How to Choose a PR Agency | The Debrief

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Background:

Public relations in fashion has transformed drastically from securing magazine features to managing 360-degree brand storytelling. PR agencies now navigate everything from influencer partnerships to event management, social media strategies, and beyond. However, choosing the right PR agency is no small feat, especially for smaller brands or those at critical growth stages.

“Having a PR agency that really feels like a genuine organic extension of your team … is what’s going to enable you to plan together and collaboratively work on goals that you’re super aligned on,” shared marketing correspondent Haley Crawford.

Executive editor Brian Baskin and senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young sit down with Crawford to discuss how brands can evaluate potential PR partners, the challenges and opportunities in the modern PR space, and how to ensure a successful collaboration.

Key Insights:

• The PR industry has evolved significantly. In the past, PR agencies focused on securing mentions in traditional editorial formats, with the ultimate goal being a feature in Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar. Today, their capabilities have expanded. As Crawford explains, “this allows them to represent brands across the full spectrum of physical and digital spaces where shoppers are really interfacing with them and discovering them. … The agency’s role is to facilitate telling a cohesive story across all these facets.”
• Building relationships remains central to PR success. “The ability to build and maintain relationships has always been such a central skill in PR, but it looks totally different today than it did a couple of years ago,” says Crawford. “Today, publicists really have to go above and beyond to use those relationship building skills to build communities around the brand. And I think what really helps is being passionate about the brands that you choose to work with as well.”
• As artificial intelligence increasingly influences brand strategies, PR agencies must adopt innovative, human-centric approaches to distinguish themselves. This involves “facilitating an unexpected partnership … bringing events to life that really bring consumers that much closer to the brands they love” and helping brands “ to get in front of new audiences that might be unexpected.”
• When you’re meeting with a potential PR partner, Crawford advises to think of it as a job interview. “Could you see them being part of your in-house team? Are they clearly passionate about developing your brand story and taking it to the next level?” 

Additional Resources:

• How to Choose a PR Agency: A good agency can feel like an extension of a brand and bring fresh expertise towards telling its story. But picking the right partner is growing more complex as the definition of PR rapidly evolves.
• What Fashion PR & Communications Professionals Need to Know Today: This month, BoF Careers provides essential sector insights to help PR & communications professionals decode fashion’s creative landscape.