Public relations is a crucial element of a company’s success. No matter how good your product or service may be, if you can’t get the right messages to the right outlets, it won’t matter, especially in competitive times. 

But not just any PR firm will do. You need one that delivers results and some PR agencies miss the mark. If you’re not sure what to look for, or if you’re wondering how your agency is faring, here are seven tell-tale signs it may be time to fire your PR firm:

1. You’re Dealing with the B-Team.

The first person you spoke with at your agency was probably at the senior management level. Are you still speaking with them a few months into the contract? Too many agencies try to reel in clients with top talent and then transition those clients to some people lower down the ladder with less experience. You may have received a fairly reasonable explanation as to why this happened. It could also be a “bait and switch” scenario designed to land your business, but keeps their senior team working with other, bigger clients. Your PR firm should make you feel like your business is a priority. If they don’t, it’s time to cut bait and go fish.

2. They Don’t Understand Your Story.

Your story is everything. A compelling story around the inspiration, drive and goals of your company is so much of what people connect with. A PR agency worth their salt will do everything to present your story in an efficient, accurate manner. It’s a huge red flag if the messaging you’re seeing downplays core beliefs or frames your story in a way that doesn’t resonate with you or your audience. If you and your public relations are not in sync on this, it probably can’t work out.

3. You’re Doing All the Work.

A lot of company heads have a hard time letting go. Some want to guide a PR firm in the same way they guide the company, which is how some agencies get away with doing very little but still charge full price. Step back and try to figure out who’s coming up with the ideas. Who laid out the strategy? Who is supplying the media outlets to contact and polishing messaging? Who is brainstorming social media posts? If the answer to these questions is “I am,” then you are your own PR agency right now and you’re paying for work your PR firm should be doing.

4. They Don’t Like Data.

Long gone are the days that PR companies had a campaign and used their experience to gauge its success. Today, there are a range of media monitoring analytics and tools that offer objective metrics on how well campaigns are performing. Regardless, some PR firms still don’t use these tools to the best of their ability, preventing their clients from actually being able to track their success. If you don’t receive hard data from your PR firm on  how things are going, it’s time to look for a firm that will.

5. They Are Yes Men/Women.

This company is your baby. You have put in so much work that you want to believe it is truly special. And you deserve a PR firm that believes in you and is passionate about your success.  But your PR agency isn’t there just to make you feel better. Which means they owe it to you to not sugarcoat things. You deserve honest feedback on the climate of the market, the public perception of your company and other challenges. If you are only hearing you’re doing great, then your PR firm is doing poorly. 

6. Excuses, Excuses, Excuses.

If you’ve spoken with the PR firm about a lack of results, pay close attention to how they respond and what they say. Do they offer convincing reasons why certain snags have happened? Does it seem like sooner rather than later there will be some bigger movement? Do they take any blame themselves or spend their time pointing fingers? Public relations is tough and there are a lot of variables at play, but if it seems like they’re just looking for scapegoats, you can do better. 

7. Their Social Media is Bad.

Good social media is a necessity for brands and any public relations firm should know that, as we made clear in a recent blog, PR firms need to practice what they preach. If your PR firm has social media that’s either non-existent or has terrible engagement, they may not know how to organically boost your company or grow your digital footprint. 

Your company and your brand are too important for bad PR. If you don’t feel like the agency you have is up to snuff, then it’s time to find one that is. 

Time to hire a new PR firm? Reach out to us today at hello@wearemgp.com. 

Public relations is a crucial element of a company’s success. No matter how good your product or service may be, if you can’t get the right messages to the right outlets, it won’t matter, especially in competitive times. 

But not just any PR firm will do. You need one that delivers results and some PR agencies miss the mark. If you’re not sure what to look for, or if you’re wondering how your agency is faring, here are seven tell-tale signs it may be time to fire your PR firm:

1. You’re Dealing with the B-Team.

The first person you spoke with at your agency was probably at the senior management level. Are you still speaking with them a few months into the contract? Too many agencies try to reel in clients with top talent and then transition those clients to some people lower down the ladder with less experience. You may have received a fairly reasonable explanation as to why this happened. It could also be a “bait and switch” scenario designed to land your business, but keeps their senior team working with other, bigger clients. Your PR firm should make you feel like your business is a priority. If they don’t, it’s time to cut bait and go fish.

2. They Don’t Understand Your Story.

Your story is everything. A compelling story around the inspiration, drive and goals of your company is so much of what people connect with. A PR agency worth their salt will do everything to present your story in an efficient, accurate manner. It’s a huge red flag if the messaging you’re seeing downplays core beliefs or frames your story in a way that doesn’t resonate with you or your audience. If you and your public relations are not in sync on this, it probably can’t work out.

3. You’re Doing All the Work.

A lot of company heads have a hard time letting go. Some want to guide a PR firm in the same way they guide the company, which is how some agencies get away with doing very little but still charge full price. Step back and try to figure out who’s coming up with the ideas. Who laid out the strategy? Who is supplying the media outlets to contact and polishing messaging? Who is brainstorming social media posts? If the answer to these questions is “I am,” then you are your own PR agency right now and you’re paying for work your PR firm should be doing.

4. They Don’t Like Data.

Long gone are the days that PR companies had a campaign and used their experience to gauge its success. Today, there are a range of media monitoring analytics and tools that offer objective metrics on how well campaigns are performing. Regardless, some PR firms still don’t use these tools to the best of their ability, preventing their clients from actually being able to track their success. If you don’t receive hard data from your PR firm on  how things are going, it’s time to look for a firm that will.

5. They Are Yes Men/Women.

This company is your baby. You have put in so much work that you want to believe it is truly special. And you deserve a PR firm that believes in you and is passionate about your success.  But your PR agency isn’t there just to make you feel better. Which means they owe it to you to not sugarcoat things. You deserve honest feedback on the climate of the market, the public perception of your company and other challenges. If you are only hearing you’re doing great, then your PR firm is doing poorly. 

6. Excuses, Excuses, Excuses.

If you’ve spoken with the PR firm about a lack of results, pay close attention to how they respond and what they say. Do they offer convincing reasons why certain snags have happened? Does it seem like sooner rather than later there will be some bigger movement? Do they take any blame themselves or spend their time pointing fingers? Public relations is tough and there are a lot of variables at play, but if it seems like they’re just looking for scapegoats, you can do better. 

7. Their Social Media is Bad.

Good social media is a necessity for brands and any public relations firm should know that, as we made clear in a recent blog, PR firms need to practice what they preach. If your PR firm has social media that’s either non-existent or has terrible engagement, they may not know how to organically boost your company or grow your digital footprint. 

Your company and your brand are too important for bad PR. If you don’t feel like the agency you have is up to snuff, then it’s time to find one that is. 

Time to hire a new PR firm? Reach out to us today at hello@wearemgp.com.