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What does a PR agency do?

6 minute read.

Reviewed 3 October 2026

The short answer

A PR agency shapes and protects how an organisation or person is understood, mainly by earning coverage and managing relationships with journalists, creators, regulators and the public. Typical work covers strategy, media relations, content, reputation and crisis support, and reporting against agreed goals.

What PR agencies typically do

  • Strategy: agree goals, audiences and the story to tell.
  • Media relations: pitch stories to journalists, hosts and creators and manage interviews.
  • Content: press releases, bylined articles, speeches, social posts and media kits.
  • Reputation: manage what is findable about a person or brand, including search results and reviews.
  • Crisis and issues: plan for problems and lead the response when one arrives.
  • Events and partnerships: launches, awards, sponsorships and community work.
  • Reporting: show coverage, search and enquiries against the goals set at the start.

How an engagement usually runs

  1. 1

    Discovery and audit

    The agency reviews your goals, audience, competitors and what is currently findable about you.

  2. 2

    Strategy and story

    You agree a position, key messages and a plan for the first three to six months.

  3. 3

    Pitching and content

    The team creates assets and pitches journalists and hosts, with your sign off on key material.

  4. 4

    Relationships and monitoring

    They keep relationships warm, respond to enquiries and track mentions and sentiment.

  5. 5

    Report and refine

    Regular reviews show what landed, what did not and what to change.

What PR is not

  • Not advertising. Paid placements are a different service, and should be labelled as such.
  • Not guaranteed coverage. Journalists decide, and no honest agency can promise a placement.
  • Not spin for false claims. Claims need to be accurate and checkable.
  • Not a one-off. Reputation and relationships build over months.

Who needs one

Organisations and individuals whose work depends on being trusted by people who have not met them: founders, executives, professionals, brands entering a market, listed companies and anyone facing a reputation risk. If you only need one announcement covered, a freelancer or a project fee may be enough.

How to judge an agency

  • Ask which results are earned, which are owned and which are paid, and for links you can check.
  • Meet the people who will do the work, not only the people who pitch.
  • Get scope, fee, term and reporting in writing.
  • See our nine questions for choosing an agency, and the ranking by need.

Questions

What is PR?

Public relations is the practice of building understanding and trust between an organisation or person and the audiences that matter to them, mainly through earned media, relationships and consistent communication.

What is the difference between a PR agency and a marketing agency?

Marketing and advertising agencies usually buy attention through paid channels. PR agencies mainly earn attention and manage reputation and relationships. Many plans use both.

How do I know PR is working?

Agree measures up front: quality coverage, share of voice, branded search, enquiries and sentiment. Review them monthly with live links.

Our agency rankings cover 26 agencies. General information, not legal or financial advice. Our method.