5 things you should expect from a public relations firm

If it’s your first time working with a public relations firm, you may not know what to expect. Based on our many years of experience in this profession, here are our top five things you should expect from a PR firm.

1. Integrity
   This means the PR agency always does what’s right. They should honor the commitments they made in your company’s contract, follow the PRSA Code of Ethics, and uphold high standards.
   
   
2. Ideas
   Your PR firm should develop innovative solutions to business challenges. Their ideas can improve their own work and address your company’s needs.
   
   
3. Relationships
   It’s important that your PR firm consistently builds and leverages mutually beneficial relationships to assist your company and grow. This isn’t simply building relationships with reporters and media outlets; it’s also connecting with companies that could help you through strategic partnerships.
   
   
4. Results
   Expect your PR firm to ambitiously move the needle forward by securing the measurable results your company seeks. They should continue to connect with and follow up with reporters at your target outlets to open opportunities for more results.
   
   
5. Improvement
   As the PRSA Code of Ethics states, “We advance the profession through continued professional development, research, and education.” Just like your company can’t remain where it was a year ago, your PR firm must always be improving. You can ask what continuing education credits your PR firm is earning and encourage professional development.

If you're not seeing these five qualities in your PR firm, you should be concerned. Why? If they’re not demonstrating integrity, ideas, relationships, results, and improvement, they may not be aligned with your company’s values, and they’re costing your company money and resources you could apply to other areas.

If you see these qualities simultaneously, congratulations! Your PR firm is your strategic partner, perhaps worth retaining long-term as a valuable extension of your team.

These five qualities are Axia’s core values, the standards we live and breathe by. They form the lens we see through and guide how we choose our clients. Sometimes we part with clients when they don’t align with our core values. These values are also the standards by which we hire, reward, and promote our employees.

Knowing what to expect from a PR firm will help you avoid firms that lack credibility and don’t maintain high standards. If you’re ready to select an effective firm that can elevate your PR strategy, contact us today or book a one-on-one consultation.

 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio