How to Switch PR Agencies (and When You Should)

Short answer: replace your PR agency when coverage has stalled, reports show activity instead of articles, or the agency lacks contacts in the media you now need. The stronger alternative depends on what is missing: guaranteed placements if coverage never arrives, an agency with its own teams if you need new markets, or a senior-led firm if your account was handed to junior staff.

Full disclosure: this guide is written by Joseph Tannous, founder of Jamco PR. Many of the companies we talk to are replacing an agency, so this is what we've seen work, whichever agency you choose next.

Signs it's time to replace your PR agency

• Two or three months without a published article you'd share with a buyer or investor
• Monthly reports full of pitches sent and "positive responses", but few live links
• The senior people from the sales pitch have been replaced by junior account staff
• Your company has grown or changed market, and the agency lacks contacts in the global tech or business media you now need
• You can't tell what the next 60 days will produce, or when

Stronger alternatives to your current tech PR provider, by what's missing

Replacing a PR firm that lacks the media contacts you need

Agencies are usually strong in the markets and sectors they started in. If you've expanded into new regions or now sell to larger enterprises, ask any replacement which publications in those markets it has placed clients in during the last six months, and whether its own team or a partner will pitch them.

If speed matters more than an ongoing program, a guaranteed-placement model gets you on named publications without waiting for new relationships to form.

How to switch without losing momentum

• Read your contract: notice period, minimum term, and who owns the materials and media lists
• Collect your assets: press kit, approved messaging, executive bios and photos, coverage log, and any pitches in progress
• Brief the new agency before the old one stops, so there's no gap around a launch or raise
• Tell journalists you've worked with directly that you have a new contact, so relationships stay with you
• Agree the first outcomes in writing: which publications, what kind of article, and by when

What to ask a new PR agency before you sign

• Which publications will we be on, and by when?
• What happens if a placement doesn't go live?
• Who will actually run our account?
• Which tech clients like us have you placed in the last 12 months?
• What's the minimum term, and what does it cost?

Retainer agency or guaranteed placements?

Most companies replacing an agency hire another retainer agency, which suits long-term programs with analyst relations and crisis support. If the reason you're switching is that coverage never arrived, a guaranteed-placement model removes that risk: Jamco PR agrees the publications before you pay, the first placement can go live in as little as 24 hours, and any placement that doesn't go live within 60 days is replaced with another top-tier outlet at no extra cost. Projects start at $5,000.

Looking for alternatives to a specific agency?

We've compared the agencies tech companies most often move away from, including who each one fits and what to choose instead.