PRmoment Podcast

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to Rich Leigh, founder Radioactive PR.Rich founded Radioactive PR 10 years ago, so it’s another one of our birthday podcasts.Radioactive now has 6 employees and it’s fair to say it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the business over the last few years and Rich is going to talk us through that journey on today's show.I’d describe Rich as a portfolio PR entrepreneur.He launched Bloggabase back in the day, as well as PR Examples which is now known as Famous Campaigns.He also wrote a book called Myths of PR.These days he runs Radioactive as well as hosting his own successful podcast The Starting Line where he interviews with entrepreneurs, entertainers and athletes.Before we start don’t miss our next PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 final entry deadline is this Friday the 17th January..Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Rich welcome to the show4 mins Rich launched Radioactive PR 10 years ago. How have those 10 years been?5 mins  Why Rich Leigh’s PR story is such an amazing one.“My upbringing was quite a different one. Quite a violent one…there were lots of prison visits. Lots of drugs around us.”“I always just thought, if I did the exact opposite of the things I saw happen in front of me, then I have the chance of breaking the cycle.”7 mins  Rich talks about his previous PR launches Bloggabase and PR Examples“I can fail and fail and fail. Nothing fazes me. If you grew up like I did. Not getting a bit of coverage doesn't really matter.”14 mins Rich talks about his long time colleague and friend: Andy Barr“Andy was the first good man I ever met. Most of the men in my life had been in and out of prison."“He gave me a chance. I dropped out of school and had a baby and said ‘hey, employ me.’ And he gave me a chance.”17 mins Rich talks about the start of Radioactive. 18 mins After 6 years the business was up to 30 employees in 2021. Now it has 6 employees. Rich talks us through what happened.20 mins Rich had to make a lot of people redundant? That's tough on them but it's also tough on the employer.“We had to let a lot of people go. (It was) a really really rough time.”“We were unprofitable to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Easily.”“You feel like you’ve failed.”27 mins Rich talks about why digital PR, so the link building element from earned media, has become such a tough market.“At one stage it (digital PR) was 80% of our work.”31 mins Why digital PR has done huge harm to the PR: journalist relationship.37 mins Rich talks us through his biggest mistakes.39 mins And his biggest successes.“I’ve changed my life entirely.”41 mins Rich talks us through how he's evolved into a portfolio PR entrepreneur.“The advice was: don’t go to prison and if you get a job - keep it.”43 mins What's next for Rich Leigh?

Welcome to this special episode of the PRmoment Podcast where I'll briefly talk about some to the most important elements about The PRmoment Awards.If you didn't know already, it's 1 week until the final entry deadline for The PRmoment Awards.In this special podcast, PRmoment founder and Ben Smith outlines some of the changes we've seen to the PRmoment Awards in the last 2 years, including:To recap some exciting changes for 2025New for 2025 Most Shortlisted League Table, a Winners Top 10 and increased profiling of award winning campaignsImproved for 2025 Instant feedback on your entry post the shortlist announcement if you weren't shortlistedThe Regional Champions SchemeBen also talks listener through the judging criteria for the PRmoment Awards which are available for all to view in the PRmoment Awards entry pack.You can also download the entry form here.Our final entry deadline is fast-approaching on 17th January. If you want to be celebrating with the best of the best this March or April, then take a look at our categories on the PRmoment Awards microsite.

