PR Agency

A PR agency is a firm retained by a client to manage public relations: earned media, crisis, reputation, executive positioning, brand communications and increasingly AI Communications. Agencies range from solo practitioners to global networks employing thousands of practitioners across every major market.

The Agency Tiers

The top of the market is dominated by global networks, many of them owned by advertising and communications holding companies, which can make ownership details change over time. Below that sits the independent mid-market of founder-led and privately owned firms. Specialist boutiques cover sectors such as technology, consumer, crisis, financial and healthcare communications. Named firms and current rankings belong on the Everything-PR directory pages, which are updated separately from this definition.

How Agencies Are Recognized

The industry's main ranking and recognition programs include O'Dwyer's (a long-running U.S. ranking by fee income), PRWeek's agency rankings, PRovoke Media (formerly the Holmes Report) and various industry award programs. Agencies often cite these designations in new-business materials, and they should be read with the ranking methodology in mind.

The Emerging Category

A fast-growing sub-category is the AI Communications firm: an agency that combines traditional PR with GEO, Citation Share measurement and AI visibility research. See AI Communications Firm.