Tools and providers
A first 90 days plan for UK startups working with a PR agency
A dated three-phase plan for UK startups working with a PR agency: owners, onboarding steps, pitch logs, evidence, review points and budget lines to watch.
What to take away
- Run the first 90 days as three dated phasescontract and scope, onboarding and outreach, then evidence and review.
- Give every phase a named owner, a written evidence trail and a stop point agreed before work starts.
- Start with a project fee and move to a retainer only after the agency places stories.
- Judge the first month on logged pitching activity, not on headlines.
Days 0 to 14: contract, scope and a named owner
Day one is paperwork. Before the agency emails a journalist, decide who approves quotes, customer names and product data.
Ask for the scope in writing. It should name the target sectors, the number of releases each month and the reporting format.
Check the termination notice, any exclusivity clause and who owns copyright in the campaign materials. A startup buying PR is a business, not a consumer, so an unreasonable term in the agreement falls to be tested under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.
If the agency will hold journalist contacts or customer data, the schedule needs a processor agreement. The ICO's UK GDPR guidance hub explains what those clauses must cover.
Budget founder time as well as cash. Two hours a week for interviews, approvals and the weekly call is realistic for a team of ten.
Most of the risk sits before the first pitch, so a founder's guide to hiring explains how funding stage and media fit shape the shortlist.
| Phase | Owner | Evidence | Stop point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 0 to 14 | Founder | Signed scope, approved message house | No signed scope by day 14, pause the spend |
| Days 15 to 45 | Agency lead and founder | Media list, pitch log, two briefings | Fewer than ten pitches by day 30, change the list |
| Days 46 to 90 | Founder and marketing | Coverage log, inbound report | No trade feature by day 90, review the retainer |
Days 15 to 45: onboarding and the first media push
Onboarding should feel like a handover, not a discovery workshop. Hand over the founder story, a product walkthrough, two customer references and any data you can publish.
- Share the message house, demo and customer quotes.
- Agree the target list across trade titles, regional press, podcasts and newsletters.
- Log every pitch with date, journalist and outcome, then share the log weekly.
- Fix a 30-minute call each week with a written agenda and one decision.
The pitch log is the first honest test. Ten logged approaches in a fortnight is a working pipeline, while three suggests the list or the message needs work.
Agree the stop point in writing before day one. If a phase misses its evidence test, pause the spend rather than letting it drift.
Example: a seed-stage B2B software launch
Take a seed-stage software company selling to operations teams. The plan could run as an exclusive trade briefing in week three, a sector podcast in week five and a customer case study in week seven.
A wider release follows once the trade piece lands. Sequence matters more than volume, because one trade exclusive read closely by buyers beats five untargeted releases. The practical detail is set out in 10 questions to ask a PR.
Days 46 to 90: evidence, review and the stop point
By day 60 you should hold a coverage log, a view on share of voice and a list of inbound enquiries. Ask for these in a format you can share with a board or an investor.
- Coverage log with date, outlet, link and the message it carried.
- Inbound enquiries tagged by source in your CRM.
- Search visibility for your brand and main category phrase.
- A written recommendation for the next quarter.
Set the review meeting for day 85. Decide one of three outcomes: continue on a retainer, extend the project with a narrower brief, or end it at the notice period.
Budget lines to watch over the first 90 days
A retainer is not the only cost. Ask for a written estimate that separates fees from disbursements such as media database seats, photography, travel and event passes.
Small UK firms can check what public support exists before committing budget, and the GOV.UK finance and support finder lists government-backed schemes.
If the pilot works, the next step is a longer term; how UK startups choose an agency covers contract length, fees and data protection duties.
Common questions
How long before a startup sees coverage?
Trade and regional titles can move in two to four weeks once the story is ready. National newspapers and broadcast outlets take longer, and a first 90 days rarely produces a front page.
What should a PR agency contract for startups include?
Notice period, scope of work, copyright ownership, a processor agreement for personal data and the reporting format. Keep the first term to three or six months.
Should a startup hire on a retainer or a project?
Start with a project tied to a launch or a funding announcement. Move to a retainer once the agency has shown it can reach the journalists who matter to your buyers.
Who should own the relationship?
The founder or a named marketing lead. One owner approves quotes and signs off releases, which keeps decisions quick.