Sourcecode’s UK MD Giles Peddy and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discuss a summary of SourceCode’s Global Trends Report, highlighting key global and regional trends in communications and marketing. This report provides insights to help navigate the current dynamic environment. It is based on a foreword by Foresight Factory (trends consultancy) and perspectives from SourceCode US & UK, and its partners in LATAM, Asia, and the Middle-East.Before we start, we’ve now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications. Early bird ticket prices are available until December 20th.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite. Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Global Trends identified in the report:AI and Cybersecurity: AI integration and deepfake technology are reshaping trust in media and communications. Cybersecurity concerns are growing, with the global cybercrime cost projected to reach $14 trillion by 2028.Misinformation: Disinformation spreads rapidly in today’s digital landscape, impacting brand trust and political narratives, making vigilance essential.Sustainability: Sustainability is becoming critical across all industries. Though efforts toward Net Zero are inconsistent, regulatory pressure is increasing demand for transparent corporate reporting.Nostalgia Marketing: Brands are finding success with nostalgic elements, tapping into familiarity to strengthen customer connections.Micro-Generational Marketing: Targeting distinct generational groups within broader demographics is proving essential for brand relevance.Regional Highlights identified in the report:North America: Internal communication strategies are emphasized for productivity and retention. Digital immune systems are recommended to safeguard digital infrastructure and customer trust.UK & Europe: Renewable energy efforts are accelerating, with a target of 42.5% by 2030, and recent political shifts necessitate new approaches to stakeholder engagement.Middle East: The region is advancing in digital assets, blockchain, and Web3. Major tech investments align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and offer strong opportunities for growth in tech and finance.Asia-Pacific: Economic growth remains positive despite geopolitical tensions. There’s a high demand for data-driven strategies and talent development to support the tech ecosystem.LATAM: Hyper-localization in content is key, with sustainability at the forefront of consumer expectations. Authentic content is essential to foster trust in a rapidly digitalizing market.These insights reinforce the importance of agility, creativity, and proactive communications strategies in today’s “Never Normal” environment. The full report includes a more detailed analysis for each region.

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to Latte founder Dean Connelly about the PR recruitment market in 2024. The reason for analysing the recruitment market in PR is that it tends to reflect the confidence of the sector. If firms are recruiting, they are feeling confident, if they are not recruiting they tend to be more concerned about the future.Latte is a PR recruiter in London and Sydney and Dean founded the firm in 2016.Before we start, we’ve now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications. Early bird ticket prices are available until December 20th.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite. For some more perspective on the current PR recruitment market, take a look at this Linkedin discussion.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Dean discussed:3 mins Dean outlines the current state of the PR recruitment market.“We’re seeing more corporate and tech roles coming through but consumer is quiet.”“The first half of the year for us in consumer was quite busy but it's seen a steady decline.”6 mins Why the move to project income and shorter turnaround times on briefs has impacted the recruitment sector for full time employees.9 mins Which sectors are up/down in PR recruitment currently?“One consistent message is inconsistency.”“Covid growth meant unrealistic financial targets were set.”14 mins Dean runs us through his PR recruitment heat thermometer for Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4.15 mins The most in demand jobs titles: Account manager to account director.17 mins Which job titles are less in demand?18 mins Dean outlines his talent trends of 2024 and predictions for 2025.

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to Amy Dowling, head of markets communications at Tui about the PR pitch process from a client’s point of view.We’ll cover the issue of client ghosting and discuss why it happens. Amy will also share her 11 step process of how to run a PR pitch. Finally, Amy will give her top tips for PR agencies on how to pitch better.If you haven't heard already I’m pleased to say we’ve now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement event. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what Amy and PRmoment founder discussed:Amy recently ran a consumer PR pitch process which has been described by those involved as “robust, fair and on time.”Amy explains why the pitch process is so important from the client’s perspective.4 mins Amy talks us through her 11 stage pitch process.Align stakeholders - What is your ultimate goal? What are your broad comms and business objectives?When do you want the work to start? Work backwards from a timeline perspective. Define your budget - perhaps bronze, silver or gold alternatives.Develop your long list of relevant agencies (Perhaps up 10-12 agencies)Post initial agency approaches, research and understand any potential conflicts. Which may rule some agencies out.Align with procurement: make sure they understand what you are looking for.Chemistry or tissue session with the agencies on the long list. These agencies should have been sent a pre tissue pack in advance.After the chemistry session the long list is cut down to 4 agencies. All those who were not successful were given written feedback within a week.“Sometimes you don’t know what you don't want until it’s there. Or what you do want, until it’s in front of you.”The brief for the pitch is issued. (Approx. 4 pages: Including budget, objectives, do’s, don'ts, context. insight, audience, business background etc)Workshop briefing session feedback session: Agencies meet the PR lead for the brand and marketing teams to sense check and ask questions.4 weeks between the workshop and the pitchProcurement submission for the agencies - DEI, business health etc. Procurement scores this documentation, which is in addition to and alongside the creative pitch process.“As a sector, if we could standardise the procurement form it would save agencies a lot of time.” Ben SmithThe pitch and a decision within 10 days. Feedback was given by telephone, again within 10 days.

