Navigating the maze of selecting the right digital PR agency can be a daunting task. Insights from leading experts, including a Marketing Director and a Digital PR Executive, help illuminate the path. From asking about developing and presenting pitches to discussing methods for measuring and reporting performance, these insights cover crucial aspects of the decision-making process. Read on to discover thirteen essential questions that can guide you to the perfect agency for your needs.

 

• Can You Develop and Present Pitches?
• How Do You Adapt Strategies for Niche Audiences?
• How Do You Connect with Media Outlets?
• What Should We Expect from Your Agency?
• Can You Solve Client Challenges?
• How Will You Amplify Our Brand’s Voice?
• Do You Offer Guarantees?
• How Will You Earn High-Quality Backlinks?
• How Do You Measure Campaign Effectiveness?
• How Will You Measure and Report Performance?
• How Do Your Strategies Align with Our Goals?
• Can We Review Your Previous Work?
• What Is Your Experience in Our Industry?

 

Can You Develop and Present Pitches?

One key question to address is, “Can you commit to developing pitches on your own and presenting them to us?” 

 

I’ve worked with agencies that are both proactive and reactive to the client’s vision of a pitch or story angle or positioning in the press. But in my experience, when it comes to impressing the higher-ups on an internal team, bringing constant new ideas and creative angles to core messaging themes is really critical in proving PR agency value. 

 

An example of this could be: once a month, the agency presents the client with 3-5 future story ideas, and then client input whittling the pitches to 1-2 in a live brainstorming session. This can set up the next quarter for tight messaging with creative storytelling approaches that the agency and client are on the same page about. At the end of the day, it’s got to be a collaborative meeting of the minds—because the agency knows the approach and strategy, but the client knows their industry.

 

Erika Thomas, Founder, Coveted Portfolio

 

How Do You Adapt Strategies for Niche Audiences?

One question I always recommend asking before hiring a digital PR agency is, “Can you provide examples of how you’ve adapted your strategies for clients in industries with limited media interest or niche audiences?”

 

I find that asking this allows you to gauge the typical metrics such as placements or impressions and dig into their ability to think creatively and personalize approaches.

 

For instance, if they’ve succeeded in turning a niche product or service into a newsworthy story, it shows they understand how to build relevance from the ground up. Agencies that can answer this with specific examples demonstrate not just experience but a willingness to innovate, which is what truly drives results.

 

Frank Sondors, Founder, Salesforge AI

How Do You Connect with Media Outlets?

You need to ask a digital PR agency the question, “How do you connect with media outlets in my industry?” 

 

That way you know whether the agency can get your brand in front of the right audiences. I believe that a significant aspect of having good media relations is what makes the agency have a high success rate in getting effective coverage. For instance, if you’re a retailer, you want them to have relationships with lifestyle magazines or bloggers that are speaking directly to your customers. 

 

In my experience, asking this question usually gets you some details on their network and business model, which will help you understand if they’re the kind of people who can provide value for your needs. What I like about this question is that it invites the conversation of their history and outreach style. Personally, I want to know what some actual stories they’ve placed or partnerships they’ve secured that have resulted in metrics for clients. You also know if they’re looking for things themselves or just rely on generic outreach.

 

Anders Bill, Cofounder/CPO, Superfiliate

 

What Should We Expect from Your Agency?

I would always advise you to ask what you should reasonably expect from hiring a digital PR agency. Different agencies have different areas of expertise. Some might focus on PR for SEO, others might focus on visibility, others might focus on connecting you with influencers and online reputation management. You need to make sure that, whatever the agency tells you they can achieve for you, is truly aligned with your specific goals for your business at that moment in time. 

 

Should you expect a measurable ROI? (Ideally, yes, but we all know that depends on the nature of the business, the website, and campaign.) Should you expect an increase in leads? An improvement in keyword ranking? An increase in traffic to your website? Just always make sure you’re really clear on what they say they can deliver, and that it aligns with where you want the business to be heading.

 

Claire Ransom, Founder, Aloha Life Digital

Can You Solve Client Challenges?

If there’s one thing I believe you need to know before engaging with a digital PR agency, ask, “Can you tell me a few examples of challenges you’ve solved for other clients and solutions that you’ve provided?” 

 

This will really be the starting point for talking to a digital PR agency about how well they are at solving problems and how responsive they are when things don’t pan out. As a client, I think the best agencies are those that can tell you how they’ve done it, how they didn’t, and what creative way they did it. E.g., if they made a client better off after bad press or shifted a campaign in the middle of a launch, this is a reflection of their ability to manage challenges. This is because you know how they work under stress and if they can be aligned to fit their solution with your objectives.

