Public relations can provide a real boost to your business, increasing awareness and raising the profile of your company considerably. You should choose your PR agency carefully, always bearing in mind that they will be representing you and your company and that the wrong fit could have a negative impact on your business.

For many clients, the decision to take on a new PR agency can be somewhat of a 'panic purchase', either because their relationship with their current agency has broken down or because of a negative turning point in customer perception. The important thing is to take a measured approach to finding an agency, whatever the circumstances; making the right decision will stand you and your company in good stead for years to come.

Research

Think carefully about the type of agency you want (do they need to be based near your offices? Would you prefer to have a specialist team working on your account? etc.) and do your research to find some that you think might be suitable.

Talk to colleagues in other companies about their agency experiences and ask if they have any recommendations. Also consider other sources of information like DMA, IPA, MCCA, ISBA and PRCA.

Prepare

Once you've narrowed down your search, select agencies to invite to meet with you. From these introductory meetings, decide which agencies you'd like to pitch for the account and provide them with a thoroughly written brief, containing a clear indication of the budget and describing exactly what you expect from them.

Prepare a firm timetable for the total pitching and evaluation process and then be sure to stick to it.

Pitch

We suggest inviting no more than four agencies to pitch. At this time, you should also consider whether you want to make a monetary contribution to the pitch in recognition of the time and effort the agency will have spent on preparing it.

Appoint someone in the company to act as agency liaison so that the agencies have a set person to approach if they need any more information or have any queries.

Establish an objective evaluation system for assessing each pitch and make sure each individual agency is assessed in the same way as the others.

Decide

You should decide on the winning agency as soon as possible, normally no more than one week after the pitch. Finally, establish a proper procedure for notifying both the successful and unsuccessful agencies of the decision to ensure each agency is treated fairly and respectfully.