7 Questions Growth-Stage Companies Should Ask a PR Agency Before Hiring

By David Barkoe

I recently had a meeting with the CEO of a growth-stage company preparing to complete a funding round that will mark a significant step in the company's evolution. The CEO was hiring a PR firm to support the announcement and use it as the launchpad for an ongoing media and influencer relations program. After we spent some time discussing strategy, tactics, and timetables, he asked me a question that I often field during my meetings with prospective clients:

"Is there a question I should ask you that I haven't yet?" 

I smiled and said, "Yes, there are seven." That kickstarted a productive discussion that lasted for more than an hour. 

These seven questions to ask a PR agency are not specific to Carve Communications. If your company is thinking now is the time to bring in external PR counsel, you can pose these to identify the one that will support your company's growth before and long after your next funding announcement.

7 Questions to Ask a PR Agency

#1: Do you have experience securing funding announcements?

I realize this question may seem unnecessary, given my intro to this piece. A company looking for initial support on a funding announcement would have already asked me this question. But let's get specific. 

The tactics to support a funding announcement are similar to those announcing the launch of a new product, a customer win, or hiring a new senior executive. You want your PR partner to craft and issue the press release, conduct media outreach, prepare media briefing documents, measure results, and more. 

However, subtle differences set a funding announcement apart from others. For example, beyond mainstream outlets like TechCrunch, targeted vertical outlets should be included in your outreach strategy. These industry publications are vital to a growth-stage company’s growth as they speak directly to your end customers. 

You’ll also want to make sure your agency knows how to use – and not to use – embargoes, as they can be touchy subjects with reporters. And, especially if your raise isn’t a large number, you’ll want your agency to get creative inserting your story into a larger trend to help “make the cut.”

#2: What will you do in between funding announcements? 

Your PR agency partner should be equipped to conceive and execute a sustainable PR program that raises awareness during "the time between tentpoles" – those months between significant announcements such as product launches, new hires, big events, and funding rounds. 

I broke down the elements of a sustainable PR model in a previous blog post. Here's a quick recap: step 1 is crafting a clear and concise narrative that serves as the foundation for all activities, including trend-riding and spotting, content creation, and speaking and awards opportunities. These and other activities combine to drive awareness, authority, engagement, and activation.

Hiring a PR firm that understands modern PR is non-negotiable. It's not just about media relations; it brings together earned, owned, and sometimes even paid channels to surround the market, even without news.This is prime time for agencies to elevate the expertise of the company's leadership to separate them from the competition and stay top-of-mind. 

LinkedIn is one channel to activate, but it's not the only one; your agency should be agile enough to move between channels and experiment where they see opportunities.  

#3: Can you give me an example of when you made something out of nothing? 

This is a great follow-up question to ask a PR agency because it goes right to the heart of a Sustainable PR program. Ask agencies for specific examples of when they created something out of nothing. When did they ride a trend — or even spot a trend – turning their client into a resource for journalists? When did they identify an opportunity with no push from the client? 

Look for signs that they're creative, in sync with the speed of news, strong writers, and strategic pitchers. Also, look for ideas that came to life vs. just floated in space, never to be turned on. That means the client liked the approach, gave the go-ahead, and it also shows a strong agency-client relationship.

On our end, we could share how we positioned our AI software client as a solution to the chip shortage or researched, wrote, and worked with a designer to create a History of Livestreaming infographic to show off our client's expertise in a fun, shareable way. Or how we built a franchise program out of a seasonal moment. The list would be long.

#4: Have you worked with other brands in my industry before? What about reporters that cover the industry? 

It's good to work with a partner that gets your space. But you don't have to lock yourself into a box; look for adjacent experience. 

If you're a real estate tech company, you don't need the firm to have had specific real estate tech experience, but the firm should have worked with other disruptors. They should understand how to tell a story about the "old way" of doing things and the future.

When it comes to reporters, the benefit of hiring a PR firm is that they'll almost always have a common thread across clients. So, ask about those common threads and understand their media relations approach. 

Don't worry too much if a prospective partner can't rattle off a list of specific journalists' names. You want to hear that they don't spend a lot of time building lists on Cision or other similar tools; instead, they take a personalized approach. The more significant opportunity is knowing how to target and attract a reporter and tell a story that drives them to report.

#5: What's the team structure? 

You want a dedicated team that includes senior people. This enables the account team to be more agile and respond quickly and creatively to challenges and opportunities. Generally, this is one of the advantages boutique agencies have over larger agencies, where the more experienced professionals tend to be most visible during tentpoles or in moments of crisis.

#6: How much time on our end will be required to do this right?

Each client has a preferred way of working, and the timing and frequency of meetings and brainstorms are usually up to the person who "owns" the relationship. We typically hold weekly meetings with our client stakeholders for the first 60-90 days of the relationship, then move to bi-weekly or project-based meetings. 

You'll want an agency partner that's available to flex to your way of working. Sometimes for us that means Slack all the time because of our time zones; other times it means early or late meetings. 

What is important is that you share: share materials, share POVs, share upcoming plans. Give your agency the tools they need to make informed decisions, and the leeway to run with the right ideas. 

You are the subject matter expert; we are the experts on communicating your vision to your target audiences. This is a sign of a true partnership. 

#7: How do you measure and report results?

I've been in PR long enough to remember when we used to report the results we secured for clients with a resounding "Thump!!!" We would make hard copies of print, broadcast, and online hits and bind them together with circulations, viewership, and UVPMs (Unique Visitors per Month) into "coverage books." The louder the thump, the better the results. 

PR is about so much more than an impression or UVPM. There are paid metrics platforms like Cision and Talkwalker, which we use at Carve. Some agencies go beyond that and develop their own tools to measure the impact of PR. Our proprietary scoring system takes a deep dive into the quality of each placement we secure. This system is beloved by our clients, with a number of them using our score as a corporate-level metric.  

Whatever the method, you want an agency to understand and agree with your expectations and how you want to measure success.

One last thing: pay attention to the questions agencies ask you because that's always a sign of curiosity (or lack thereof). If they ask good questions, there's a good chance they'll be quick studies and good storytellers.

I'm ready to answer these questions and any others you may have about how Carve can help you achieve your goals. Please use our scheduling tool to select a day and time that works for you when you're ready.