Why is a good relationship important?

At a PR agency, the ultimate goal is to enhance, improve and, over time, build our clients’ reputation through whichever means will best connect with the most appropriate audiences for the organisation. However, at Pinstone, we go beyond just achieving visibility. Our focus is on ensuring that the coverage delivers the right impact, which is something we take great pride in.

Achieving meaningful results doesn’t just stem from our own research and insights, it’s also about developing a strong, transparent relationship with our clients. When we stay aligned and share key information, it becomes easier to create truly impactful outcomes. We see ourselves as a long-term, trusted partner, not just a service provider, ticking off boxes.

This approach is reflected in the way our clients’ trust translates to regularly seeking our counsel and referring us to other businesses.

Creating trusted relationships

A solid relationship helps us unlock that extra gear, maximising the effectiveness of every campaign and ensuring our clients get the most from their investment.

We truly believe in becoming an extension of our clients’ communications teams. By understanding the challenges they face, we’re able to provide tailored support that makes a difference.

Trust, built over time, is key to making these relationships work. It enables open, honest consultancy and feedback that drives progress.

Our clients value our experience and confidence, leaning on us for guidance that leads to better outcomes.

What should you be looking for in a good client-agency relationship?

Since the dawn of Teams meetings and Zoom calls becoming the business ‘norm’, rarely meeting people in real life means agencies should be setting time aside so everyone can get to know each other as people.

This helps everyone out to ‘break the ice’ and gear-up to get into listening-mode before sharing the commercial back-drop, latest developments or technical insights to inform our campaign planning.

But clients should also expect that with the right strategic foundations in place, giving agency autonomy to drive a campaign ensures pace and delivery.

We spend so much of our lives on Teams since 2020, making it so important to make sure you’re energised by the opportunity offered by a consultative agency relationship and look forward to an effective and engaging dialogue that results in real progress.

Also, in my experience from many years of working in comms, understanding the most effective way to get clients to keep in touch is key to building that rapport which will help keep you up to speed.

Whether it’s a WhatsApp message, a well timed phone call or an email update, your agency should know the best way to form that trusted feedback loop.

What sets a specialist agency apart?

When organisations partner with an agency like Pinstone, they benefit from having a close working relationship with their account manager as well as a whole team.

As a specialist agency, the secret to our success lies in our consultative approach. Our team spans various levels of seniority, experience, and sectors. With over 20 years working with thought leaders in the food, farming, and environmental sectors, every interaction with our team is backed by a depth of industry knowledge.

Teams add value because they open up access to a wealth of resources and experience.  Bouncing ideas around with colleagues, holding internal creative workshops and keeping up to speed with industry news are all opportunities for clients to get the best results for their organisations. We’re also tapping into regular training sessions, from the latest communications strategies and approaches, to relevant new technology and learnings from others.

For example we’re proud to be influentially involved with organisations like the NFU via Becky Morgan - a local branch chair - the Veterinary Marketing Association through Hannah Lloyd as junior vice chair - or Meat Business Women via Beth Dixon. And on the PR side, with Catherine Linch is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Many of the team are also well connected through the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists and International Federation of International Journalists.

These relationships help us spot opportunities for our clients to grow their profile and reach key decision makers in their audience.

How can agencies help keep clients ahead of the curve

Keeping our finger on the pulse with tools that ease the burden of media monitoring, social listening and horizon scanning, the team is also attending key industry events and conferences, ensuring that the best opportunities for our clients to share their voice or have a presence are never missed.

We have recently added another string to our bow in Pinstone Pulse a platform created to help organisations understand how farmers and rural decision-makers really think, feel and shape their comms accordingly.

Defining success

We love celebrating success in all its forms. From impressive white paper download numbers to a packed press launch with the titles that count, or spikes in digital traffic that align to activity we’ve got behind, the elation experienced when our clients succeed is unmatched.

It’s those moments when we’ve worked hand-in-hand with our clients and achieved coverage or recognition that makes a significant impact, when the results speak for themselves and instils the value of our collective experience, creativity and knowledge.

Read more: What makes us an award winning agency?

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