Writing a PR Agency RFP That Works [+ Free Template]

Choosing the right PR agency can shape your brand’s reputation, visibility, and long-term success. But with so many agencies offering different expertise, how do you find the right fit?

A well-crafted Request for Proposal (RFP) streamlines the selection process by helping agencies understand your goals, limits, and expectations – in theory, saving you both time and ensuring a better fit.

But writing an effective RFP requires more than just listing your needs. A vague or overly complex document can lead to irrelevant proposals and missed opportunities. So how do you get it right?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through what makes a strong PR agency RFP, from defining your objectives to evaluating proposals. Whether you’re hiring a PR firm for the first time or refining your approach, these steps will help you attract the right agency and set the foundation for a beautiful partnership.

An RFP is a structured document that helps brands to solicit proposals from PR firms. It gives agencies a clear understanding of your goals and expectations while allowing you to compare apples to apples, and ensures you get tailored proposals that align with your vision rather than a generic sales pitch.

RFPs play a crucial role in ensuring a transparent, efficient, and competitive agency selection process. By providing agencies with a clear understanding of expectations, organizations can receive well-aligned proposals that address their specific communication challenges and goals.

• Sets clear expectations – Say goodbye to miscommunications! Define expected outcomes like your objectives, project scope, and what you expect from an agency upfront
• Allows for easy comparison – Helps decision-makers objectively evaluate multiple agency proposals based on standardized criteria, such as strategic approach, pricing, and past experience
• Ensures alignment with business goals – PR isn’t just about pretty press releases. A great agency will help you amplify your brand’s mission and long-term vision
• Promotes accountability – No fluff, no vague promises. With an RFP, you get clear KPIs, success metrics, and reporting methods upfront
• Saves time & resources – A structured RFP filters out unqualified agencies before they waste your time. Work smarter, not harder!

That said, if your PR needs are small or urgent (like handling a Twitter scandal before it spirals out of control), you might want to skip the full RFP process and just reach out to agencies directly.

This is your chance to shine! Give agencies a compelling (but concise) overview of your brand to help companies address PR challenges. This should include your company’s mission, core values, industry, and key products or services. Explain your current PR challenges or gaps and what has led you to seek PR support—what’s your mission, what makes you unique, and why do you need PR support now? The more context you provide, the better agencies can tailor their responses to your specific needs.

Be crystal clear about what you need. Here are some common PR services you might include:

• Media relations – Pitching stories, getting press coverage, and managing interviews (basically, being your brand’s hype squad)
• Crisis management – Preparing for (or cleaning up) PR messes before they become front-page scandals
• Influencer outreach – Partnering with industry influencers to boost your brand credibility
• Event promotion – Creating buzz around launches, press conferences, or corporate events
• Thought leadership – Positioning your execs as the Tony Starks of your industry through articles, keynotes, and interviews

Specify both short-term and long-term goals. Are you looking for increased media coverage, brand positioning, or audience engagement? Clearly outlining your expectations will help agencies craft a strategy that aligns with your vision.

Describe your target audience to help agencies shape their PR strategies accordingly. Provide details such as:

• Demographics: Age, location, job title, income level.
• Psychographics: Interests, values, lifestyle.
• Media consumption habits: Are they more likely to use TikTok or are they reading newspapers?

Also, define your brand voice. Are you established as casual or serious? Make sure agencies align with your style.

Your budget plays a crucial role in determining the scope of PR services an agency can offer. Whether you have a fixed budget or a range, be upfront about it. If you’re unsure, ask agencies for tiered pricing options. No one likes a bait-and-switch situation.

To receive well-structured proposals, specify what agencies should include:

• Case studies – Show us the receipts! Ask for examples of previous campaigns, preferably within a relevant industry with measurable results.
• Strategic approach – A high-level overview of how they plan to achieve your PR goals.
• Pricing breakdown – A clear outline of costs, including retainers, hourly rates, or project-based pricing. No hidden fees, please!
• Team composition – Who will be working on your account, and why are they the best people for the job?

Outline how proposals will be evaluated. Rank criteria by priority, such as creativity, past success, strategic thinking, industry expertise, and alignment with your company’s culture.