It’s my twice yearly chat with W Communications founder and CEO Warren Johnson and today it’s our 2024 PR Agency Year in Review.It’s been quite the year. Some have described it as the year that never was! But could it have been worse? And has PR the latter half of Q3 and into Q4 actually come good?Warren founded W Communications in 2009. It now has global revenues of £20m and a headcount of 200, with 140 in London and 60 across the rest of the world.Over the next half hour or so Warren and I will discuss the ups and downs of agency life over the last 12 months.Before that, the breaking news is that the PRmoment Awards final entry deadline is the 17th January. Don’t miss the opportunity to create proof points of the quality of your agency’s work.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2 mins Warren, on how has 2024 been for W.“The dismantling of the retainer model accelerated this year.”“We and the rest of the industry are having to re-tool into a more management consultancy style project based business”“We’re seeing a greeter and greater appetite to buy more services from PR consultancy businesses.”“It’s busy, I wouldn't say it's as profitable as it has been.”“We’re having to work harder than ever to maintain our strong margin.”“You can often have clients bump a project with little or no notice and also no penalty and that’s a drag on margin. Until we get that fixed.”“If you don’t know what the world looks like in 3 months, let alone 6, why would you plan for 9 months out.”9 mins Why is retaining PR agency margins tougher than ever?10 mins What are the implications of the move towards project based fees on the talent profile of PR agencies?11 mins Is a retainer relationship ever better for the client?“If you want to partner with an agency properly, then a retainer is always better.”13 mins In which sectors is PR spend up/down? “Love a bit of B2B. No one is ever going to cut budgets driving CEO fame or lead gen.”“Sport for us has been huge. Biggest growth area. Insatiable appetite for briefs coming in.”“Travel has been strong."“We’ve had some very good wins over the last 5 days. It’s been nice to go into Christmas with some wins under our belt."17 mins Warren’s top tips for any independent PR agency CEOs out there on how to manage their businesses in this new project lead income, more agile business environment.“Challenge every way of working. Make sure it’s match fit.”“Agency bosses need to get out. Get into the office. Spend time with your staff IRL, go out and see clients.”“PR agency owners are making money but not enjoying it.”20 mins What talent trends have you seen this year? “Lots of big senior names have become available, particularly client side.”“At a lower level there’s bound to be a slight reduction in grad level intake just because of the cost of bringing them in and the quite often poor quality of talent coming in. The costs versus talent quality is beginning to become imbalanced.”23.30 mins Warren’s thoughts on the Omnicom, IPG merger. Historically these holding companies mergers happen because of the ad agencies and the PR firms either innocent bystanders, or potentially innocent victims, depending on how cynical you’re feeling at the time. Is this one the same?“The PR agencies are a rounding error of that deal.”25 mins Warren reflects on the busyness of PR’s 2024 pitching Golden Quarter.27 mins How does Warren think PR will fair 2025?

