40-Point PR Agency Evaluation Checklist
Score PR agencies on media relationships, crisis infrastructure, team transparency, and hidden costs. Surface bait-and-switch staffing patterns and surprise scope charges before you sign.
Scoring Framework
Rate each answer 1 to 5 based on specificity and depth. Agencies that consistently score below the midpoint tend to underperform on retained engagements, usually because gaps in media relationships, crisis infrastructure, or team commitments compound over a contract year. Weight media relationships and crisis response heavily. They drive most of the variance between agencies that earn renewal and those that don't.
Evaluation Criteria
Media Relationships and Placement Capabilities
30% weightEvaluates actual journalist connections, recent placements, and tier-one publication access. Weak media relationships translate into months of rebuilt outreach and missed coverage windows worth more than the agency's monthly fee in earned media equivalent.
Sample Questions
- Can the agency name three reporters who covered your competitors in the past 60 days?
- Do they reference specific email threads or recent phone conversations with named journalists?
- What's their typical pitch response rate, and how do they track it?
- Can they explain specific journalist preferences and beat focus areas?
- Do they have named tier-one placements in your industry within the past year?
Crisis Response Infrastructure
25% weightAssesses operational crisis capabilities, response times, and preparedness protocols. Companies without a documented two-to-four-hour response capability tend to lose materially more brand value during reputation incidents than those with named contacts and pre-drafted scenarios.
Sample Questions
- Do they provide named contacts with direct mobile numbers for off-hours crisis calls?
- Can they show pre-drafted holding statements for the realistic risk scenarios in your industry?
- What's their documented response protocol with assigned roles and timestamps?
- Do they have examples of crisis management from the past 12 months they're willing to walk through?
- How do they handle legal-PR conflicts during active incidents?
Team Structure and Account Management
20% weightEvaluates team stability, senior time commitments, and staffing transparency. High turnover costs months of rebuilt context, and bait-and-switch staffing patterns mean paying senior fees for junior execution.
Sample Questions
- What's the average tenure of account managers on retained clients?
- Can they provide written commitments for specific senior team time percentages?
- What's their protocol when key team members leave mid-contract?
- Will you meet the actual day-to-day team members, not just senior partners?
- How do they handle knowledge transfer during team transitions?
Performance Measurement and ROI Tracking
15% weightReviews measurement sophistication, business outcome attribution, and reporting integration. Without revenue-tied measurement, six-figure annual PR spend can run for a year without producing a defensible link to pipeline.
Sample Questions
- How does their reporting integrate with Salesforce, HubSpot, or your existing CRM?
- Can they show coverage attribution to specific sales opportunities and closed deals?
- Which APIs do they support for automated reporting and dashboard updates?
- How do they track competitive share of voice and translate it into strategic recommendations?
- Do they measure business outcomes beyond impressions and reach?
Industry Expertise and Market Knowledge
10% weightTests sector-specific knowledge, regulatory understanding, and competitive intelligence. Generic approaches without industry depth compress message effectiveness and can introduce compliance risk in regulated sectors.
Sample Questions
- Can they analyze your top three competitors' current PR strategies with specific examples?
- Do they understand disclosure requirements and compliance issues in your industry?
- Which trade publications and industry conferences do they actively work with?
- How do they stay current on regulatory changes affecting communications in your sector?
- Can they identify specific gaps in competitive messaging you could move into?
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