10 questions to ask a PR agency before hiring: a UK buyer's list

What to take away

Ten questions, grouped around UK media reach, measurement, data, money and exit.
Ask for named outlets, journalists and dates rather than total coverage figures.
Insist that reach and coverage are never presented as business outcomes.
Get processor terms, content rights and notice periods in writing before you sign.
Treat any pitch answer you cannot check as a claim to test, not a fact.

Define the job before you hear the pitch

Before you hear a single pitch, write the job on one page: what you sell, who buys it, the titles that matter and the change you want within 12 months. Our guide to how to brief a PR agency lists the fields UK agencies expect, including budget band, approvers and the measure you will hold them to. Bring the same questions to every PR agency pitch. A vague brief invites a vague answer.

Ten questions to ask a PR agency

Work through these as PR agency interview questions in one meeting, then hand the same list to a colleague as PR agency due diligence questions.

Ten questions to ask

Named UK placements, journalists and dates
Outputs, outtakes, outcomes in reports
Day-to-day lead and holiday cover
Hostile enquiry and out-of-hours approval
Personal data, location, processor agreement
Ownership of copy, imagery, media lists
Fee build and costs outside quote
Paid promotion and ad code clearance

Which UK nationals, trade titles and regional outlets has this team placed in over the past 12 months, and can you name the journalists and dates?
How do you separate outputs, outtakes and outcomes in the monthly report, and what has replaced advertising value equivalence in your figures?
Who leads the account day to day, how many other accounts do they hold, and who covers during leave?
What happens when a journalist makes a hostile enquiry or publishes an error, and who may approve a holding line out of hours?
Which personal data will you hold, where will it sit, and will you sign a processor agreement? The ICO guidance on UK GDPR sets out what that agreement must cover.
Who owns the copy, imagery and media lists once the contract ends, and what licence do we keep? The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 sets the starting position on ownership of the work.
How are fees builtretainer, project fee, hourly rate or a mix, and which costs sit outside the quote?
Does any part of the plan cross into paid promotion or advertorial, and who clears the ad codes before release? The CAP advertising codes apply once material is paid for, even if the idea began in PR.
Have you worked for a direct competitor in the past two years, and how would you ring-fence our information?
What is the notice period on both sides, what handover do we get, and when can fees change?

Any answer you cannot verify in writing goes on a follow-up list, not into the contract.

Weak answers and what a stronger one sounds like

Confident answers are easy. Specific answers are not. Compare the pairs below.

Weak vs stronger answers

Weak answer

UK coverage: We get national coverage
Measurement: We track reach and AVE
Data: We keep a spreadsheet
Exit: We will sort it out

Stronger answer

UK coverage: Named outlets, journalists, dates
Measurement: Output, outtake, outcome lines
Data: Named processor, retention, agreement
Exit: Notice, handover list, fee review

Ask which desks your story reaches

A global reach total says little about what a British buyer reads. Ask which desks your story would reach: a consumer title, a trade weekly, a regional business desk or a broadcast slot. Then ask for the last three placements in each category, with outlet, journalist and date. Local fit matters: a London-only contact book may add nothing in Leeds or Glasgow.

Where the paperwork has to be specific

This is where a warm pitch meets the contract. Confirm which personal data the agency will hold, how long it keeps journalist records, and who is the controller. Check that image and video rights are licensed for the uses you plan, not only the campaign window. Agree a notice period, a handover list and the date fees are next reviewed. Our PR agency contract terms checklist covers the clauses buyers most often miss. Put the answers in the proposal, not in a follow-up email.

Common questions

How many agencies should I put through these questions?

Two or three is enough to compare, and one gives you nothing to test. Ask every shortlisted agency the same ten questions and write the answers side by side.

Which measurement question matters most?

Ask how output, outtake and outcome lines are separated in the monthly report, and who signs off the definitions. A single coverage total will not tell you whether the work changed anything.

Do I need a written contract with a PR agency?

Yes. Retainers, confidentiality, data processing, content rights and notice periods belong in writing. Verbal assurances rarely survive a change of account lead.

Should I ask a PR agency for references?

Yes, and speak to a client in a market like yours rather than the agency's longest-standing account. Ask what went wrong and how fast the team responded.