Welcome to our review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in 2024.If you haven't heard already I’m pleased to say we’ve now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement event. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open. The final entry deadline is on January 17th. Miss it and miss out!Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.JANUARYPitchesIceland appointed TangerineHenkel appointed BCW/BursonMinistry of Justice appointed KindredAirbnb  appointed The Romans.M&AMerger of BCW and H+K to become Burson and create a £1bn + agency.Bully Pullpit Interactive acquired Boldt. FEBRUARYPitches“This is often the hangover from the Golden Quarter Pitches that start to get announced.”Bolt appointed Boldspace.Burger King appointed The Academy.British Gas appointed Smarts. M&A SEC Newgate acquired a 70% stake (over 5 years) in Athens HQ V+O Group.Real Chemistry acquired Avant Healthcare -Havas acquired Ledger Bennett. MARCHPitchesPepsi appointed Hope & Glory.“The first change for Pepsi in 14 years. This was a big big brief.”Taco Bell appointed Earnies.“You never forget your first win'Pizza Express appointed Pretty Green. M&AMHP acquired La Plage (creative content above the line agency). First acquisition for MHP since its acquisition by Next15.W acquired Franses,Havas appointed WildernessAPRIL PitchesWilliam + Grant appointed Exposure.Shark Ninja appointed  BursonTinder appointed The AcademyCarlsberg appointed Hope&GloryEA appointed Premier.M&AAccenture bought Unlimited“In my mind one of the smartest deals that was done this year.”WPP announced that leading global investment firm KKR has made a growth investment in FGS Global.“WPP has focused on releasing cash and consolidation and they’ve done that impeccably well.”“The holding companies and the big private equity firms have all realised that scale is important.”MAYPitchesEDF appointed Tin Man/Lucky Generals“What we’ve seen in consumer PR is... the agencies who went into the year strongest, have come out even stronger.”Reebok appointed Brand Nation.Pringles appointed Mischief MHP.Unilever appointed Golin“Nothing beats the UK, no one comes close, in terms of strategic creativity.”M&APagefield sells to PPHC.JUNE/JULYPITCHESFamous Grouse appointed Pretty Green.B&Q appointed Romans.Homebase appointed Aduro.The Independent appointed W.WRAP appointed Kindred.National Grid appointed 9 agencies to a “Community Agency Framework” for next 3 years – Grayling, Cavendish, Lexington, Aecom, Arup, Camargue, Copper, grasshopper, JBP.M&APublicis acquired Influential.Havas - acquired a controlling stake in Klareco Communications.Prime Weber Shandwick – MBO. AUGPITCHESMoet Hennessy appointed Earnies - wines and spirits division of LVMH.Dept for Education appointed FourArla Foods -appointed City Press.

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.This week we’re chatting to Heather Yaxley, managing consultant at Applause Consultancy about the long term, medium term and short term impacts of a corporate crisis on an organisation’s reputation.Before that - the big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite. The final entry deadline is January 17th.Thanks so much to our PRmoment Podcast partners The PRCA.Here’s a summary of what Heather and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:2 mins How well do firms tend to recover from a corporate crisis?“80% of corporate crises don’t result in any problems at all.”3 mins “Often the share price of an organisation impacted by a corporate crisis recovers very quickly.”“It’s the cumulative effect of poor behaviour that can lead to the long term decline of an organisation.”8 mins What are the business and communications KPIs that are impacted in a corporate crisis situation?“There is something special about the right mindset to look at (crisis) situations.”15 mins “You get people who cannot move on on from crisis”“People ask: “Have you (as an organisation) learn your lessons?” The media and the public join the dots.”15 mins Does it get to a point where you can’t turn it around?17 mins What are the different categories of crisis?18 mins How successful are current crisis response techniques?24 mins Heather on why crisis communications response is a team sport.

