" />Working with a PR agency can be a game-changer when it comes to increasing brand visibility, reputation, voice, and even sales. However, you get out what you put in, so giving a clear and thorough brief is crucial.
While it may seem simple, many organisations struggle when it comes to briefing an agency – whether that’s due to time, resource, or simply not knowing exactly what an agency requires for this process. We’ve seen it all over the years – two line briefs to 15 page briefs! So, in this short blog, we’ll take a look at how to brief a PR agency to get the best results back.
- Start with your objectives
Be open about what you really want to achieve through PR . The more detail you can provide on why you want to work with a PR agency, the better. You might be looking to appoint a PR agency to break into a brand new market, position your business for investment or sale, or even to attract new talent and position you as an employer of choice. Considering breaking you aims down into short, medium and long term goals.
Being really clear on your why really helps the agency to craft the right approach. Of course, agencies understand it can be tricky to draw the line between giving enough information away for the agency to be able to do a good job, and not disclosing too much sensitive information before you’ve formally selected the agency, however, the more transparent the better when it comes to this process.
- Share relevant background information
You’ll likely be considering agencies that have experience in your field and with the audiences you want to target, however, a level of background information is always helpful. A top line overview of your brand, its vision, mission and positioning in the marketplace is a great starting point. It also helps to have an idea of who you view as your key competitors, so the agency can create strategies to help differentiate your brand. And last but not least, information on your key audiences is crucial – understanding your key audience groups will allow the agency to create PR strategies that both resonate with the audience and reach them where they are (whether that’s on social media, in key media, via direct outreach or face to face engagements).
- Consider the scope of work
Clearly identify what kind of PR support you require. Are you looking for strategic consultancy, media relations, content creation, influencer outreach, social media, event management, crisis communications, reputation management or something else completely? Be as detailed as possible to ensure the agency can provide you with the right suggestions.
Some businesses will need PR agencies to cover everything, whereas other will have an internal marketing team and specialists dealing with certain areas. Always consider this and let the agencies know what internal resource you already have, so they can help in the areas most needed.
- Think about what success looks like
The best PR campaigns are measurable, so talk to agencies up front about what success looks like to you. Be specific here – a successful PR campaign can look completely different to different businesses. Whether you want top tier media coverage, social media engagement, website traffic, or sales growth, it’s important to outline the KPIs that matter most to your business. The agency will work with you on what is realistic for your budget.
- Limit the number of agencies you approach
The PR briefing process goes two ways. The selected agencies will spend time coming up with strategies and pitching, so it’s only fair that businesses research the agencies they’re approaching up front to ensure that they’re the right fit. Consider having a couple of chemistry/exploration calls with a few agencies before it even comes to pitching, to ensure you feel that they are right your brand before the actual pitch process starts. Then, once you have a couple in mind following this, invite them to the final pitch stage.
Many agencies will only agree to pitching if the number of agencies on the pitch list are limited – no one wants to pitch against 10 agencies, due to the time and resource investment in takes to do this. Here at Refresh, we don’t tend to pitch against more than 3-4 agencies – it’s so important to us that potential clients feel we are the right agency for them, rather than just another on a pitch list.
- Work with your selected agencies on crafting the brief
Good, relationship-led agencies will usually be happy to craft the brief with you, to ensure you’re getting what you need. You can also ask the agency if they have a specific way they like to be briefed. By doing this, you can actually save yourself a lot of the leg work, as you’ll be providing exactly what the agency needs without having to worry about whether you’re providing the right information. Many agencies will actually have a template form they can provide – our first step at Refresh is to send prospective clients our briefing form, to make things easier for them.
- Be open to being challenged
Good PR agencies will flag if there are gaps in the brief or potential areas where it might fall down. Remember you’re appointing a consultant, not just a ‘doer’. Be open to their ideas, recommendations and strategic insights. Agencies may well suggest approaches that align with your goals and audiences that you might not have necessarily thought about.
- List your budget
The elephant in the room. Nobody loves talking about money, however, this is a crucial disclosure within the briefing process. Pitching takes agencies days and resource, so many (rightly) won’t pitch without an idea of budget (or at least whether you’re open to paying their ballpark fee levels). Providing a clear budget range upfront helps the agency propose a realistic strategy based on available resources.
Getting the briefing process right to ensure fruitful agency relationships
At Refresh, we view the briefing stage as the start of a successful working relationship. We tend to get a good idea of how well we will work with a client based on the very first call. Briefing a PR agency is a two way process, you get out what you put in, so it’s worth spending time up front getting the brief right so you can get the best results for your business in the long run. Do get in contact with us if you need help with a brief.
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