Questions to Ask a Calgary PR Agency Before You Sign

Choosing a PR partner is a significant decision. You're trusting someone with your reputation, your story and your budget. These questions help Calgary businesses compare agencies, freelancers and media platforms fairly, and spot the ones that will deliver results rather than just reports.

About experience

1. What clients like us have you worked with? Look for experience with your industry, size and audience.

2. Where have you placed clients in the last six months? Recent placements show current relationships and capabilities.

3. Can we speak to a current client? References reveal how the partner works day to day.

About approach

4. How will you learn about our business? Good partners start with discovery, not press releases.

5. How do you decide which stories to pitch? Listen for an understanding of what's newsworthy and what supports business goals.

6. Which outlets do you recommend for us, and why? Answers should focus on where your buyers pay attention. See the Calgary media landscape.

7. How do you balance earned, paid and owned media? Modern PR uses all three.

About delivery

8. Who will work on our account? Make sure the people you meet are the people doing the work.

9. What will we receive each month? Get specific deliverables in writing.

10. How quickly can you respond to news? Important for timely stories and crises.

11. Do you handle broadcast, podcasts and events? Check whether you'll need additional partners.

About results

12. How do you measure success? Look for business measures, not just reach. See PR reporting.

13. How will coverage connect to leads and sales? This is the most important question. Coverage that doesn't produce conversations has limited value.

14. What happens when inquiries come in? Does the partner help with follow-up, or is that entirely on you?

About terms

15. What does it cost, and what's included? Clarify retainers, project fees, placement costs and extras. See how much PR costs in Calgary.

16. What's the minimum commitment?

17. Who owns the content and media lists?

Red flags

• Guarantees of specific coverage in specific outlets
• Vague answers about who does the work
• No questions about your business goals
• Reports focused only on "potential reach"
• Pressure to sign quickly

Our existing guide to choosing a PR agency in Calgary has more on selection.

Compare apples to apples

Ask each shortlisted partner to propose the same scenario, such as how they would handle your next announcement. Comparing specific plans, costs and expected outcomes side by side reveals far more than general credentials.

Consider the full picture

Some businesses need a traditional agency. Others are better served by a media platform with a supporting team, or a freelancer for focused work. See Calgary PR agency vs freelance publicist and PR firm vs in-house communications.

How Blastily answers these questions

Blastily shows you available media in your dashboard before you commit, places stories through Blast Press across local, national, trade and international outlets, and adds broadcast, podcast and creator opportunities in the same place. Most importantly, our team follows up the leads coverage creates and books appointments, and your dashboard tracks results from awareness to revenue.

The bottom line

Ask about experience, approach, delivery, results and terms, and pay closest attention to how coverage connects to sales. For a full overview, read PR services in Calgary.

Keep reading

• Media Relations in Calgary: How to Build Relationships With Journalists
• Press Release Distribution for Calgary Companies: Local, National and Wire
• B2B PR in Calgary: Getting Your Company Into Trade and Business Media

Get PR and marketing that turn attention into revenue

Blastily gives Calgary and Alberta businesses PR, marketing and the software to run it in one place: press placements, radio, TV, billboards, podcasts, creators, social, email, SMS and SEO, all tracked in one dashboard. Then our team follows up your leads and books the appointments. We Blast. We Book. You Bank.

Book a media rep with a Blastily media consultant, or open your free Blastily dashboard to see what's available in your market.