 

And what I like about this methodology is it tells you about their thinking and willingness to stay on top of it. For me, it is always comforting to know what actually happened when an agency dealt with something like this—you know they’re ready for anything less than a perfect case. You’ll learn how they made up for a missed media placement or ran an oversubscribed campaign under extreme time pressure.

 

Patrick Beltran, Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital

How Will You Amplify Our Brand’s Voice?

One key question to ask before hiring a digital PR agency is: “How will you adapt your strategy to authentically amplify my brand’s unique voice and resonate with my target audience’s evolving needs?” This question cuts through generic pitches and probes the agency’s ability to tailor their approach, demonstrating their understanding of your brand’s essence and their grasp of audience behavior. It also reveals their commitment to building genuine connections rather than relying on cookie-cutter tactics. A great agency won’t just promote your brand; they’ll integrate your values into campaigns that feel both personal and impactful, ensuring long-term trust and relevance in the digital landscape.

 

Matias Rodsevich, Founder & CEO, PRLab

Do You Offer Guarantees?

You should always ask a PR agency if they have guarantees. The reason? Guarantees in public relations are a red flag. True public relations cannot make guarantees because results are always dependent on third-party decision-makers (the media) to generate wins. Instead, the public relations agency should offer case studies and media placement samples to show what the results might look like. This is a much more honest approach and is an indicator that you are working with a credible public relations agency.

 

Ronica Cleary, Founder & CEO, Publicist, Cleary Strategies

How Will You Earn High-Quality Backlinks?

When selecting a PR agency, it’s crucial to understand their approach to link building. Ask them, “How do you plan to earn high-quality backlinks for our website?” Their response will reveal their understanding of Digital PR and their ability to actually generate valuable media coverage that drives traffic and boosts your online visibility.

 

Lance Honeghan, Digital PR Executive, Avid Panda

How Do You Measure Campaign Effectiveness?

One key question to ask before hiring a digital PR agency is, “How do you measure the effectiveness of your campaigns, and what metrics do you use to report success?” 

 

This question helps you gauge whether the agency takes a results-driven approach and aligns with your business goals. As a reputable agency, we will provide clear metrics such as media placements, website traffic, social media engagement, and overall brand visibility to show how their efforts are translating into tangible results. This ensures you’re not just paying for visibility but also for meaningful outcomes that contribute to your business growth.

 

Kristin Marquet, Founder & Creative Director, Marquet Media

How Will You Measure and Report Performance?

“How will you measure and report on performance beyond the number of links earned, and how will your efforts align with and impact our bottom-line business goals?”

 

This question encourages the agency to outline the metrics they will track, such as keyword rankings, organic traffic growth, and conversions, while also explaining how these tie into broader business outcomes.

 

It also helps clarify whether their reporting will focus solely on coverage and engagement in a traditional PR sense or if it will incorporate data-driven insights that demonstrate tangible results.

 

Rebecca Moss, Digital PR Director, JBH The Digital PR Agency

How Do Your Strategies Align with Our Goals?

Before hiring a digital PR agency, an important question to ask is: “How do you ensure your strategies align with our overall goals?” 

 

It’s essential to make sure the agency understands what your business stands for and can create campaigns that connect with your audience and deliver clear results. This alignment helps ensure that their efforts contribute directly to the success of your business.

 

You should also ask how they measure success and track progress. Understanding the metrics they use to evaluate campaigns can provide insight into their effectiveness. A good agency will be able to demonstrate how their work contributes to your business, helping you ensure the partnership is valuable and supports your long-term objectives.

 

Matt Earle, President, Reputation.ca

Can We Review Your Previous Work?

When hiring a Digital PR agency, one of the biggest things to look at is their previous work and case studies. The proof is really in the pudding when it comes to DPR, as it really is a hybrid of creative and SEO in general.

 

The biggest question to ask is to review some of the placements they have secured. There is a bit of an issue in the Digital PR space, where agencies will simply get their clients featured on pay-to-play platforms—which is not the aim of Digital PR. What you should be requesting, is examples of their earned media per client.

 

callum sherwood, Co Founder, Worldwide Backlinks

 

What Is Your Experience in Our Industry?

When evaluating a digital PR agency, ask about their past experience and success with companies in your industry to align with your short-term and long-term goals. Reflect on previous PR engagements, noting what worked and what didn’t, to share your expectations for a new partnership. Discuss available PR assets and the agency’s capability to create necessary content, and understand the stakeholder involvement required. Finally, ensure their approach to KPIs is realistic and achievable, given their business objectives, such as media placements, share of voice, or website referral traffic increases.

 

John McCartney, APR, Principal, Jmac PR