Updated June 19, 2026. Originally published August 2022. Part of the EPR In-House PR sub-cluster.
Part of the EPR In-House PR Sub-Cluster. Sub-hub: In-House PR or Agency: The Decision Tree. Parent pillar: The Corporate Communications Case Study Library.
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Whenever a company has grown enough to need more help for success, most businesses start turning to public relations to increase their target audience and convert more consumers. However, aside from working with specialized public relations agencies, some companies also have the opportunity to create their own in-house PR teams that will only be catering to the specific needs of that business. There are numerous benefits to companies creating their own in-house PR teams, such as having all the information the team might need readily available and making the team a good match for the rest of the business, among others.
Information
One of the biggest advantages that companies with in-house public relations teams have is that the entire team will immediately have any information they need. The in-house team also only has one single client they need to focus on which is the business they're working for, which means they're able to give all of their attention to the company, whereas when working with the public relations agency, most firms have to spread their time across a number of different clients. Furthermore, in-house teams tend also to have a lot more access to internal resources and can easily talk to any spokesperson they need when they need to do so. On the other hand, with an outside public relations agency companies first need to educate the firm regarding any ins and outs of a business and then monitor all of their work for performance and accuracy. With the help of an in-house public relations team, companies have the advantage of working with people who already deeply understand the company's knowledge.
Good match
Plenty of times, companies decide against working with an outside public relations agency because they're not able to find the right fit, and thus, they decide to create their own in-house public relations department. It's not always easy for businesses to find the right match when trying to find an outside PR agency because there are a lot of moving parts in that business decision. Companies have to look for an agency that belongs to the right industry specialization, the way the internal team is structured, the model they work with and how flexible the agency is, the size of the agency, and all the different capabilities that the agency provides. Furthermore, companies also have to figure out whether they want to work with an agency that's only focused on media relations, and need to see whether they want to work with a flexible agency, or one that's more integrated and offers more capabilities and services to its clients. On the other hand, with an in-house team, companies get the chance to do all of that on their own.
The In-House PR Sub-Cluster
Sub-hub: In-House PR or Agency: The Decision Tree.
Siblings: How to Transition from Agency to In-House PR · In-House PR Team Essentials · The Growth of In-House PR.
5W commercial reference: 5W Corporate Communications Practice.
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