Begin with the reason you need PR
A PR company cannot build the right campaign until the objective is clear. An author promoting a new book, an expert building public authority, and a company announcing a new service may all need media coverage, but they do not need the same story or the same outlets.
Decide whether the immediate goal is awareness, credibility, a public record, interviews, search visibility, investor confidence, customer education, reputation support, or a launch. More than one goal may apply, but one should lead the strategy.
Look for relevant experience, not a wall of logos
Publication logos do not explain what an agency did. A company may have distributed a release, arranged a contributed article, obtained editorial approval, purchased a sponsored placement, or simply worked with a client who later appeared in that outlet.
Ask for examples related to your type of subject and the coverage you are considering. The agency should explain its role, the type of placement, and the process used. A smaller group of relevant examples is more useful than a long list with no context.
Ask how opportunities are approved
Editorial articles and interviews depend on the subject being accepted. A responsible process confirms suitability before the client purchases a named opportunity.
Stonebridge submits the topic for pre-approval. If a client requests a specific platform, the subject or query is presented to that publication first. Stonebridge takes on the placement after approval is received. Television interviews follow the same principle: the topic and guest are approved before the specific booking becomes a client deliverable.
Ask any agency whether it has approval, a general relationship, an outreach plan, or only an expectation. Those are different stages.
Understand every coverage type
A proposal should distinguish between paid syndication, contributed commentary, sponsored content, staff-written editorial coverage, podcast appearances, and television interviews.
Each format can serve a legitimate purpose. Problems arise when one is sold under the name of another. The written scope should identify the platform, format, expected process, and any part controlled by the publication.
Review the story strategy
Good PR is not a list of outlets. It is a reason for those outlets and their audiences to care.
The agency should be able to explain the central story, supporting facts, intended audience, timing, and follow-up angles. It should also identify what material the client must provide, such as records, photographs, research, product information, or access to a spokesperson.
Ask what happens before and after publication
Preparation affects the quality of the result. The agency may need to write or review the biography, organize facts, prepare interview answers, improve the website, or correct inconsistent public information before pitching begins.
After publication, the work should be used. Coverage can be added to the website, proposals, media kit, biography, social platforms, and future outreach. The agency should explain this stage rather than treating the live link as the end of the project.
Compare reporting and communication
The client should know who manages the campaign, how updates will be provided, which approvals are required, and what the final report will contain.
A useful report separates completed work from pending opportunities and identifies the exact type of every placement. It should not inflate the count by presenting syndicated copies of one release as unrelated editorial stories.
Choose accountability over the largest promise
PR always involves a mix of controlled work and outside decisions. The agency controls its research, writing, preparation, submissions, coordination, and contracted delivery. Editors, writers, producers, platforms, and audiences control other parts.
The strongest provider is the one that explains that line clearly, obtains approval before selling a named editorial opportunity, and remains accountable for the work it has agreed to deliver.