PR Agency Management Guide

AGENCY SELECTION

When to Hire an Agency

Situation	In-House	Agency	Hybrid
Early stage, limited budget	✓
Growth stage, scaling PR			✓
Major launch or campaign		✓
Ongoing strategic PR			✓
Crisis management		✓
Specialized (analyst relations)		✓

Evaluation Criteria

AGENCY EVALUATION SCORECARD

AGENCY: _______________
DATE: _______________

CRITERIA (Score 1-5):
Industry expertise: _____
B2B experience: _____
Relevant client roster: _____
Team quality (who you'll work with): _____
Chemistry/culture fit: _____
Strategic thinking (vs. just execution): _____
Media relationships relevant to us: _____
Measurement approach: _____
Value for fee structure: _____
References quality: _____

TOTAL: _____/50

NOTES:
Strengths: _______________
Concerns: _______________
Questions to address: _______________

RFP Template

PR AGENCY RFP TEMPLATE

COMPANY OVERVIEW:
[Brief description, stage, market, goals]

PR OBJECTIVES:
[What you want to achieve with PR]

SCOPE OF WORK:
☐ Strategic PR planning
☐ Media relations
☐ Thought leadership support
☐ Crisis communications
☐ Executive visibility
☐ Content development
☐ Measurement/reporting
☐ Other: _______________

TARGET AUDIENCES:
[Describe target media and end audiences]

BUDGET RANGE:
[Monthly/annual budget or "open"]

TIMELINE:
RFP due: _______________
Presentations: _______________
Decision: _______________
Start: _______________

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
• Case studies (2-3 relevant)
• Team bios (who we'll work with)
• Approach to measurement
• Proposed fee structure
• References (3)

EVALUATION CRITERIA:
[List your priorities]

QUESTIONS? Contact: _______________

Interview Questions

Category	Questions to Ask
Experience	"What similar companies have you worked with? What were the results?"
Team	"Who will actually work on our account day-to-day?"
Approach	"How do you approach [specific challenge we have]?"
Media	"What relationships do you have with [target publications]?"
Measurement	"How do you measure and report on success?"
Process	"Walk me through a typical month working together."
Failures	"Tell me about a time something didn't work. What happened?"

Reference Check Questions

AGENCY REFERENCE CHECK

AGENCY: _______________
REFERENCE: _______________
COMPANY: _______________

QUESTIONS:
1. How long have you worked with [agency]?

2. What do they do particularly well?

3. What could they improve?

4. How responsive are they?

5. Have you seen measurable results?

6. How do they handle challenges or mistakes?

7. Would you hire them again?

8. Any red flags I should know about?

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RELATIONSHIP SETUP

Onboarding Checklist

AGENCY ONBOARDING CHECKLIST

WEEK 1: KICKOFF
☐ Sign contract and NDA
☐ Introduce key stakeholders
☐ Share brand guidelines and messaging
☐ Provide media history and contacts
☐ Set up communication tools (Slack, email groups)
☐ Establish meeting cadence

WEEK 2: DEEP DIVE
☐ Strategy workshop
☐ Competitive briefing
☐ Spokesperson introductions
☐ Review existing materials
☐ Discuss off-limits topics

WEEK 3-4: PLANNING
☐ Review initial strategy/plan
☐ Align on Q1 priorities
☐ Set KPIs and targets
☐ Establish approval workflows
☐ Begin execution

ONGOING:
☐ Weekly status meetings
☐ Monthly metrics reviews
☐ Quarterly business reviews

Briefing Document Template

AGENCY BRIEFING DOCUMENT

COMPANY OVERVIEW:
[What we do, who we serve, our stage]

KEY MESSAGES:
[Core messaging to communicate]

SPOKESPEOPLE:
[Who can speak, on what topics, availability]

TARGET MEDIA:
[Priority publications and reporters]

COMPETITORS:
[Who they are, how we differentiate]

RECENT NEWS:
[What's happened, what's coming]

OFF-LIMITS:
[Topics not to discuss]

APPROVAL PROCESS:
[How things get approved, by whom]

KEY CONTACTS:
[Who at the company for what]

MATERIALS:
[Links to messaging doc, press kit, images, etc.]

