The public relations industry is projected to exceed R600bn in value in the coming years. In South Africa, this growth is mirrored by rapid digital adoption, with more than 45 million internet users and over 26 million active social media users, intensifying competition for attention across platforms.

Public relations operates alongside social media, influencer partnerships and paid amplification. Despite this, many organisations still approach agency selection without clearly linking communications to business outcomes, resulting in visibility without meaningful impact.

The following considerations offer a practical framework for executive teams navigating this decision in a more complex and competitive environment, helping to bring focus to key factors that should be considered when selecting a PR partner.

1. Define the business outcome before evaluating the agency

Clarity at the outset remains one of the most important factors in determining success. Without clearly defined business outcomes, even well executed campaigns struggle to deliver measurable value. Organisations that align stakeholders around specific objectives from the beginning are far better positioned to brief agencies effectively and assess performance over time.

2. Evaluate integrated capability, not standalone PR

One of the most significant shifts in the industry has been the move towards integrated communications. Earned media now works alongside social media, influencer partnerships, paid amplification and owned content platforms, with stories expected to travel across multiple channels and formats.

Agencies focused purely on traditional media relations are often limited in their ability to sustain momentum beyond initial coverage. Organisations should prioritise partners that can extend narratives across paid, earned, shared and owned channels, ensuring consistency and longevity. Integration is no longer a differentiator, but a baseline expectation.

3. Assess sector expertise alongside broader thinking

Industry experience remains important, particularly in regulated sectors such as financial services, healthcare and technology. However, limiting agency selection to sector specialists alone can restrict perspective.

Agencies working across industries often bring fresh thinking, applying insights and storytelling approaches that help brands stand out in saturated markets. The strongest partnerships strike a balance between sector understanding and broader commercial awareness.

4. Interrogate track record, not just credentials

Awards and client portfolios remain important indicators of an agency’s capability and industry recognition. South Africa has a well-established ecosystem of PR and marketing awards that celebrate excellence and measurable impact, helping to raise standards across the industry.

Organisations should assess the thinking behind campaigns, the relevance and quality of coverage, and the extent to which activity supports defined business outcomes. Ultimately, the value lies in how consistently an agency can translate that capability into meaningful commercial impact.

5. Understand how the agency approaches media

Media relations remains a core pillar of public relations, but the environment has shifted significantly. Newsrooms have fewer journalists producing more content. Research indicates that for every seven PR professionals there’s one journalist, highlighting how competitive the media landscape has become. Journalists often receive more than 50 pitches per week, reinforcing the need for relevance and precision.

Agencies that rely on mass distribution struggle to break through. Effective partners demonstrate strong relationships, editorial judgement and the ability to identify credible angles that resonate. In this environment, targeted engagement consistently outperforms volume.

6. Choose the right engagement model for your objectives

The structure of the agency relationship should reflect the nature of the business challenge. Retainer models are more effective for organisations focused on long term positioning and reputation building, while project-based engagements suit launches or defined campaigns.

It is important to distinguish between short-term activity and sustained programmes. One-month campaigns do not deliver meaningful results, and while three-month campaigns can begin to build traction, real impact is typically achieved through consistency over time. Public relations is not a switch that can be turned on and off. It requires continuity to build credibility and momentum.

7. Identify risks early in the selection process

The pitch process itself often reveals how an agency operates. Warning signs include guarantees of media coverage, generic proposals and limited evidence of understanding the client’s business.

It is also important to assess potential conflicts within an agency’s client portfolio. Where agencies represent competing brands within the same category, this can raise questions around confidentiality.

Public relations is not transactional. Agencies that take the time to understand your business, your competitive landscape and your objectives from the outset are far more likely to deliver results that translate into meaningful commercial impact.

8. Prioritise measurement and accountability

The ability to demonstrate impact sits at the centre of modern public relations. Organisations should expect reporting frameworks that connect communications activity directly to business outcomes.

Leading agencies now evaluate PR through a broader lens, including website traffic, SEO authority, search visibility, audience reach, engagement quality, and contribution to lead generation and sales pipelines. PR is increasingly integrated into marketing performance, contributing to brand lift, inbound enquiries and revenue influence.

The most effective partners demonstrate not just where a story landed, but how it performed and what it delivered.

In a market where competition for attention continues to intensify, the commercial value of communications is becoming increasingly clear. Research shows that brands with a 10 percent excess share of voice can deliver up to 0.5 percent annual market share growth, reinforcing the link between sustained visibility and business performance.

Trust remains a critical driver, with earned media trusted by more than 60 percent of business audiences, often outperforming paid channels in credibility and influence. Selecting the right PR partner is not simply about generating coverage, but about securing an agency that can contribute meaningfully to long term business performance.

For organisations looking to structure their evaluation process, the Hook, Line & Sinker PR Agency Checklist provides a practical starting point when comparing potential partners. The checklist can be downloaded here.

The PR reset: A leadership series for modern brands

This article forms part of The PR Reset, a bi-weekly series from Hook, Line & Sinker examining the evolving role of public relations in an increasingly complex and fast-changing digital landscape, and what it should deliver for modern brands.