6 Hallmarks of a Great PR Agency - author: Lisa Kay Smith

We recently published our annual ‘The PR Net 100’ list and as I read through all the applications, they led me to write this short piece.

What separates a good PR agency from a great one? From the intel I gleaned from ‘the 100’, there are 6 key tenets that the most highly judged agencies shared:

• INVEST – The top agencies are making big investments in their people and culture
• REDEFINE – To stay relevant in the ever-evolving comms landscape and to meet client's needs where they are now, agencies are redefining the traditional scope of PR. Media relations may still be there, but the breadth of consultancy being offered is greater than ever
• INNOVATE – the way things have been done shouldn’t necessarily guide the way you do them moving forward. Track and evaluate processes – don’t practice the same tactics just because they’ve been done before. Pioneer find new verticals (NFTs/crypto, for example) and create a service offering
• DEI – a successful DEI approach isn’t an afterthought, it forms part of all facets of the agency’s operations, from the team to the work and all in between
• IMPACT – corporate purpose is an emerging trend in the PR industry, as brands look for ways to shape and communicate their values and impact. A few agencies have long been operating in this space and are reaping benefits as its importance grows
• MEASURE – agencies are demonstrating their value via tech tools (some proprietary) platforms that track and measure their outputs and impact on their client's success