How to Choose a PR Agency

Ahead of her spring 2025 show, Elena Velez was in the market for a new PR agency. The designer’s shows, which have played host to everything from a mud pit to a discussion of controversial novel “Gone With the Wind,” always attracted attention — and sometimes ire. She wanted an agency that understood her “conversation-provoking” point-of-view, could help her “translate some very raw creative ideas” and “protect me and help me interface with the public.”

Velez did not want to hurry the delicate agency search process and was prepared to go without a publicist for a while. But after meeting the team at Modeworld, a New York-based agency that focusses on plugging brands into the cultural zeitgeist, she felt a kinship with founder Amanda Carter, a fellow Midwesterner who shared the brand’s “punk spirit.”

“[She’s] not afraid of getting dirty with me,” Velez said. “I just need people who can be fearless and aggressive and know when to help me amplify my message.”

Even for brands that don’t court controversy quite so directly, hiring a public relations agency is getting increasingly complex as the impact an agency can have becomes more significant, while the skillsets required of them expand. Deciding to do so means the relational fit must be right and both parties need to be aligned on end goals, which can look dramatically different from what PR agencies offered just a few years ago. No longer is it just about traditional editorial placements, but also affiliate marketing, celebrity and influencer relationships, event production and more — to boot, they’re all increasingly intertwined. Brands need to consider how the agencies they work with are adapting.

“Before, there always was a plan of action, and it worked every time. It was like a prescription,” said Savannah Engel, founder of PR agency Savi, which works with clients including PatBo and Ciao Lucia. “There’s nothing like that that exists anymore.”

With so many ways for brands to gain publicity, the expectation of PR partners’ expertise across a variety of fields has gotten broader. When hiring a new PR agency, whether it’s for the first time or seeking out a different approach, brands should consider how the firm will fit into their brand’s ecosystem, as well as its past successes in key areas they need support in.

“The name publicist might become obsolete someday, because that’s not what we’re doing anymore,” said Engel. “It’s not just communications. It’s presentation, it’s preservation, it’s creativity. There’s so much more involved now building these brands.”

Finding the Right PR Partner

Brands have myriad reasons for hiring a new agency. They could be a small label seeking out their first PR partner, a legacy brand looking for a refresh, or a growing company looking to enter a new market or category.

Smaller, early-stage businesses with more limited resources may need to hire agencies for shorter-term contracts to fulfil their most timely priorities. For example, they may seek out an agency that specialises in runway show production ahead of Fashion Week; one that focusses on events when they have a big launch coming up or a firm with expertise in influencer marketing when they’re looking to deepen their relationship with creators.

The idea is to “turn on and turn off different strategies from a resourcing perspective depending on where you are in your life cycle,” said Lisa Bubbers, co-founder of ear piercing brand Studs. A brand’s needs, she added, will be different if they’re fundraising versus if they’re entering a new category or have a new executive appointment to announce.

But as a brand grows, it’s more likely to require a wider set of services. Andrew Lister, executive vice president of Purple PR, for example, said that one of their newly-signed clients, the watch seller IWC, was drawn to the fact that it could offer expertise in “hospitality, design, entertainment, VIP,” rather than just one or two areas.

American menswear designer Todd Snyder had worked with Linda Gaunt Communications since starting his brand in 2011. But after crossing $100 million in annual revenue last year, and with ambitious plans to build a bigger, international profile, starting with a fashion show at Pitti Uomo in January, he sought out an agency with more of a global presence. That ultimately led to the brand partnering with KCD, which has offices in Paris and London in addition to New York and Los Angeles.

“Our previous PR agency was great, very boutique. But now as we think about opening international [...] I knew I needed to match that with somebody who’s got a playbook [...] and can help us expand globally,” said Snyder.

Other brands may seek out a firm with more targeted local expertise to support on a project-specific basis. Korean beauty giant Amorepacific already had scale, particularly in Asia, but needed a PR partner to help it raise the profile of its brands in the US. It chose Bollare, which is based in Los Angeles and could provide not only a strong local network but also its understanding of the American beauty consumer.

Hiring a new agency can also offer brands an opportunity to refresh their approach, particularly appealing for a larger heritage label in need of modernising. Denim brand Buffalo, part of Iconix Brand Group, hired Bollare to update its image because of its experience in working with brands like Timberland, Lee, Wrangler and Dr. Scholl’s, said Bollare founder Alle Fister. Italian menswear brand Canali hired Purple to expand its image from one focused on traditional tailoring to a brand that could offer a full men’s wardrobe, while Robert Clergerie hired Modeworld to introduce the company to a younger audience.

Ultimately, it comes down to what hole needs to be filled — and finding the right expert to guide a brand through elements of the business they may be less familiar with.

“The benefit of agency becomes perspective and the access to a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience, a lot of different levels of people,” said Rachna Shah, CEO of fashion PR firm KCD.

Creating Good Chemistry

A good PR firm should feel like an extension of a brand’s team, with a nuanced understanding of the brand story.

“Find someone who you feel could sit within your organisation and be a part of that brainstorm,” said Shah. “I don’t think anyone likes to work with the brand who’s like, ‘Here you go. Go pitch it.’”

Asking lots of questions upfront — as well as speaking with a firm’s existing clients — can help brands get a better idea of whether an agency will be the right fit. Making note of which team members they would work with, and how many other clients the team has on deck are both important to ensuring brands will get the time and attention they need.

The network an agency provides is also crucial. Bubbers said that she signed her agency Jennifer Bett Communications in part because the firm’s expertise and connections extend beyond fashion. This reach has led Studs to generate marketing press coverage of collaborations with the likes of Swedish candy company BonBon and New York City café Noa, famous for its croissant-cookie hybrid “crookies,” which have driven foot traffic to Studs stores.

Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell, the co-founders of genderless fashion brand Tanner Fletcher, said that hiring Savi has allowed them to get their garments on more celebrities, including Kacey Musgraves during her Deeper Well tour and Troye Sivan at the CFDA awards.

What’s most important is that whoever a brand hires, they’re a true partner.

Richie recalled when he first sat down with Engel, he asked what Savi could do for Tanner Fletcher. Her response? “‘Don’t ask me that!’ She’s like, ‘What are we gonna do together? This is a collaboration.’”

Additional reporting by Malique Morris.

Editor’s Note: This article was amended on Nov. 22, 2024, to clarify Jennifer Bett Communications’ affiliation with BonBon and Noa.