The first step to answering the question of what makes a good public relations agency, is ascertaining what exactly it is a public relations company does, which is a difficult enough task in itself. In short, public relations is the of generation of awareness, as well as a positive public perception of a client, product or service. While the methods may vary (from media relations, to viral campaigns, lobbying, one-off product launches and much more), the intentions of every public relation campaign, whether long or short term should be to achieve the aforementioned goals.

Knowledge

Having the requisite knowledge is a key ingredient for any PR firm and having a large bank of knowledge to draw back on is something that is essential for any kind of firm that works in a professional services field. This knowledge comes in many forms, but amongst the most essential is the need for firms to have excellent knowledge of their client and the market in which they operate, without the sufficient knowledge in these areas it will be nigh-on impossible to effectively gauge the client’s needs, to assess the opportunities that can be exploited and to provide any high quality advice or service that they could not do themselves. Additionally, knowledge of the news and contemporary media landscape is also incredibly important for public relations companies. Awareness of what topics are currently relevant in the news, means that a PR agency can seize opportunities when their client can be fit into the general media narrative, and especially with regards to media relations and pitching clients to new publications, having an exemplary knowledge on current affairs is absolutely essential.

Relationships

The ability to forge and maintain strong relationships is something else that is also absolutely integral for any good PR agency. This necessity of this attribute is probably most prevalent with regards to the practice of media relations, in which the ability to build relationships becomes essential when it comes to pitching articles or clients to journalists. Those PRs who are best at this sometimes even have a steady bank of journalists and publications they can rely to write stories about their clients and thus can usually guarantee at least a small amount of coverage. A relationship skill that tends to be more overlooked is the ability to forge and maintain good relationships with clients. While many public relations agencies will be able to provide their clients with media relations services and expert strategic communications advice, being able to also provide them with exemplary client service on top of that will truly set an agency apart from its competitors.

Creativity

Creativity comes in many forms, which are all essential for any public relations agency to have in abundance. Whether it is the creativity to produce interesting and engaging copy, effectively brand your client or creativity in crafting a narrative around them so that they fit into the current news and media landscape and are both engaging to journalists, as well as their target market, having that extra creative flair is what makes good public relations firms great.

Curzon PR is a London-based PR firm working with clients globally. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Development Team [email protected]