A slightly different and shorter podcast today to briefly talk about Agency proof points, PR agency growth rates and The PRmoment Awards early entry deadline is this Friday 13 DecemberI've just finished some analysis of the top 100 agencies in the UK looking at the number of full-time employees they have. The source was LinkedIn, so it's not a foolproof measure, but it gives a decent indication of the employee hiring growth and decline of UK agencies.One caveat would be that I can see there's an argument that bearing in mind the increase in project income, relative to retained income, PR firms may have increased their use of freelancers compared to full-time employees. A deeper dive analysis of these stats will be revealed over the coming weeks, but one top line stat is that of the 100 largest agencies in the UK, the average full-time employee growth over the last 12 months is 2.5%.This, in a UK PR market that by and large seems to be picking up.Whether FTE growth will follow the current gentle momentum to growth of the UK's PR sector, remains to be seen. I've asked a handful of people in the last month or so, if during this golden quarter, on a score of 1-10, if 5 was normal, where are we at at the moment from a new business/pitch busyness perspective.PR agency CEOs and the like seem to put PR on a score of 5/6 currently. This time last year they'd put us PR's pitching busyness barometer at a score of 2/3. So relatively speaking, we're on the up.From PRmoment's Linkedin analysis of the number of FTE of PR firms - there are some really interesting trends when it comes to the type of businesses that are growing or plateauing and I’ll be sharing that insight over the next few weeks.Which leads me on to my point about the PRmoment Awards. Some agencies have grown their number of FTE's at 15%+ percent over the past 12 months. But not many. When it comes to your PRmoment Award entries it's an opportunity for you to shout about your work.The vast majority of entries for The PRmoment Awards are campaign lead.If you've got a compelling agency of the year story, then go for it. And as per my FTE analysis, it's a different marketplace now. Across the board, relatively growth rates have been suppressed compared to the post Covid boom. But much of the work I see coming out of UK PR firms is excellent. Clients are getting integrated work across multiple channels. They are getting good value. And they are getting better strategy and creativity than at any time since I started working in the sector. (2004 if you're interested!)A number of PR agencies have reduced revenue, retained profits but they're still doing outstanding work and the PRmoment Awards can be your proof point of the quality of that work.A PRmoment Award is a proof point of that work to clients. And proof points are really important for PR agencies and indeed in-house PR teams.  If you're thinking of entering the PRmoment Awards, the early entry deadline is on the 13th of December, and the final entry deadline is on the 17th of January. If you are a regular listener of this podcast, and don't enter already, go on, take the jump and enter the awards - join many of your peers.It's also probably worth mentioning at this point that we offer an excellent feedback loop for anyone who doesn't make the shortlist. More details about how this works can be viewed on the PRmoment Awards microsite - but I'd argue this functionality alone makes entering the PRmoment Awards a uniquely useful benchmarking exercise for the quality of your work

On the PRmoment Podcast this week we’re going to be discussing whether the cost of technology made it harder than ever to start up a PR firm? Or are the barriers to entry at an all time low?One of the things many of us really love about the PR sector is its dynamism. Do great work and you can fly. This dynamism has been fuelled over many years by a constant stream of new entrants to the PR agency market.But is this dynamism now threatened? Does the cost of technology, for so long an enabler of agency start ups, now mean that to access the full set of technology and tools you need to service clients, the era of low barrier to entry to the PR agency market is drawing to a close.Or has the continuous development of tech and software meant that the costs continue to fall?On the show today to have this debate we have 2 agency founders. Carrie Jones and Archana Jain.Carrie is the CEO at JPA Health, an independent healthcare communications firm in America. She founded the firm in 2007. It now has 150 full time employees and has taken minority PE investment. Carrie believes that the cost of technology and software has meant that it has become prohibitively expensive for new PR agencies to start up.Archana is the managing director of PR Pundit Havas Red in India, one of India's leading consumer PR firms. Archana founded PR Pundit in 1998 before selling the firm to Havas Red last year.Archana believes that technology has made the cost of starting your own PR business cheaper than ever.Can they both be right?Before we start, we’ve now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications. Early bird ticket prices are available until December 20th. You can attend face to face in London or virtually from anywhere in the world.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite. The early bird entry deadline is December 13th.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here is a a summary of what Archana Jane and Carrie Jones discuss:5 mins Carrie and Archana talk briefly about their career stories and how they launched their firms.9 mins Archana Jain on why she believes that technology means that it is currently easier than ever for independent founders to start their own firms.“It’s never been easier to set up an enterprise in India.”14.30 mins Carrie on why she thinks it’s now prohibitively expensive for PR founders to start their own firms now.“Tools are off the shelf solutions that are available to everyone. They don’t give you a competitive advantage.”“In the US market in order to be competitive with the big agencies, you need Google Cloud partnerships, you need access to big data. Off the shelf AI and generative AI solutions is not enough. It needs to be a proprietary closed database supplemented and trained by a data scientist.”“The data and compliance standards required in a multi market have a different complexity.”“The level of compliance, the level of large data purchases, the level of expertise to tweak, modify all of the data solutions. For me it’s never been harder and it's super, super expensive”26 mins Carrie and Archana talk though the PR tools markets in the US and India.

