In this blog, Adam George, Finance Director at Whiteoaks, explores:
- Why commercial certainty should be part of choosing a PR agency
- What B2B tech businesses should know about their PR investment before work begins
- How the Performance PR model puts greater accountability around campaign delivery
When B2B tech businesses compare PR agencies, the monthly fee will naturally form part of the decision. However, the figure itself only tells you what the PR programme will cost, not how much certainty you have over what that investment will deliver.
This is an important distinction because business priorities change throughout the financial year and campaigns need to evolve as new market opportunities emerge. Commercial certainty therefore needs to cover more than a monthly fee. Before partnering with a PR agency, the business should know exactly what they will pay, what the agency has committed to deliver, how success will be assessed and how the programme can change without creating uncertainty around cost or accountability.
Know what has been agreed
Many PR agencies work on a retainer, where the client pays a monthly fee for an agreed amount of agency time. It is a familiar model to many B2B organisations and can work well, but hours are an input rather than a measure of what the business gains from the investment. On their own, these hours do not provide certainty over what will be delivered from one month to the next, or whether that activity is contributing enough to wider business objectives.
While retainers are common across the PR industry, they are not the only way to structure an agency relationship.
At Whiteoaks, we believe there is a better way to approach PR than a retainer model that can lack clarity around what will actually be delivered. Our ‘fixed fee for fixed outcomes’ model sets clear campaign targets from the outset, backed by a formal SLA and a money-back guarantee if those targets are missed.
For that approach to work, the outcomes need to be clearly defined from the outset and linked to what the business is trying to achieve. That creates a direct connection between the commercial agreement and the goals behind the PR programme, while giving both sides a clear basis for measuring progress.
For a B2B tech company trying to raise its profile in a particular market, the agreed measure might be the proportion of coverage secured in gold-tier media. If the aim is to improve understanding of a market proposition, key message penetration may be more useful. The measures will vary depending on the brief, but they should be agreed before the campaign begins so there is a shared understanding of what success looks like and how delivery will be assessed.
Keep the plan flexible
Commercial certainty shouldn’t come at the expense of flexibility though. A clear agreement should not lock a campaign into a plan that no longer reflects the business six months later, especially when launch dates often move and changes in the market can create opportunities that deserve more attention than activity planned earlier.
The crucial distinction is between changing the activity and changing the commercial basis of the relationship. The right PR partner should be able to respond to new priorities without every adjustment triggering a separate conversation about extra hours or additional cost.
After all, B2B firms need to have confidence that PR resources can move towards the activity most likely to support the business at that point in time. Flexibility is therefore part of commercial certainty rather than the opposite of it. The business knows the parameters of the relationship, while the activity within them can evolve as circumstances change.
Put accountability in the agreement
The final part of commercial certainty is knowing what happens when campaign delivery does not match the expectations agreed at the outset. Targets are more meaningful when there is a clear framework for assessing performance and addressing any shortfall, rather than leaving underperformance to be discussed retrospectively.
That also changes the role of campaign measurement. Rather than simply reporting on activity completed, measurement should show whether the programme is progressing against its agreed outcomes and contributing to the goals behind the campaign.
PR is usually a sustained investment, particularly in B2B technology where visibility and credibility take time to build. But longer-term objectives should still be supported by clear measures of progress along the way. Clients should be able to understand whether the programme is on track throughout the relationship, rather than waiting until the end to assess its value.
Commercial certainty in PR comes from having clarity over the commitments being made, how performance will be judged and what happens when delivery falls short. Combined with the flexibility to adapt activity as priorities change, it gives B2B tech businesses a much clearer basis on which to manage and assess their PR investment.
If you are currently reviewing your PR agency model and want greater certainty around your investment, talk to our team about how our fixed fee for fixed outcomes model can bring greater clarity and accountability to your PR programme.
