How to Choose a PR Agency or Consultant: Senior Support, Smart Budgets, Real Results

Over 25 years working in communications, both in-house and running my own agency, I’ve met more than enough firms with fancy offices and generous entertainment budgets.

This never impressed me. Those costs are often coming out of the client’s budget.

What mattered to me as an in-house Head of Communications was experience, clear strategy, an understanding of the business, sensible use of budgets and campaigns that produced real results.

Over time, I found that the strongest partners were regional and independent agencies. In my opinion, geography, at least in the UK, did not matter. What mattered was good judgement, access to senior expertise and the ability to deliver results that mattered to our stakeholders.

Location matters less than it used to

PR work is now largely digital. Strategy workshops, media briefings, social media planning, campaign development and reporting can all happen online. Agencies and clients can collaborate through video calls, shared documents and instant messaging.

That means I can work effectively with clients regardless of location. What matters most is finding people who understand your business, your audience and your objectives and can deliver results.

Senior-led thinking

One of the biggest advantages of smaller consultancies and independent agencies is direct access to senior expertise.

As a client, I valued working with people who understood the business, could challenge the brief when necessary and helped shape campaigns that were both creative and commercially realistic.

Independent agencies and boutique consultancies are often structured so senior people stay closely involved in strategy, messaging and delivery, which is vitally important to the success of a campaign.

Budgets that work harder

Office space and entertainment budgets do not run campaigns. Your budget does.

When a significant portion of fees is allocated to overheads, there is naturally less room for campaign activity.

Regional and independent agencies often run leaner operations. This means more of the client’s investment goes into work that can actually be seen and measured: planning, content, media engagement, events and stakeholder activity.

For in-house communications teams, budgets must be tied directly to outcomes and demonstrate clear value.

A lesson from running my own agency

I saw this dynamic clearly when I ran my own six-person agency in Hong Kong.

We were competing against well-known firms with large offices and significant entertainment budgets. At times it felt intimidating, but I focused on the same principles I had valued when hiring agencies myself: strong ideas, clear strategy, responsible use of budgets and measurable outcomes.

That approach helped us win big global clients and long-term retainers. They chose us because of our strategy, experience and results, not the size of our office.

What really matters when choosing an agency

In my experience, the most important questions are rarely about the city where an agency is based or its fancy office. They are:

• Can they produce ideas that are both creative and strategic?

• Will they use our budget intelligently and transparently?

• Are they focused on outcomes, including changes in awareness, perception or behaviour and even footfall/sales?

• Can they demonstrate proven results through relevant case studies?

• Do we have access to senior people who understand our business and stay involved?

• Have they taken the time to understand our business, including its challenges and opportunities?

• Do they have proven experience handling crises and reputational issues?

An alternative to the traditional agency model

For many organisations, working with an experienced independent consultant offers a different approach.

You gain direct access to senior expertise, strategic thinking and practical delivery, without the overheads and structure of a large agency.

It is a model designed around flexibility, clarity of advice and a close understanding of the client’s business.

Having worked both in-house and agency-side, I have seen communications challenges from multiple perspectives.

Today, I work directly with organisations that want senior strategic support without the complexity and cost of a traditional agency structure.

If you're looking for senior PR counsel without the overhead of a large agency, contact me here to discuss how I can support your communications strategy. If you need senior PR leadership for a defined period – for maternity cover, between hires or to build a function you can hand over – my Interim PR Director service may be a better fit than a permanent hire.