PR Agency RFP Template: 10 Sections to Fill In

A PR agency RFP template is a fill-in document that tells agencies what a brand needs, how proposals will be scored and when answers are due. The template below has ten sections: background, goals, scope, audience, budget, timeline, required questions, measurement, scoring and legal terms. Complete each section with your own details before sending the document, so every agency answers the same questions and the proposals can be compared side by side.

On this page: How to use the template · The ten sections · Questions to require · Scoring table · Timeline · FAQ

How Do You Use a PR Agency RFP Template?

You use a PR agency RFP template by copying the ten sections into a document, filling each one with specific details about the brand, and sending the same document to every agency on the shortlist. The value is comparability: when every agency answers identical questions in the same order, a reviewer can score proposals without guessing what a missing answer means.

Keep the finished document short. A brief that runs past a few pages tends to produce long, generic responses, so cut any section that does not change how an agency would answer. For the thinking behind a good brief, read EPR's PR RFP guide, and for the agency side of the same process, see how to win a PR agency RFP.

What Are the Ten Sections of a PR Agency RFP?

The ten sections of a PR agency RFP are background, goals, scope, audience, budget, timeline, required questions, measurement, scoring, and legal terms. Each section answers a question that agencies otherwise have to guess at. The table below outlines what to write in each section alongside example wording.

#	Section	What to write	Example wording
1	Background	Who the company is, what it sells, who it competes with and what has changed recently	We sell payroll software to companies with 50 to 500 employees, and we launched a new product line this year.
2	Goals	Two or three outcomes the program must produce, each stated so it can be checked	We want coverage in named trade outlets and a measurable rise in branded search within twelve months.
3	Scope	The services you want: media relations, analyst relations, crisis readiness, content, events, AI search visibility	We want media relations and thought leadership, and we want proposals to say whether AI search work is included.
4	Audience	The buyers, reporters and other groups the program must reach	Our buyers are finance directors, and we read two trade publications and one national business outlet.
5	Budget	A monthly range or a total, stated plainly, with what it must cover	Our budget is a monthly range that includes agency fees and excludes paid media and travel.
6	Timeline	Dates for questions, proposals, presentations and the decision, plus the start date	Proposals are due on a stated date, and finalists present in the following two weeks.
7	Required questions	The questions every agency must answer, in a fixed order	See the question list below.
8	Measurement	The results you will review each month and how they will be reported	We will review coverage quality, referral traffic and the share of AI answers that name us.
9	Scoring	The criteria and weights you will use, so agencies know what matters	See the scoring table below.
10	Legal terms	Contract length, notice period, conflicts of interest, confidentiality and ownership of work	Agencies must disclose conflicts with named competitors in their response.

Two sections cause most of the trouble in practice. A vague goal produces proposals that promise everything, and a hidden budget produces proposals priced anywhere. EPR's PR firm cost guide shows the retainer ranges agencies typically quote, which helps in setting the budget line.

A PR agency RFP should require every agency to answer ten standardized questions covering account staffing, category experience, earned media records, 90-day plans, reporting, AI search visibility, retainer inclusions, contract terms, conflicts, and operational needs. Asking identical questions forces specific, verifiable answers that allow direct comparisons across competing proposals.

1. Which named team members will work on the account each week, and how much of their time does it receive?
2. Which clients in our category has the agency worked with, and which of them can serve as references?
3. Which reporters and outlets has the team earned coverage with in the last twelve months?
4. What would the agency do in the first 90 days, week by week?
5. Which results will the agency report each month, and what does a sample report look like?
6. How does the agency check what ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews say about a brand, and what would it change?
7. What does the retainer include, and what is billed separately?
8. What is the minimum contract length and the notice period?
9. Does the agency work with any of our direct competitors?
10. What would the agency need from us to succeed, and what has caused programs to fail in the past?

The sixth question matters more each year, because buyers increasingly research vendors inside AI answers. EPR's guide to choosing a PR firm includes a reference-call script to pair with these questions.

How Should You Score the Proposals?

Reviewers should score PR agency proposals against five weighted criteria published in the RFP: category experience, strategy and ideas, team staffing, measurement plans, and price and terms. Stating the evaluation weights in advance shows agencies exactly what the decision rests on, and brands can adjust the weights to reflect specific priorities. The weights below are an EPR suggestion, not an industry standard.

Criterion	Suggested weight	What a strong response shows
Category experience	25 points	Named clients and coverage in the brand's field, with references
Strategy and ideas	25 points	A plan tied to the stated goals, with reasons for each choice
Team	20 points	Named people, stated time commitments and relevant reporter relationships
Measurement plan	15 points	Agreed monthly results and a sample report
Price and terms	15 points	A clear quote that states what is included and what is billed separately

Have at least two people score each proposal separately, then compare totals before the finalist presentations. A large gap between two scorers is a reason to discuss that criterion, not to average it away.

What Timeline Should the RFP Set?

A PR agency RFP timeline should establish fixed dates across five consecutive stages: releasing the brief, closing the question window, receiving proposals, holding presentations, and announcing the decision. Setting explicit milestones in advance ensures agencies have enough time to evaluate the brief and write considered responses.

1. Send the RFP to a shortlist of agencies.
2. Close the question period and send all answers to every agency.
3. Receive written proposals.
4. Hold finalist presentations and reference calls.
5. Announce the decision and begin contract talks.

Telling agencies when they will hear back, and sticking to it, is part of a fair process and affects whether strong agencies respond next time. Government and public-sector buyers follow stricter rules, which EPR covers in how cities and agencies award PR and marketing bids. A crisis-readiness brief needs extra sections, covered in how to write a crisis communications RFP, and the full set of RFP guides is collected in PR and marketing RFPs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a PR agency RFP include?

A PR agency RFP should include background, goals, scope, audience, budget, timeline, required questions, measurement, scoring criteria and legal terms. Each section removes a guess the agency would otherwise make.

How long should a PR agency RFP be?

A PR agency RFP should be only as long as it takes to state the ten sections clearly, usually a few pages. A longer brief tends to draw longer, generic responses.

Should an RFP state the budget?

A PR agency RFP should state the budget clearly as a monthly range or total amount. Providing the financial parameters lets agencies propose an appropriate scope and prevents proposals that the brand cannot afford.

How many agencies should receive an RFP?

A brand should send the PR agency RFP to a shortlist small enough that reviewers can read every response carefully. Reviewers should choose a count they can assess thoroughly, as EPR has no sourced benchmark for an ideal number.

Does the RFP need to ask about AI search?

A PR agency RFP should ask about AI search visibility because prospective buyers increasingly research vendors inside AI answers. Brands should require agencies to explain how they track brand mentions across AI engines and whether that work is included in the retainer.

Disclosure: Everything-PR News, LLC and 5WPR are connected through a shared interest group. Everything-PR reports independently on the communications industry, and editorial decisions are made by Everything-PR's editorial team.