Before engaging a PR agency, get your house in order. The more open, prepared, and realistic you are, the faster you will see impact and the stronger your story will land in the market.
Starting a PR programme is not just about signing a contract. It is about building a strategic partnership. The quality of that partnership depends on how well you prepare and what you are willing to share from the beginning.
Here are the key things to consider before you get started.
Define your PR goals clearly
Be specific about what you want PR to achieve. Are you looking to build thought leadership, increase brand awareness, prepare for potential crises, attract investors, support recruitment, or launch a product. A clear goal helps your agency develop the right strategy and prioritise the right media and messages.
Be open about your brand story
Agencies cannot create strong narratives without substance. To do good work, they need insight. That includes your founding story and mission, customer successes and problems solved, previous media coverage, both positive and negative, key differences compared to competitors, and your vision for the future.
The more context you share, the more accurate and credible the storytelling will be.
Share the good and the difficult
If there are legal disputes, negative reviews, internal challenges, or sensitive issues, share them early. Good PR agencies help you plan for potential risks and manage them proactively. That only works if they know what they are dealing with.
Align on target audiences
Your agency needs clarity on who you want to influence. That might include industry analysts, trade media, business press, customers, partners, or future employees. Each audience requires a different message and a different media approach. Vague targeting leads to weak results.
Set realistic expectations
PR is a long-term discipline. Meaningful coverage in leading media often takes months, not weeks. Align early on how success will be measured. Look beyond the number of mentions and focus on relevance, sentiment, message alignment, and credibility.
Be ready to collaborate
Strong PR programmes depend on access and responsiveness. Expect to approve story angles, make executives available for interviews, share data or customer references, and engage actively throughout the process. PR works best when it is treated as a shared effort.
Invest in the right assets
Effective PR needs strong supporting material. That includes clear website messaging, professional headshots, media kits, customer testimonials, and data-driven proof points. Without these, even the best strategy will struggle to deliver its full potential.
Respect the craft
PR professionals are custodians of your reputation. Treat them as strategic partners, not suppliers. Their work is about trust, influence, and long-term credibility, not just press releases.
At Think PR, we often see brands move too fast without proper preparation. When organisations take the time to get this right, the results are stronger, faster, and far more sustainable.
Happy to answer questions. Getting ready is often the most overlooked part of PR.
