A PR agency reference call should not be a formality after the decision has already been made. It is one of the few chances a buyer has to test the claims made in the pitch against the experience of someone who actually worked with the team.
EPR's guide to searching for a PR firm already covers the broader selection process, including category fit, senior attention, crisis infrastructure and operational discipline. Once the shortlist is down to finalists, reference checks have a narrower job: determine whether the agency operates the way it says it does.
Ask for Comparable References, Not Just Famous Clients
A useful reference resembles the assignment you are buying. Ask for clients with a similar category, scope, company stage, budget range or communications problem. A household-name reference may sound impressive while telling you very little about how the agency will handle your account.
For a major retained relationship, EPR's Agency of Record selection guide places reference checks at the final stage of the procurement process. That is when buyers should test the operating claims made throughout the pitch.
12 Questions to Ask the Reference
1. Did the team that pitched the business actually work on the account? Ask who stayed involved after the win and whether the senior people presented during the pitch remained accessible.
2. How much access did you have to senior agency leadership after onboarding? Find out whether senior attention was routine, reserved for escalation, or largely disappeared once the account began.
3. What did the agency understand quickly, and what took longer than expected? This reveals how steep the learning curve was and whether the agency asked the right questions during onboarding.
4. How did the team respond when a strategy or pitch did not work? Listen for evidence of diagnosis and adaptation rather than defensiveness or simply doing more of the same.
5. How reliable was the agency on deadlines, follow-up and day-to-day communication? Ask about ordinary operating discipline, not just performance during major launches or crises.
6. How did the agency handle disagreement or difficult feedback? A useful reference can explain whether the team challenged weak ideas constructively and adjusted when the client was right.
7. Did reporting help you make decisions, or mostly document activity? Look for examples of reporting that changed priorities, budgets, messages or tactics rather than a dashboard of activity alone.
8. How did the agency handle sensitive information and potential conflicts? Ask whether conflicts were disclosed early and whether confidential information was handled with clear boundaries.
9. Was the team prepared when an urgent reputation or crisis issue appeared? Test response speed, escalation, senior availability and whether the agency brought order to the situation under pressure.
10. Did staffing remain stable, and how were personnel changes handled? Turnover happens. The important question is whether transitions protected continuity, context and client confidence.
11. Were fees, pass-through costs and out-of-scope work predictable? Ask whether invoices matched expectations and whether new costs were discussed before the work was performed.
12. Knowing what you know now, would you hire the same team again? Then ask why. The explanation often reveals the strongest evidence for or against the finalist.
What to Listen for Between the Answers
• A gap between the pitch team and the delivery team.
• Repeated turnover or unexplained staffing changes.
• Measurement that sounded sophisticated but did not guide decisions.
• Slow escalation when an issue became urgent.
• Surprise costs or unclear scope boundaries.
• A client who liked the people but cannot identify what changed because of the work.
• A reference who would hire the agency again, but only for a different type of assignment.
Reference Checks Should Confirm the Decision, Not Manufacture It
References are one input. They should be read alongside the brief, chemistry meetings, team structure, commercial terms and the evidence collected during selection. The EPR PR Firms Directory can help buyers understand the market, but a finalist reference call answers a question no directory can: what is this team actually like to work with?
Frequently Asked Questions
How many PR agency references should a buyer call?
For a significant retained relationship, more than one comparable reference is useful because a single client experience can be unusually positive or negative. Ask finalists for references that resemble the assignment.
Should the agency be present on the reference call?
Usually no. A direct buyer-to-client conversation gives the reference more room to discuss staffing, challenges and working style candidly.
What is the most important PR agency reference-check question?
Ask whether the client would hire the same team again for the same type of assignment, then ask why. The explanation is more useful than the yes or no.