Welcome to our review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in November 2024.Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Andrew launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.If you haven't heard already I’m pleased to say we’ve now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement event. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.3 mins Andrew on the current state of the PR market. How does the golden quarter compare to previous years.“Measurement is more critical than it ever has been.”PITCHES DFS appoint Red Consultancy and PR First. Teneo continues to work on financial comms.“Everyone loves a retail client.”Simply Business appoint Golin. Danone appoint Freuds.“This is a whopper… a fame making brief.”“The best agencies have had very good years organically (growth.)” Pret A Manger appoint Frank. Headland continues looks after corporate pr Levis appoint Burson – corp reputation brief  across the EU.  Stanley 1913 appoint The Romans – pr and influencer for drinkware brand (best known for Stanley cups – the quencher) UK, France, Germany, Netherlands. Product launches, brand partnerships.  Apply creative with local relevance. PG Tips appoint The Romans – retained pr and social- engaging tea lovers across UK. PG Tips now part of Liptons (formerly Unilever) Rebrand – new blends, packaging etc. previously a project client. Digital and social now a third of all biz for Romans. Cayman Islands Tourism Dept appoint Allison. Essity appoint PR Agency One.  B2B comms brief to raise the profile of the group and reinforce position as industry and category leader across brands. Fed Olsen Cruises appoint The Academy – consumer pr. Targeting new and existing passengers. Previously in-house.Tui (First Choice/Marella Cruises) appoint Ogilvy for a long term comms strategy and earned first activation. First Choice merged with TUI in 2007. Nest, the UK Government backed pension scheme, appoint H+K (now part of Burson) – Corporate reputational support services. Also work with Blurred to help promote purpose PR strategy.Uni of Warwick appoint Shook This month's round up of M&A activity:“This has been a boom month for the PR M&A sector.” Croud sell majority stake to ECI (PE) – Croud is a full service marketing company. Croud is estimated to be worth £180M+. Fee income of £23.5M.“Croud is one to watch for sure.” Coolr sell minority share to Growth Capital Partners (GCP.) Founded in 2017 by Adam Clyne. 120 full time employees (FTEs.) This acquisition will help deepen service offering and scale quicker including international expansion in the

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to co-founders of CommsClarity Paul Hender and Richard Bagnall.These 2 are stalwarts of the PR measurement and evaluation game. They’ve worked together on and off at the likes of Metrica, Cision and Carma for the last over 30 years!And today on the show they are going to be chatting about what is the data opportunity for PR firms?Fittingly given today's podcast’s theme we’ve just launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.3 mins Why is it an interesting and important time for the intersection of data and PR?“There's a perfect storm of the need to use data better in PR.”“There is an increasing cynicism about last click attribution.”“There is this extraordinary evolution revolution of the the media”“AI is disrupting the media analysis place.”“Brands are going to live and die on this.”“People are taking all these data points and throwing them at the wall and hoping some of the mud sticks.”8 mins Over the last 10 years many of the legacy media monitoring firms attempted to build something resembling a one stop shop for data. How successful have they tended to be in that strategy? “What evaluation isn't is templated counting amounts of easy to capture data points.”14 mins There are so many PR tools now. Indeed many of them are not specific tools to PR. How can PR folks navigate that media monitoring, social listening, audience integration, misinformation and emotion tool market?Editors note: Golin’s Jonny Bentwood will present his PR Tools Review at PRmoment PR Masterclass in February. (Masterclass 4)19 mins Has the number of PR tools and media intelligence being bought increased? And is that investment being spent wisely?20.30 mins How big do agencies tend to be before they bring in either a head of analytics or an analytic team?“Every agency needs to be able to talk with confidence about data and analytics and the value of its work - and if it can't do that it doesn't have a very bright future.”22 mins What are PR firms doing with their data? What does good data use by a PR firm look like?26 mins Should PR firms buy data tools or build them?30 mins Why the problem of PR people becoming overwhelmed in data is huge.32 mins PR’s integration of data challenge: How are we doing? With a nod to AMEC’s Integrated Evaluation Framework. “The whole concept of absolutism has to go out the window. You can’t just chuck out data points. That’s where derision happens.”37 mins Data storytelling is one of PRs words of the moment. How does that compare with the reality that PR remains in many ways an art form?

