Buyer’s Guide to Modern PR
Structure agency partnerships that reflect what modern PR delivers: reputation, narrative, and momentum that compound over time.
A New Standard for Buying Modern PR
The PR Council is working to strengthen the relationships between agencies, clients, and the procurement teams that help shape those partnerships. Fundamental to stronger relationships is a shared understanding of how each party works, what each needs to succeed, and how they can work together to create greater value.
Modern PR moves at the speed of the market. The way it’s bought hasn’t caught up. Agencies are detecting signals, testing narratives, and advising clients in real time. Most procurement processes still run on a structure built for an era designed to compare activity and control cost. That gap is where value gets lost.
The PRC believes procurement and communications teams want the same thing: outcomes that protect and grow the business. Closing that gap starts with a shared understanding of what modern PR delivers — reputation, narrative, and momentum that compound over time — and a shared vocabulary for how to structure, measure, and evaluate the work built around it.
What’s in the Collection
About the one-pagers
Free, shareable excerpts of each guide
Each one-pager distills a guide’s key ideas onto a single page. They’re free to download with no form required, and made to be passed along — share them with colleagues, procurement partners, and clients, or repurpose them in your own materials.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who are these resources designed for?
These resources are designed for the people involved in choosing, engaging, and working with PR agency partners — including communications and marketing leaders, procurement teams, and other business stakeholders.
They can also serve as a shared reference point for agencies and clients looking to have more productive conversations about how PR partnerships are structured and evaluated.
Why did the PR Council create these resources?
The way PR creates value has evolved, and the processes used to select, compensate, and work with agency partners haven’t always evolved with it.
Through our work with member agencies and the broader industry, we saw an opportunity to provide practical guidance that reflects how modern PR works today and to support agencies, clients, and procurement teams build stronger partnerships from the outset.
What are these resources intended to accomplish?
Our goal is to create greater understanding on both sides of the agency-client relationship.
The resources offer practical frameworks for making decisions about agency selection and engagement while providing context on the strategic value modern PR agencies deliver. They’re designed to support more informed conversations, clearer expectations, and partnerships built to deliver value over time.
Are these resources only for procurement teams?
No. While several resources address topics that frequently involve procurement, they’re relevant to anyone involved in selecting or managing a PR agency relationship.
Communications and marketing leaders may find them particularly useful when working alongside procurement to define what they need from an agency, structure an effective review process, and establish the conditions for a successful partnership.
Is the PR Council advocating against procurement practices or oversight?
No. Rigor, transparency, and fair processes benefit agencies and clients alike.
Our perspective is that sourcing practices work best when they reflect what is actually being purchased. Strategic counsel, creative thinking, reputation management, and other forms of PR expertise aren’t interchangeable commodities. The goal is to help organizations apply procurement rigor in ways that recognize those differences and support strong business outcomes.
How should companies use these resources?
Use them as practical guidance rather than a one-size-fits-all rulebook.
Depending on your needs, they can help inform how you structure an agency search, develop an RFP, evaluate potential partners, align communications and procurement teams, and establish expectations for the relationship.
They can also be used as a starting point for conversations with current or prospective agency partners.
Still have questions?