Public Relations is fundamentally a relationship business. Collaboration is the name of the game whether it’s with media, client contacts, internal teams, and in some cases, PR teams from other agencies. KCD PR has a history of seamlessly integrating with other firms to meet client objectives and below are our tips for a successful campaign when more than one firm is involved.
Communication is Key
When working with multiple PR agencies, communication is key. Both firms should have clear expectations for themselves and each other as it relates to campaign goals, media outreach responsibilities to avoid double pitching, and reporting. All parties should have an open and transparent line of communication with the client (slack and teams channels can be great for this) and meet regularly with all relevant agency contacts and the client to align on priorities, strategy, and progress. This regular flow of communication not only allows for each PR team to optimize creativity and brainstorm, but it also creates a sense of community that keeps teams from working in silos.
Sharing is caring
As mentioned previously, PR is a business built on establishing and leveraging existing relationships. With each team responsible for very specific aspects and goals of a campaign, both teams should be willing to share media contacts and provide introductions when appropriate. For example, if your firm is hired for traditional media relations and the other agency is hired for investor relations, sharing the name and info for a close analyst contact you worked with years ago would not only help your overall campaign and strengthen the comradery between agencies, but it would also strengthen the relationship you have built with that analyst by giving them a valuable resource. At the end of the day, media and analysts will more often remember you for the times you helped connect them to a valuable resource than one-time transactional exchanges.
Leverage tools and software
Managing multiple people in one agency requires an inordinate amount of organization. This sentiment is further amplified when multiple PR agencies are involved. In addition to communication tools like slack, teams and email, both agencies should agree on specific project management tools to leverage for tracking progress and outputs. In some cases, this could be a simple google sheets tracker where both agencies are consistently inputting results and updates. In other more complex cases, this could involve leveraging project management software like Basecamp, Asana, Monday, and Teamwork to track progress on long term projects, releases, media angles, etc.
Act with the client’s best interest in mind
To make a collaborative PR campaign a success, all parties involved must keep the primary focus of their efforts on the client and working in their best interest. Too often, PR agencies fall prey to their natural competitive nature to attract new business and the client gets lost in the shuffle. Each agency was hired for a specific reason, and it is important for agency team leads to set an example by releasing egos and focusing on the specific scope of work and larger objectives at hand. In the end, a client will notice and appreciate the willingness to collaborate between teams and become a likely referral source to future clients in the long run.
