I run a PR agency. Here’s exactly how to hold PR agencies accountable, including mine.

Most clients get burned, not because PR doesn’t work, but because nobody told them what to expect, what to demand, and when to pull the plug. They sign a retainer, get a few vanity reports, and six months later they’re out 15,000 pounds with nothing to show for it except a folder of press releases nobody read.

This is the guide I wish every client read before signing a PR contract: the exact frameworks, contract clauses, and monthly questions we use at Presslei. If you use this to evaluate us and decide we’re not the right fit, good. That means it worked.

Let’s get into it.

The 3 PR Agency Models (and What You’re Actually Paying For)

Before you talk to a single agency, understand what you’re buying. There are three models, and most agencies won’t explain the tradeoffs honestly.

1. Retainer Model

How it works: You pay a fixed monthly fee (typically 2,000 to 10,000+ pounds). The agency allocates a set number of hours or “effort” to your account.

What you’re actually paying for: Access and consistency. A retainer buys you a team that knows your brand, monitors opportunities daily, and can move fast when a story breaks.

The trap: Many retainer agencies bill for activity, not outcomes. You’ll get a monthly report showing “42 journalist outreach emails sent” and feel like something’s happening. But outreach volume means nothing if it doesn’t land coverage. Ask any agency on a retainer: what happens if you get zero placements in a month? If they look uncomfortable, that tells you everything.

2. Project Model

How it works: You pay a one-off fee for a defined deliverable, a product launch campaign, a data study, a crisis response plan.

What you’re actually paying for: Execution on a specific brief, with a start date, an end date, and a clear scope.

The trap: Agencies love projects because they can price based on perceived value rather than actual hours. A “product launch campaign” can mean wildly different things. One agency’s 5,000-pound launch is 3 press releases and a media list. Another’s is a full newsroom strategy with embargo management and follow-up. Get the deliverables in writing, line by line.

3. Performance Model

How it works: You pay based on results, per placement, per link, per measurable outcome.

What you’re actually paying for: Skin in the game. The agency only earns when they deliver.

The trap: Performance models can incentivize the wrong behavior. An agency paid per link might chase low-quality placements on sites nobody reads just to hit their numbers. At Presslei, we run reactive PR and tie results to actual media coverage in real publications. But even with us, define what counts as a “placement” upfront. A mention in a roundup is not the same as a dedicated feature.

My recommendation: for most companies, a hybrid works best. A small retainer for ongoing monitoring and relationship management, plus performance bonuses for actual coverage. That keeps the agency motivated without handing them a blank check.

Still deciding whether you even need an agency? This decision guide breaks down the DIY vs. agency question properly.

Red Flags in PR Proposals (Run From These)

I’ve reviewed dozens of competitor proposals over the years. Here are the phrases that should make you close the PDF and move on.

“We’ll increase your brand awareness”

Brand awareness is not a KPI, it’s a vibe. Unless they define exactly how they’ll measure it (share-of-voice tracking, branded search volume, audience surveys with baseline data), this is a nothing statement dressed up in a deck.

“Our extensive media relationships”

Every agency says this. Very few can prove it. Ask them to name 5 journalists they’ve placed stories with in the last 90 days, in your industry. If they can’t answer on the spot, their “relationships” are a contacts database they bought, same as everyone else.

“We’ll distribute press releases”

Distributing press releases is a tactic, not a strategy, and increasingly a weak one. Wire distribution (PRNewswire, BusinessWire) has its place for regulatory announcements and SEO. But if “send press releases” is the centerpiece of their strategy, they’re selling you a service from 2005.

“Results take 6 to 12 months”

PR can take time to compound, that’s true. But you should see signals within 30 to 60 days: journalist responses, coverage opportunities in the pipeline, angles being tested. An agency that needs 6 months before you see anything is an agency that’s stalling.

No mention of specific KPIs

If the proposal doesn’t include concrete metrics they’ll report on, it’s because they don’t want to be measured. Full stop.

Scope described in hours, not outcomes

“40 hours per month of PR support” tells you nothing about what you’ll get. Would you hire a builder who quoted “160 hours of construction” with no blueprints? Demand outcomes: number of pitches, target publications, expected coverage range.

For a deeper look at what separates real metrics from vanity ones, here’s our breakdown of what your agency should actually be reporting.

What to Demand in Your Contract

Here’s where most clients lose their leverage: they negotiate the fee and ignore the terms. These are the clauses that actually protect you.

