How to Get the Most From Your Communications Agency

To get the most from your communications agency, share full context including bad news early, give it access to decision-makers and spokespeople, approve materials quickly, keep a single point of contact and review progress against agreed objectives regularly. Agencies do their best work when they are treated as partners with the information they need.

For organisations in Ghana investing in PR, marketing or events support, the client's side of the relationship has a large effect on results.

Share context, including problems

Tell the agency about your plans, challenges, past campaigns and sensitive issues. An agency that discovers a problem late cannot plan around it. Confidential information can be protected through a simple agreement.

Agree objectives and measures in writing

Make sure both sides understand what success looks like and how it will be measured. See how to set campaign objectives you can actually measure.

Name one point of contact

A single person who coordinates internal input, gathers feedback and makes or obtains decisions prevents mixed messages and delays.

Approve quickly

Slow approvals are one of the main reasons campaigns miss opportunities. Agree approval routes and turnaround times in advance. Consolidate feedback from colleagues before sending it.

Give access to the right people

Journalists want to speak to leaders and experts. Make spokespeople available and prepared. See how to prepare a spokesperson for a media interview.

Share news early

Tell the agency about upcoming launches, appointments, events, results and partnerships as early as possible. Many good stories are missed because the agency hears too late.

Provide good materials

Facts, images, biographies and data make the agency's work faster and more accurate. A brand photography library and a current boilerplate save time on every project.

Welcome challenge

A good agency will sometimes disagree. Listen to the reasoning. Advice you did not expect is often where the value lies.

Review regularly

Hold monthly check-ins and a quarterly review of objectives, results and priorities. See how to tell whether your agency is working.

Pay on time

Clear, reliable payment keeps the relationship focused on the work.

Related reading: how to brief a communications agency in Ghana, what to expect in your first 90 days with a PR agency and PR agency vs in-house communications team.

PR369's Strategic Communications and PR service works as a partner from strategy through delivery. Email info@pr369.com with your objective and timeline. We will begin with a strategy conversation.