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to Paul McEntee, founder of Here Be DragonsHere Be Dragons is a £1.2 million income independent consumer PR firm in London. It has 13 employees and clients include Beavertown Group, Disney and Greggs.It's another one of our birthday shows -  this year marks 10 years of Here Be Dragons.The big news is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.3 mins Paul reflects on 10 years of Here Be Dragons and how it's been as a solo founder.“Always trust your gut but don’t always act impulsively on it.”“Knee jerk reactions from a solo founder never normally end well!”“As the business grows you need to learn to step away.”7 mins What has been Here Be Dragons growth path over the past 10 years.7.30 mins Why did Paul launch his own PR business?“I didn’t mean to start an agency. I just wanted to leave (the big agency environment)…It became this machine that I couldn't really stop, so I went with it."9 mins Paul talks about the advantage of being an independent business without investors.12 mins Paul talks about the importance of celebrating milestones in business, including Here Be Dragons' 10 year anniversary.“It’s a reflective moment, you’ve earned that.”16 mins Is Here Be Dragons the latest firm to make the jump into that gang of consumer PR agencies who do a surprisingly high proportion of the most high profile consumer PR work?“It’s a harder club to join than to stay in.” Ben Smith18 mins What is Here Be Dragons genre of creative work?20 mins Paul talks about how and why he’s created his personal brand on LinkedIn and other channels.“We try to paint a picture of personality.”23 mins Paul talks about his employee programme The Dragons Club.26 mins Paul talks about his future plans for Here Be Dragons.32 mins Who’s in Paul’s PR Top Trumps: his most respected PR dream team?“That man is a media operator like no other.”

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Today we’re chatting to Nikki Collins. Nikki launched Earnies 1 year ago. She previously worked at W Communications for 9 years and before that at Frank. Earnies has a fee income of £1m and clients include Taco Bell, Moet Hennessy, ASOS, Typhoo and Meatliquor.The big news is: The PRmoment Awards are now open. You can download the entry from and take a look at this year's updated categories on the pr awards micro site.Also,thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what Nikki and PRmoment founder spoke about:3 mins Consumer PR is doing OK. But it's not an easy market. Most consumer PR firms are either flat or circa 5-8% up year on year. Earnies has put on £1m revenue in 12 months from a standing start and won the likes of Taco Bell, Moet Hennessy, ASOS, Typhoo and Meatliquor. It seems to be outperforming the market when it comes to client acquisition. How come?“Be it with the media, be it with clients, we’re constantly trying to meet people face to face.”“We hired a creative director from day one. Which is quite a buck power move from day one. That’s given us creative firepower.”“It (taking investment) allowed us to turbo charge our growth from day one. It allowed us to make investment hires. Do high profile pro bono work.”8 mins How many leads has Earnies had from The Romans?“The bigger agencies and the legacy agencies, want to diversify a lot of what they do…to incorporate different services. For us we’re focussed on earned media and coverage.”“I believe in the art of PR and what that means.”13 mins How is the consumer PR market at the moment?“To have gone from zero to over £1 m in a year, it feels like it’s in a really positive place.”14 mins Nikki talks about how she’s done an average of 2 pitches or tissues sessions a week for the last 12 months.“I’ve tried to re-callibrate what a pitch looks like for us.”“Our role is to look at the stories our clients want to tell.”“We always do a tissue session, that is mandatory.”19 mins In a pitch process how deep do Earnies go in the scope of creative ideas and articulation of those ideas?“It’s a numbers game…We have so many pitches going on. Pitching is not a stressful process for us. We’ll do everything we can in the time that we have, we’re not up until midnight…if we lose something don’t get grumpy about it, we move on. We've probably got another pitch tomorrow.”21 mins Who’s got equity in Earnies, Joe Sinclair or The Romans?“We don’t share any of their resources, we don't use any of their creative or their account team.”23 mins Have Earnies ever pitched against The Romans?24 mins Nikki talks about Earnies work with Killed Women, which recently won an ESG Award.28 mins Why did Nikki decide to launch her own biz when she came back from mat leave?

