mission: empowering women artisans in Morocco. They landed her a New York Times feature titled, “Stitching Empowerment: How Vegan Leather is Rewriting Lives.” Sales tripled. The difference? An agency that listened instead of just pitching.

This guide isn’t about checklists — it’s about finding your empanada storyteller. Let’s dive in.

The State of PR Today

The Rise of Outcome-Focused PR

Gone are the days when PR success meant a stack of newspaper clippings. Today, it’s about impact you can measure.

Case Study:

GreenSprout, a compostable diaper startup, partnered with an agency that tracked every media hit to website traffic. A single TikTok video from a eco-mom influencer (showing her baby’s rash-free bum) drove 5,000 sign-ups in a week. The agency didn’t just count views — they linked each click to a CRM lead.

Lesson: Ask agencies, “How will this press hit fill my pipeline?” If they can’t connect stories to sales, keep looking.

Key Evaluation Criteria

1. Specialization

Would you hire a mechanic to fix your iPhone? Nope.

Disaster Story: A cybersecurity firm hired a “generalist” agency that pitched them to Food & Wine. The CEO spent an interview explaining encryption… to a pastry chef.

Checklist:

Ask for 3 recent clients in your industry.

Request a mock pitch — how would they position you to your dream outlet?

Do they follow your competitors on social media? (Sounds creepy, but it shows they’re plugged in.)

2. Track Record and Reputation

Pro Tip: Stalk their clients’ reviews on PR Agency Review. One agency had glowing testimonials until a founder DM’d me: “They ghosted us after the contract. Check their ‘exclusive’ media contacts — most are interns.”

Red Flag: Agencies that refuse to connect you with past clients. (What are they hiding?)

3. Media Relationships

Real Talk: A “media contact list” is useless if it’s just recycled emails.

Ask: “Can I see the last three pitches you sent to relevant journalist?” If they hesitate, they’re bluffing.

4. Transparency and Reporting

Nightmare: A bakery owner received monthly reports titled “Media Success!” with zero metrics. Turns out, the “50+ placements” were all in spammy blogs.

Demand: Weekly Slack updates with screenshots of journalist responses, even if it’s a “No.”

5. Cultural and Strategic Fit

Chemistry Test: During a pitch, one agency mocked the client’s obsession with cat memes. Another leaned in: “Let’s make your CEO the ‘Cat Whisperer of Fintech.’” Guess who got hired?

Question to Ask: “How would your team handle it if we disagreed on a strategy?” If they say, “We’re the experts — trust us,” run.

Is This the Right Fit for Your Business?

Industry Experience

Case Study: A CBD skincare brand hired an agency that only repped cannabis brands. Their pitch? “Let’s educate, not sell.” They landed a Forbes piece demystifying CBD myths, which drove 300 qualified leads.

Lesson: Niche expertise = less time explaining, more time executing.

2. Size Compatibility

Startup Horror Story: A SaaS company hired a global agency and got stuck with a 22-year-old intern running their account. They switched to a 5-person shop where the founder personally crafted their TechCrunch pitch.

Ask: “Who’s on my team, and what’s their bandwidth?”

3. Flexibility and Customization

Example: A nonprofit couldn’t afford a retainer, so the agency proposed a “Impact Hourly Rate” — discounted fees tied to fundraising milestones. They hit their goal in 4 months.

Question: “Can you tweak your contract if our needs change?”

Red Flags to Watch Out For

Overpromising: “We’ll get you on Oprah!” → Translation: “We’ll spam her producer and pray.”

Lack of Metrics: If they can’t explain how they’ll track ROI, they’re flying blind.

Bait-and-Switch Staffing: The charismatic pitchman vanishes, replaced by a team that’s never heard of you.

One-Size-Fits-All Packages: “Our ‘Gold Plan’ includes 10 press releases!” → Unless you’re a newsroom, you don’t need that.

In-House vs. Outsourced PR: It’s Like Choosing Between Family Dinner and a Catered Feast

In-House PR: The Home-Cooked Meal

Imagine your in-house team as your family’s secret recipe — they know exactly how much salt you like, which spices make you sneeze, and why you refuse to eat cilantro. They live and breathe your brand’s quirks, history, and inside jokes.

Pros:

Deep Brand Intimacy: They’ll spot a tone-deaf tweet before it goes viral for the wrong reasons. Example: When a fitness app’s in-house team nixed a campaign tagline that accidentally echoed a cult motto from a ’90s thriller.

Immediate Access: No waiting for agency office hours. Need a crisis response at 2 a.m.? They’re already on it.

Cost Control (Long-Term): Salaries might seem steep upfront, but no retainers or hidden fees.

Cons:

Tunnel Vision: They’re so close to the brand, they might miss industry shifts. Like the in-house team that insisted print ads were “still king” while competitors dominated TikTok.

Burnout Risk: Small teams juggling PR, social media, and investor relations can crack under pressure.

Outsourced PR: The Catered Experience

Agencies are like hiring a gourmet chef — they bring fresh ingredients (media contacts), exotic flavors (creative angles), and a break from your daily cooking grind.

Pros:

Fresh Eyes: They’ll ask, “Why does your fintech brand sound like a tax seminar?” and pivot your messaging.

Scalability: Need to launch in three countries next quarter? Agencies have global networks.

Specialized Skills: Crisis comms, influencer contracts, or SEO-driven PR — they’ve done it all.

Cons:

Onboarding Hiccups: It takes time to teach them your “family recipes.” One startup spent months correcting an agency that kept calling their AI tool “robots” instead of “automation partners.”

