A Data-Driven Approach to Hiring the Ideal PR Agency

As a savvy business leader in the modern digital era, you know that crucial decisions require an analytical, metrics-based approach – and choosing a public relations partner is no exception. Hiring a skilled PR agency can provide tremendous value, but it calls for an investment of your precious budget, time, effort and trust.

Rather than rely on fuzzy gut feelings or vague promises, I recommend letting the numbers do the talking when evaluating if and which PR firm is right for your brand. Arm yourself with relevant data points and benchmarks. Analyze options rationally through a tech geek lens. Together we‘ll methodically break down the central questions of PR agency selection into a logical framework rooted in statistics and measurable results.

Do We Actually Need PR? Quantifying the Business Impact

Before even assessing different agencies, take an objective look at whether your company genuinely requires professional PR services right now. Tangible metrics can reveal if you have maximized other marketing channels, refined conversion funnels and laid the necessary groundwork to get value from an agency.

Benchmark Where Your Brand Currently Stands

• Web Traffic From Last 12 Months

  • Unique Visitors:
  • Total Visits:
  • Pages Per Visit:
  • Average Time on Site:
  • Bounce Rate:

• Sales From Last 12 Months

  • Total Customers:
  • Average Order Value:
  • Total Revenue:

• Lead Generation From Last 12 Months

  • Total Leads:
  • Marketing Qualified Leads:
  • Sales Qualified Leads:
  • Lead to Customer %:

• Search Engine Rankings

  • Keywords Ranking Page 1 in Google:
  • Average Keyword Position:

• Social Media Following

  • Instagram Followers:
  • Twitter Followers:
  • Facebook Fans:
  • Engagement Rate:

Identify Gaps to Set Target Goals

Calculate Potential Lift From PR Investment

• Average Monthly Retainer Fee: $X,XXX
• Est Additional Campaign Costs: $X,XXX
• Potential Lift to Revenue: $XX,XXX
• Potential ROI from PR: XXX%

Thoroughly analyzing your current marketing and sales funnel metrics provides awareness if PR is premature or needed to hit growth goals.

Even if you feel prepared for PR, identifying specific benchmark targets they should hit justifies the expense and keeps them accountable.

Assessing Agency Experience and Specialties

So you‘ve concluded your business can benefit from the PR lift. Next, dig into relevant data points on the agencies themselves to find the best fit.

Years in Business

• Minimum: 5+ Years
• Preferable: 10+ Years
• Average Across Options: X Years

Specialization Alignment

Services Offered

Adding metrics around years in business provides a useful gauge of experience level. Comparing specialties and services ensures alignment with your niche and goals.

Evaluating Their Client Roster and Case Studies

An agency can tout their skills all day long, but what ultimately matters is the real world results achieved for clients actually like you.

Client Roster

• Total Current Clients: XX – XXX
• Related Industry Clients:
  • Company A
  • Company B
  • Company C

Case Study Examples

• Client X Went From:

  • 5K Site Visitors Per Month

  • $X Million Revenue

  • X Leads Per Quarter

  • To:

  • 7.5K Site Visitors Per Month

  • $X Million Revenue

  • 2X Leads Per Quarter

• Client Y Went From:

  • 3 Press Mentions Per Quarter

  • 2,500 Social Followers

  • To:

  • 9 Press Mentions Per Quarter

  • 5,000 Social Followers

Vetting credentials via relevant case studies and current client examples provides tangible proof of the ability to deliver results for your vertical.

Assessing Their Media Relationships and Influence

While flash and polish are nice, PR prowess is all about personal media relationships. The right introductions can fast-track you to high-value opportunities.

Media Contacts and Connections

• Total Media Relationships: XXX
• Relevant Industry Contacts: XX
• Key Tier 1 Outlet Relationships:
  • Site A
  • Publication B
  • Influencer C
• Social Media Followers/Community
  • Twitter:
  • LinkedIn:

Personnel Background

• Staff With Journalism Backgrounds: XX%
• Average PR Experience: X+ Years

Quantifying relevant media relationships spotlights valuable exposure opportunities. Personnel media expertise aids content creation.

Evaluating Budget Needs and Agency Fees

Plotting estimated costs against potential lift to your business helps calculate prospective ROI.

Monthly Retainer Cost

• Agency 1: $X,XXX
• Agency 2: $X,XXX
• Agency 3: $X,XXX

Campaign and Additional Costs

• Estimated Campaign Budget: $X,XXX
• Content Creation Fees: $X/Hour
• Ad Spend: $X/Month

Potential Lift Value Over 6 Months If Goals Met

• 15% Increase in Web Traffic: +$XX,XXX
• 20% Uptick in Leads: +$XX,XXX
• 10% Boost in Revenue: +$XX,XXX

Projected 6-Month ROI

• Agency 1: XXX%
• Agency 2: XXX%
• Agency 3: XXX%

Outline your targets and milestones. Continually monitor campaign analytics to assure your agency delivers measurable impact, not just vanity metrics.

Defining and Tracking Success Milestones

Leave nothing up to interpretation. Be exceptionally clear on defining what PR success looks like from day one and monitor progress slavishly via data.

Priorities and Metrics

Quarterly Campaign Reporting

• require reporting on:
  • Total Press Placements
  • Traffic Lift From Coverage
  • Leads From Content Syndication
  • Social Engagement Changes

Ongoing Optimization

• Monthly Check-In Calls
• Performance Review Every 3 Months
• Realign on Pivots as Needed

Clearly articulated metrics and abundantly communicated expectations provide actionable targets. Rigorous monitoring ensures accountability and visibility into the partnership‘s value.

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While raw intuition certainly plays a role, leaning analytical can pay major dividends in obtaining PR services that deliver truly measurable results. Approaching your evaluation process for agencies in an investigative, metrics-focused manner allows you to cut through hype and scrutinize value based on data.

If the numbers ultimately justify it, aligning with the right PR firm can rapidly take your brand to new heights. Just be sure to continually track quantifiable performance against concrete milestones once campaigns launch to guarantee they drive impactful lift in driving awareness, leads and sales.