1. Monthly Reporting Format (Defined Upfront)

Don’t let the agency decide what “reporting” means after you’ve signed. Specify:

• Coverage log: Every placement with publication name, URL, domain authority, and whether it includes a backlink
• Pipeline report: Pitches sent, journalist responses, stories in progress
• KPI dashboard: Agreed metrics tracked against targets
• Next month plan: What they’re doing next and why

At Presslei, every client gets this on the first Monday of the month, no exceptions. If we don’t send it, you don’t pay. That’s in our contract.

2. Link Attribution

If SEO value matters to you, and it should, your contract needs to specify that the agency tracks and reports referring domains from their placements. Not all coverage includes links, and that’s fine, but you need to know what’s driving domain authority growth versus what’s pure brand exposure.

3. Response Time SLAs

Reactive PR is time sensitive. A trending story waits for nobody. Your contract should include:

• Pitch response to opportunities: Within 2 hours during business hours
• Monthly report delivery: By a specific date each month
• Email response time: Within 1 business day

If they won’t commit to response times, they’ll deprioritize you the moment a bigger client calls.

4. The Kill Clause

This is the big one. Your contract should include:

• 30-day rolling notice (not 90 days, not “end of quarter”)
• Performance floor: if the agency delivers below X placements in any 60-day period, you can exit immediately with no penalty
• IP ownership: all media lists, pitch templates, and campaign materials created during the engagement belong to you

We include all three at Presslei. Prospects have told me no other agency offered a performance-floor exit. That should tell you something about how confident most agencies are in their own delivery.

5. Named Team Members

Your contract should name the actual humans working on your account, not “a senior account manager.” A name, with their background. Agencies love to wheel out senior people in the pitch and then hand your account to a junior exec the day you sign. Pin them down.

How to Brief Your Agency Properly

Bad briefs produce bad PR. I’ve seen clients hand over a 40-page brand guidelines document and call it a brief. That’s not a brief, that’s homework.

Here’s the one-page Campaign Brief Template we give every new client. Seven fields, nothing more.

The 7 Field Campaign Brief

1. What are you promoting? One sentence. Product, service, announcement, or data asset. If you can’t say it in one sentence, you haven’t figured it out yet.

2. Who needs to see this? Not “everyone.” Name the specific audience: “CTOs at Series B SaaS companies” or “personal finance editors at UK nationals.” The narrower, the better.

3. Why should anyone care right now? This is the news hook. What makes this timely: a trend, a data point, a cultural moment, a regulatory change. “We launched a new product” is not a reason anyone cares. “We launched a product that solves the problem 67% of CTOs reported in Gartner’s latest survey” is.

4. What data or proof do you have? Numbers, case studies, proprietary research, customer results. PR without proof is just opinion.

5. Who is your spokesperson? Name, title, and 2 to 3 talking points they can deliver naturally, not scripted corporate lines, real opinions they actually hold.

6. What does success look like? Be specific. “Coverage in TechCrunch” is a target. “Increased brand awareness” is not. Name publications, name metrics, name business outcomes.

7. What’s off limits? Competitors you don’t want mentioned alongside you, topics to avoid, legal restrictions. Tell the agency upfront so they don’t pitch something you’ll have to kill.

That’s it. One page. If your agency needs more than this to start working, they’re overcomplicating it.

The Monthly Check-In Framework: 5 Questions to Ask Every Month

Don’t just read the report, interrogate it. Here are the five questions I’d ask if I were the client.

Question 1: “What coverage did we get, and what’s the quality breakdown?”

Not just the number of placements. Break them down:

• Tier 1: National press, major industry publications (The Guardian, TechCrunch, Forbes)
• Tier 2: Mid-range trade press, regional outlets with strong domain authority
• Tier 3: Niche blogs, small publications, contributor posts

If 90% of your coverage is Tier 3, you’re paying for volume, not impact. Understanding which KPIs actually matter will help you push back intelligently.

Question 2: “What did you pitch that didn’t land, and why?”

This is where you learn whether the agency is iterating or just spraying. A good agency analyzes rejected pitches: wrong angle, wrong timing, wrong journalist, wrong publication. A bad agency just says “we’ll keep trying.”

Question 3: “What opportunities are in the pipeline for next month?”

You want forward visibility: what stories are brewing, what journalist conversations are open, what reactive hooks they’re watching. If they can’t tell you what’s coming, they don’t have a plan.