Cost Surprises: That “small add-on fee” for a press release? Suddenly, your budget’s blown.

Hybrid Model: The Potluck Party

Why choose? More businesses are mixing in-house grit with agency flair.

Case Study: Sunrise Bakery, a vegan chain, kept their social media manager in-house (for community vibes) but hired an agency to land a Bon Appétit feature. The agency’s media pull got them national attention; the in-house team turned feature readers into loyal locals with personalized Instagram DMs.

Pro Tip: Use freelancers for niche projects (like a Pulitzer-winning journalist turned ghostwriter for your CEO’s LinkedIn posts).

Boutique vs. Large PR Firms: Food Truck vs. Five-Star Buffet

Boutique Agencies: The Quirky Food Truck

They’re the taco truck that knows your order by heart, slips in extra guac, and blasts your favorite ’80s hits. Boutique firms thrive on passion and personalization.

Pros:

Founder-Driven Fire: You’re working with the CEO, not Account Manager #12. Example: A boutique agency founder personally called a Wall Street Journal editor during vacation to save a client’s feature.

Niche Expertise: One agency only reps climate tech startups. Their secret? A media list of 200+ journalists obsessed with net-zero goals.

Speed: Less bureaucracy = faster pivots. When a client’s product leaked early, their boutique team flooded social media with “unboxing” teasers, turning a crisis into FOMO.

Cons:

Bandwidth Limits: They might say no to last-minute requests because they’re swamped with another client’s product launch.

Resource Gaps: No in-house graphic designers? You’ll pay extra for that infographic.

Large PR Firms: The Lavish Buffet

Picture a sprawling buffet with sushi, prime rib, and a chocolate fountain. Large agencies offer everything — but you might leave with a stomachache.

Pros:

Global Reach: Offices in 12 cities? They’ll get your skincare brand into Harrods and a Kyoto department store.

Deep Pockets: Need a focus group, media training, and a Super Bowl ad? Done.

Prestige Factor: Snagging Edelman or Weber Shandwick impresses investors.

Cons:

Red Tape: Approving a tweet might require 3 Zoom calls and a legal review.

Anonymous Service: That “dedicated account lead” might manage 20 clients. One founder joked, “I think our contact’s name was Sarah… or maybe Tara?”

Data-Driven vs. Traditional Agencies: Spreadsheet Nerds vs. Storytellers

Data-Driven Agencies: The Mad Scientists

They live in dashboards, A/B test headlines, and track how a Bloomberg feature impacts your stock price.

Pros:

ROI Clarity: They’ll show you exactly how a podcast interview drove 500 trial sign-ups.

Adaptive Strategies: If a campaign flops, they pivot fast. Example: An agency killed a failing LinkedIn campaign mid-month and reallocated budget to Reddit AMAs, saving the quarter.

Cons:

Soulless Stories: Over-optimization can strip campaigns of heart. One brand’s data-driven posts felt “like robot love letters.”

Traditional Agencies: The Campfire Storytellers

They wine-and-dine journalists, craft Pulitzer-worthy narratives, and believe in “gut feelings.”

Pros:

Media Relationships: They’ve been texting NYT editors since Myspace days.

Brand Legacy: They’ll make your 100-year-old bakery feel like a national treasure.

Cons:

Fuzzy Metrics: “Trust us, this Good Morning America segment will ‘elevate your brand’”… but what’s “elevate” mean?

The Unspoken Truth: It’s Not Either/Or

Your choice isn’t permanent.

Pivot Example: A cybersecurity startup began with a boutique firm for its scrappy launch, switched to a data-driven agency during rapid scaling, and now blends in-house storytellers with outsourced crisis pros.

Cost Hack: Use PR Agency Review to mix-and-match. Their filters let you find “boutique + data-driven” or “global + eco-focused” in seconds.

Final Checklist: What’s Your PR Personality?

Speed vs. Stability: Need results yesterday? Boutique or hybrid. Building long-term prestige? Large firm.

Control vs. Creativity: Micromanagers love in-house. Dreamers thrive with agencies.

Wallet vs. Vision: Startups often begin freelancer/boutique; enterprises scale with global teams.

Still stuck? Ask yourself: “Do I want a therapist, a drill sergeant, or a hype squad?” Your answer reveals more than any spreadsheet.

The Future of PR Agency Relationships

1. AI and Ethics

Prediction: Tools like ChatGPT will draft press releases, but humans will vet tone. Example: An AI drafted a heartfelt post about a layoff; the PR team added, “We’re offering severance and career coaching.”

Ethical Dilemma: Should agencies disclose AI use? Consumers crave authenticity.

2. Micro-Influencers as Media

Trend: A jewelry brand skipped traditional press and sent pieces to 10 nano-influencers (5k followers each). Sales jumped 120% — their audience trusted “real people” over magazines.

3. Agile Contracts

Example: A fitness app pays agencies based on app downloads from PR efforts. No downloads? No fee. High risk, high trust.

Conclusion: Your PR Soulmate is Out There

Finding the right agency isn’t about fancy pitches or shiny awards. It’s about finding a team that gets your late-night panic attacks, your obsession with customer stories, and your dream to leave a dent in the universe.

Final Exercise: Grab a coffee, open PR Agency Review, and jot down 3 agencies. Ask each: “What’s the worst campaign you’ve ever run, and what did you learn?” The one that laughs, grimaces, and says “Let me tell you…” — that’s your match.