You know that feeling when you meet someone you like? 🥰
The vibes are vibing.
Everything they do is so smart.
It couldn’t be a more perfect fit.
And then, suddenly, reality hits. None of the amazing things they promised come to fruition, and your expectations of what could be are completely dashed. ❌
Am I talking about dating, or am I talking about the client-agency relationship? Honestly, they’re kind of similar.
Today, we’re diving into the most common contract killers. ☠️
Read Time: 4 minutes
Overpromising and Underdelivering ⬇️
The most important thing about the client-agency relationship, whether you’re working at an agency or managing one, is setting expectations upfront. Where most relationships start to go sideways is right in those first initial meetings. It’s where all the “agreeing” happens.
“Yes, we definitely can get those big hits early.” 👍
“We like to be super proactive and try to take as little of your time as possible - we know you’re busy.” 😊
“We have all the right relationships in place to get you some great interviews out of the gate.” 👐
Overpromising and, subsequently, underdelivering.
When we make blanket statements like those listed above, we’re allowing for a lot of interpretation between the lines. And ambiguity in a business relationship is a bad, bad thing.
For instance, what does it mean to get something right out of the gates? How long is a reasonable amount of time to wait before getting your first article? How do you quantify “super proactive”?
Instead, setting key metrics (with dates) can help keep the entire team on track and manage expectations on both sides from kickoff.
Left on Read 📧
In our experience, a lot of agency angst can be resolved with more communication. Overcommunicating account status, progress on goals, and the response you’re hearing from reporters (or lack thereof) can help ease that time between action and result. It gets tricky when the hits aren’t rolling in, and there is a lack of responsiveness from the agency side. That’s when the assumptions start forming.
Maybe they’re not actually pitching. 💭
I don’t feel like they’re being proactive enough. 💤
What are they doing over there? 😤
In reality, most agencies truly are TRYING to meet their client’s expectations. When that doesn’t happen, it’s important to be honest and move forward - what is the next step? What’s the plan of action? What can we try next to get things back on track?
It’s Not Me, It’s You 🤷
One of the biggest misconceptions of the entire agency-client relationship is the idea that you hire an agency, and then VOILA coverage appears! 🪄
No agency can operate in a silo - it doesn’t matter how proactive they are. It’s incredibly important they have the internal company resources to make their activities as productive as possible. The best agency-client relationships have a few things in common.
The Corporate Champion. Agencies need an internal advocate in charge of the relationship. Someone to siphon opportunities through and who can run point on getting information from the corporate SMEs to the people running point on comms and PR. Without this advocate, things become much more difficult.
A Reactive Mindset. In an ideal situation, when the media calls, you JUMP. The quicker the response you can give to your agency, the more opportunities you’ll be able to leverage. And while it’s not always possible to turn something around same-day, the companies that do are quoted MUCH more frequently than those that make the writer wait.
An Understanding of the Value of PR. No relationship will work if the executives in charge of the budget don’t understand the importance and value of a strong PR program. It’s not only about the media hits; it’s also about guarding the brand’s reputation. Ensuring messaging is correct. Amplifying the company name in conversation with other players. It’s about more than just logos.
By aligning expectations, fostering open communication, and working together, we can build stronger, more successful partnerships. And that’s a win-win for everyone.
Happy weekend -
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