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How to Hire a PR Consultant/Agency
In an agency search, clients should ask firms to respond to questions like these. If you're doing a formal review, distribute a written questionnaire to all candidates, along with a request for work samples. If your search isn't quite so formal, just ask questions along these lines the first time you meet agency representatives.
[One big pitfall to avoid: gathering more information than you need. Don't make agencies jump through unnecessary hoops, but do make sure you've got enough data to compare apples to apples before sitting down to talk.]
- Provide a brief overview of your agency -- its history, strengths and weaknesses, values, and points of difference.
- What experience has the agency (or its staff, if performed elsewhere) had in our field and with accounts like ours?
- List all active clients. How long have you held each account and what services do you perform? Do you represent any clients with which we might have a conflict of interest?
- What were your total gross billings last year? What is the average, annual billing of all your accounts? The largest? The smallest? Where would our account fit in, in terms of size?
- What services does your agency provide, directly or indirectly? Indicate what is done in-house and what isn't.
- How is the agency organized? Provide a simple organization chart, indicating names, positions and responsibilities of all key personnel.
- Who will be assigned our account? What will be the responsibilities of each person?
- References -- Provide names/phone numbers of:
- three current clients
- three past clients
- three news media people
- three vendors/suppliers
- three civic/industry leaders
- Why do you want to work on this account? What will you gain?
- What's your description of a great client? Of a great agency/client relationship?