Include a clear timeline for the RFP process, including:

• Deadline for agencies to submit questions.
• Proposal submission deadline.
• Date you expect to review proposals and shortlist agencies.
• Dates for interviews or pitch presentations.
• Estimated project start date.

This ensures agencies can manage their resources effectively and submit well thought out proposals.

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Intro

Brief outline introducing your organization and what you are seeking.

This can include a date for receiving a proposal, and your expectations for a timeline of work once the project begins. 

About your organization

Provide a brief description of the organization, its mission, and key objectives related to the RFP.

Include a point of contact and their email address, direct number etc.

Qualifications

What facilities do you expect the agencies to have? Ask them to specify their services in a satisfactory manner. Evaluation criteria can include:

• Ability to perform services: Financial and operational capacity to execute the work effectively.
• Costs, fees, and expenses: Competitive and reasonable pricing based on the scope of work.
• Examples of work: Quality of previous relevant work.
• References: Reputation and experience in delivering similar services.
• Resumes: Key personnel assigned to the project, including roles and responsibilities.

Scope of expected work

Objectives

What will the agency be responsible for?

• List of objectives

Tasks

What is the scope of the work?

• List of tasks

Key deliverables

What are you expecting the agency to deliver?

• List of deliverables

Questions

Ask for questions to be directed to your point of contact and give their details again. Include a deadline for questions to be submitted.

Submission requirements

Ask agencies to submit the following:

• Company history and experience
• Team structure and roles
• Contact information for key personnel
• Detailed cost proposal including billing rates and expenses
• Case studies of relevant past work
• Resumes of key personnel

Staff requirements

State expected qualified personnel to be assigned to your project. 

• List roles as necessary

Selection criteria

Explain the criteria with which proposals will be evaluated:

• Break down list of criteria

Submission process

• Timeline for submission: This should include expected dates for key points in the project – using a table like the one below can help clarify expectations
• Proposal deadline: Include a clear proposal deadline and once again give contact details of who to send proposals to

So, once you’ve received proposals – what next? Here’s what to look for:

Key evaluation areas:

• Industry experience – Have they worked with brands like yours before?
• Past campaign successes – Do they have a track record of real results?
• Strategic approach and creativity – Are they bringing fresh ideas or recycling old playbooks?
• Team expertise and cultural fit – Will they work for your brand's messaging?

Red flags to watch for:

• Vague strategies – Be cautious if they’re all buzzwords with no real plan
• Hidden fees – If the pricing isn’t clear, expect surprises down the line
• Lack of relevant experience – PR is not one-size-fits-all; make sure they have expertise in your industry

If your RFP lacks clarity or is overly complicated, agencies may struggle to propose relevant solutions. Ensure your document is structured logically and provides enough detail to guide agencies effectively.

Allow reasonable time for agencies to respond and execute strategies effectively. Rushing the process can result in lower-quality proposals and a suboptimal agency fit.

A Q&A period ensures agencies can clarify uncertainties and submit stronger proposals. Without it, you risk receiving vague or misaligned responses.

A good PR agency should have a clear framework for tracking results. Ensure your RFP asks about performance metrics, reporting frequency, and how success will be evaluated.

Focusing solely on short-term tactics may limit the effectiveness of your PR efforts. Look for agencies that can provide a long-term vision and roadmap.

Finding the right PR agency is just the first step – collaboration is what turns strategy into results. Prezly makes it easy to work with your agency by streamlining communication, organizing media outreach, and keeping everyone on the same page.

With Prezly, you can:

• Distribute press releases – Share news with media contacts through a centralized system
• Manage media contacts – Keep your journalist and influencer relationships organized and up to date
• Track campaigns & measure impact – Monitor PR performance, analyze coverage, and optimize future efforts
• Enhance storytelling – Create visually engaging newsrooms with images, videos, and interactive content

By following this guide, you’ll create an RFP that attracts top PR agencies that will help your brand stand out. And with Prezly, you’ll have the tools to collaborate efficiently, measure success, and make the most of your partnership.

Try Prezly free for 14 days and see how easy PR collaboration can be.