Patrick Brightman - 08/17/2026
I’ve noticed a trend over the past year or two in the public relations (PR) field. Brand managers and other decision makers have reached out to 3E PR to discuss a partnership after a short-term and frustrating experience with a previous agency. Those failures have led to a caveat when the brand wants to hire us – can we do a short “prove it” campaign before committing to a long-term agreement. Fortunately, we have passed these tests and many of those clients now call us their agency of record.
All of this made me think that perhaps the traditional selection process needs to evolve to align with the ever-changing marketing world. Certain questions are always asked, whether it is through a formal RFP or during a presentation:
- Do you have clients and/or experience in our market?
- How many people will be on the PR team?
- How long has the agency been in business?
- How many awards have you won?
Answers to these questions don’t tell the entire story, and in the PR world the story is everything. So, here are four additional questions to ask so you choose a partner that co-authors successful campaigns for years.
How long do you typically work with clients?
There may not be a better indicator of future success than learning about a PR agency’s client history. The typical client-agency relationship is ~3 years. If an agency has that standard average or less, a red flag should be raised.
Many brands will ask for a few references as part of the decision-making process. That’s a great first step but any PR firm that has been around for more than a few years can provide two or three glowing references. Follow up that query by asking how long the agency has worked with all of its clients. It’s an extra layer of detail that can clearly reveal an agency’s commitment. It’s much more important than awards earned.
It also provides a peak into an agency’s ability to learn a client, its markets, and target audiences. If an agency has an average client relationship of 8+ years and has clients in a variety of markets, it shows that they can get up to speed and learn in short order. Market diversity is advantageous, as it allows for successes in other verticals to be transferred to other markets, creating more avenues for editorial coverage.
Who are the members of our team?
Typically, an agency will put 3-5 people on an account. Of course, there are variables, such as budget and firm size, that play into the actual account team. While the number of people is important, who they are is more vital. Oftentimes, an agency will bring its “A” team to pitches and presentations to secure the business. You may even see them during onboarding. Then, you never see those people again.
Chemistry matters. Marketing teams hire PR agencies based upon who they meet during the selection process. If those people are not on the account, then the chemistry they believed they would have dissolves.
Another aspect is experience. Senior-level leadership (sometimes a partner, depending on the firm and client) needs to be on an account to provide the strategy only gained from years of experience to develop compelling stories. The day-to-day contact should also have years in the field.
So, a follow-up question is, “What is the combined years of experience of the team that will be working on my account?”
How many years have the team members been with the agency?
One thing is worse than a new team being assigned to your account after the agreement is signed. That is when the new team is as green as a well-kept lawn. If your outside PR team routinely rotates people, valuable time is lost because there is training involved in getting the new members up to speed.
A professional typically stays at a PR firm 2-3 years. If an agency has staff that averages more than 5 years, you can feel confident that the team assigned to your account will be consistent.
How do you integrate public relations into other marketing campaigns?
Public relations is but one ingredient in the marketing mix. It must align and complement the many other elements – social media, creative, paid media, trade shows, lead generation, SEO, etc. The PR agency you choose should realize its role and the importance of integration. This is done through an understanding of those other elements. It also means PR agency welcomes the opportunity to be part of the marketing team, not an outside vendor focused strictly on media placements.
It’s a simple question of asking the agency how PR fits in the marketing mix and their experience working with other agency partners. It will improve the entire program, as it helps create consistency across all marketing platforms for greater audience retention.
Adding these questions to the evaluation process will help brands hire the best PR firm for their needs. Best of all, you have a valuable long-term partner committed to the success of the brand. It sure beats having to go through another agency search in a year.
If you’d like to have a conversation on how to select a PR agency, feel free to reach out to me at pbrightman@3epr.com.