Attention PR Clients: You Have Control, So Use It!

If your business is healthy or big enough to have or need an outside PR agency, you are a prized commodity these days. So act like it! You don't have to take what the agency gives you, you can demand what you need, hold them accountable, and fire them if you have to. It's your money, it's your account, it's your reputation and your business objectives that they are trying to help you accomplish.

This is the gist of the podcast interview I gave to Eric Schwartzman of iPressroom and the amazing On The Record: Online podcast series. If you're a client, or an agency person, I recommend you give a listen.

If you can't, here are a few nuggets:

• The most important questions to ask an agency: do you know our industry (and can you prove it) and will the senior people pitching the business work on my account?


• Garbage in, garbage out: or vice versa. Agency relationships aren't turnkey. If you throw your business over the transom and expect results, you will be disappointed. Aside from the two questions above, the most important determinant of a successful agency relationship is how much time and energy the client puts into it, in terms of providing access and resources for the agency to work with.


• The next most important component of the relationship is accountability. Put what you want in the contract, then have simple ways to measure or judge whether it is happening. And make sure to have weekly check-in calls to monitor progress and keep things moving.

Hiring an agency and want some help sorting out your options? I'd be glad to help.