Question 4: “What’s our cost per placement this month?”

Take your monthly fee, divide by the number of quality placements (Tier 1 and 2 only). If you’re paying 5,000 pounds a month and got 2 quality placements, that’s 2,500 pounds per placement. Is that good? Depends on your industry. But track it over time and expect it to improve.

Question 5: “What would you do differently if you were spending your own money?”

This separates the order-takers from the strategic partners. A good agency gives you an honest answer, even if it means recommending you spend less with them. A bad agency always recommends more budget.

When to Fire Your Agency (With Grace)

Sometimes it doesn’t work. Here’s how to know, and how to handle it.

Fire if:

• 3 months, zero quality placements. Some industries are harder than others, but three months is enough time for any competent agency to land something meaningful.
• Reports are consistently late or vague. If they can’t even report on time, they’re not prioritizing you.
• They can’t explain their strategy in plain English. If every answer is jargon and buzzwords, they’re hiding behind complexity.
• Your main contact keeps changing. High turnover on your account means the agency is either mismanaged or using your account to train juniors.
• They get defensive when you ask tough questions. Confidence looks like transparency. Insecurity looks like deflection.

Seeing multiple warning signs? This guide on spotting agencies that waste money goes deeper.

How to exit well:

1. Give honest feedback. Tell them specifically what’s not working. They might fix it. Probably not, but you owe them the chance.

2. Request a transition document. All media contacts, active journalist conversations, pending opportunities, and campaign materials should be handed over. If your contract includes the IP clause above, this is non-negotiable.

3. Don’t burn the bridge. The PR world is small. The account exec you fire today might be the editor at a publication you want coverage in tomorrow. Be direct but professional.

4. Take a month to reset. Don’t jump straight into another retainer. Review what worked, what didn’t, and whether your brief was clear enough. Sometimes the problem was the agency. Sometimes it was the brief. Usually it’s both.

“The best PR agency relationship is one where you could fire them at any point, but you never want to. Transparency and measurable results make that possible.”

— Salva Jovells, Presslei

The Uncomfortable Truth

Most PR agency relationships fail because of misaligned expectations, not incompetence. The client expects magic. The agency promises magic to win the deal. Nobody sets clear targets, nobody agrees on what success looks like, and six months later everyone’s frustrated.

This guide exists to fix that. Walk into your next PR agency conversation with a clear brief, defined KPIs, contract terms that protect you, and a monthly framework to evaluate performance, and you’ll either get dramatically better results or spot a bad fit before it costs you real money.

Either way, you win.

Ready to Test This Framework on Us?

We built Presslei around reactive PR: we only pitch when there’s a genuine news hook, not when the calendar says it’s time to send a press release. Everything in this guide is how we actually operate. Performance floors, named team members, monthly reporting on the first Monday, the lot.

If you want to see what that looks like for your business, get in touch. Bring your toughest questions. We’d be disappointed if you didn’t.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should a PR agency cost per month?

Monthly retainers typically range from 2,000 to 15,000 pounds depending on scope, market, and agency size. Beware of agencies charging premium rates without clear deliverable commitments. Compare the cost against specific outcomes, not just hours billed.

How long should I give a PR agency before expecting results?

Give any agency a minimum of 90 days before evaluating performance. Month one is onboarding and research. Month two is active outreach. Month three is where you should start seeing measurable media placements. If there’s no traction by month four, have a serious conversation.

What should a PR agency report include?

At minimum: specific journalists contacted, pitches sent, responses received, placements earned, and domain authority of publications. Avoid agencies that only report “media impressions” or “potential reach”, these vanity metrics hide a lack of real results.

Should I hire an in-house PR person or an agency?

Agencies offer broader journalist networks and specialized expertise. In-house teams offer deeper brand knowledge and faster response times. The ideal setup for most companies is a lean in-house coordinator who manages an external agency with clear KPIs.

What questions should I ask during a PR agency pitch meeting?

Ask: who specifically will work on my account? How many clients does each team member handle? Can you name journalists you’ve placed stories with in my industry? What does your reporting look like? And the most important one: can I speak to a current client reference?

About the Author

Salvador Jovells

Founder of Presslei. 12+ years in ecommerce SEO across international markets. After a decade of link buying for Hockerty and Sumissura, I reverse-engineered 5,272 earned media placements and founded a reactive PR agency that builds authority through data-driven stories journalists actually want to publish. Based in Zurich.