Tools For Assessing PR Agencies I know what it’s like to be the client of a public relations agency. As a senior corporate communications executive for more than a decade, I’ve led public relations campaigns of all sizes and budgets. In some years, I managed major product launches for Fortune 1000 companies and spent half a million dollars or more with national public relations agencies such as Fleishman-Hillard and Burson-Marsteller.  In other years, such as when I founded a technology startup, I operated on a shoestring – doing virtually all the “dirty work” myself and using PR firms only for specific small projects. Some of my relationships with public relations agencies have been highly successful; in other cases, I had to pull the plug when I realized I wasn’t getting what I’d paid for.  If you are currently an agency client, what criteria should you use to assess your firm’s performance? Or, as a potential public relations agency client, what criteria should you use when selecting a firm? I’ve designed the assessment tools below to help you answer these questions.  Feel free to e-mail me at sbaradell@ideagrove.com if you have additional ideas or challenges you’d like to discuss.  Evaluating a Public Relations Agency’s Performance: Online Quiz  Selecting a Public Relations Agency: Printable Score Sheet Print Page   Copyright 2005 by the Idea Grove. All rights reserved.