Communication Cadence

Meeting	Frequency	Attendees	Purpose
Status call	Weekly	Day-to-day team	Tactical updates
Strategy review	Monthly	Leads + agency	Progress, adjustments
Executive check-in	Quarterly	Exec + agency lead	Relationship health
QBR	Quarterly	Broader teams	Results, planning

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ONGOING MANAGEMENT

Performance Monitoring

MONTHLY AGENCY SCORECARD

MONTH: _______________

ACTIVITY METRICS:
Pitches sent: _____
Media meetings: _____
Coverage secured: _____

QUALITY METRICS:
Tier 1 placements: _____
Message penetration: _____%
Proactive vs. reactive ratio: _____

RELATIONSHIP METRICS:
Responsiveness (1-5): _____
Strategic input (1-5): _____
Execution quality (1-5): _____

SATISFACTION:
Overall satisfaction (1-10): _____

NOTES:
What went well: _______________
What to improve: _______________
Feedback to share: _______________

Feedback Framework

Type	Timing	Format	Example
Positive	Immediately	Email or call	"Great work on the [publication] hit!"
Constructive	Status call	Discussion	"Here's how we could improve [process]"
Concerns	Private call	Direct conversation	"I want to discuss [issue]"
Major issues	Escalate	Meeting with agency lead	"We need to address [serious problem]"

Scope Management

SCOPE CHANGE PROCESS

When agency proposes something new:
1. Understand the recommendation
2. Assess fit with objectives
3. Discuss budget implications
4. Agree on approach (in-scope, add-on, or defer)
5. Document in writing

When you want something additional:
1. Be clear it's outside original scope
2. Discuss priority vs. other work
3. Agree on budget (if applicable)
4. Set expectations on timing

COMMON SCOPE CREEP:
☐ "Quick" requests accumulating
☐ Expanded spokesperson prep
☐ Additional campaigns/launches
☐ Crisis support
☐ Events beyond original scope

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RELATIONSHIP EVALUATION

Quarterly Review Template

QUARTERLY AGENCY REVIEW

QUARTER: _______________

METRICS VS. GOALS:
| Metric | Goal | Actual | % |
|--------|------|--------|---|
| Coverage volume | | | |
| Tier 1 placements | | | |
| Message penetration | | | |
| Other KPI | | | |

HIGHLIGHTS:
[Top 3 wins]

CHALLENGES:
[Issues and how they were handled]

RELATIONSHIP ASSESSMENT:
Strategic partnership (1-10): _____
Day-to-day execution (1-10): _____
Communication/responsiveness (1-10): _____

BUDGET:
Spent: $_____
Remaining: $_____

NEXT QUARTER:
Priorities: _______________
Changes needed: _______________

OVERALL RATING: ___/10

Annual Assessment

Assessment Area	Questions to Consider
Results	Did they deliver on KPIs? Did coverage improve?
Value	Was the ROI worth the investment?
Relationship	Do we enjoy working together? Trust them?
Growth	Have they grown with us? Brought new ideas?
Alternatives	Could another agency do better? Worth RFP?

Renewal/Transition Decision

AGENCY RENEWAL DECISION FRAMEWORK

KEEP (if most are true):
☐ Consistently meeting/exceeding KPIs
☐ Strong relationship with team
☐ Proactive with ideas
☐ Adaptable to our evolving needs
☐ Fair value for services
☐ No better alternatives identified

RENEGOTIATE (if):
☐ Meeting KPIs but relationship needs improvement
☐ Scope has changed significantly
☐ Budget constraints require adjustment
☐ Team changes needed

TRANSITION (if):
☐ Consistently missing KPIs
☐ Relationship has deteriorated
☐ Not adapting to our needs
☐ Better alternatives available
☐ Fundamental strategic misalignment

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