This is the latest in our Birthday series: Manifest is 15 years old!Manifest has offices in the US (New York and LA), London, Australia and Sweden. The total group fee income is £8m. Interestingly £4 of that is now in the US, £3 in the UK and £1m divided between Sweden and Australia.On this week’s show Alex reflects on 15 years on Manifest.Before we start, the big news is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what Alex and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discuss:4 mins Alex divides the 15 years since he founded Manifest into 5 year segments.“When we started we didn't have any clients, didn’t know how to run an agency, no board experience.”“Brewdog was a star in the ascendance like no other in those first few years we worked with them. That then attracted big brands quite quickly. Everyone was asking how did you do that: The answer was ‘by having more influence that you give your agencies generally.’”“In the early 5 years, one thing that was difficult was there was pressure of recruiting people and being responsible for their jobs.”14.30 mins “We (Manifest) have changed the PR industry in lots of ways.”16.30 mins Alex talks us through years 6 to 10 years of Manifest.“One of the biggest transitions for me personality, was from founder creative to founder CEO. I’m not sure I’ve ever finished that transition.”“Not many people are playing the long game, not in agency land anyway.”23.30 mins How did Manifest’s mix of clients change in the 6-10 year phase compared to the 1-5 year stage?“After 10 years we were around £5m…the number of people was the big difference.”27 mins Alex on the last 5 years in Manifest, which includes the toughest part of Manifest's story.“In the UK, our home market, economics have been a challenge. Brands have temporarily  pulled back from looking at things holistically.”“There’s a quiet confidence in the PR industry at the moment. But no-one is getting cocky.”31 mins Alex on why Manifest’s US bridgehead has worked. The US is now Manifest’s biggest market.“We were able to look at the differences between the different markets and make them work for us.”34 mins What offends Alex more, Manifest being called a consumer PR firm or an advertising firm?36 mins Was 2022/23 Alex’s toughest time in business? What happened? And how did Manifest get back on track?40 mins What are the most important skill types within Manifest now?“I remember once being called an expert generalist.”“You need specialist skills and generalist interest.”42 mins Who have been the most important people in the Manifest story along the way?

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.This week we’re chatting to Kat McGettigan, founder of Fine Lines.Kat describes Fine Lines as an “agency-growth agency.” Previously she worked at Grayling, M&C Saatchi and Weber Shandwick.Thanks so much to our PRmoment Podcast partners The PRCA.3 mins “There are 3 pillars to good growth.”“You’ve got to service the wife!”6.30 mins What is a good agency proposition? When is niche, too niche? “Redefining your proposition can be a vanity project but if done well it can be transformational.”On agency positioning: “There's a lot of genericism and overclaiming.”18 mins What is a good agency tone of voice?19 mins Agency award wins are a proof point of the quality of your work.20 mins Is it more about the credentials of your work, than an agency proposition?24 mins Kat talks about her new launch Lonely Female Founders Club.

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to Battenhall founder Drew Benvie - asking if social media be banned. Battenhall is a social-first agency with 120 employees and won Large Agency of the Year at The PRmoment Awards 2024.Before we start, check out the programme for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum. It’s on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London. Face-to-face tickets are expected to sell out, so if you want to come along, don’t hang about.Testimonials from previous delegates on the PR Masterclasses microsite. It really is an incredible programme, a great atmosphere and well worth your time if you are a PR agency leader out there.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2 mins Does Drew think social media will be banned?“There are parts of the world, and demographics around the world, who cannot access social media. What we’re seeing is the increased regulation of social media for safety reasons.”4 mins Social media has had a 20 year experiment phase and, perhaps with regret, the downsides outweigh the upsides - therefore should it be banned?5 mins Has social media had a positive or negative effect on society?6 mins How has social media changed the world for the better?“There are people who make a positive contribution to society who do that through social media.”9 mins What might regulation of social media look like?The UK’s Online Services Act will come into effect in 2025, the EU's Digital Services Act came into force in February 2024 and in the US the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates social media.In China, many of the West’s social media channels are banned. It has its own versions.“For social networks in China you have real name registration, which means your legal identity is your identity on the social network. And then the government regulates your use of that social network. So there is a teen version of every social network…”“This regulation (in China) has been brought in for fears of addiction to social media, addiction to phones and it’s been brought in for video gaming as well.”“Some of the lessons that China is learning (about teen access to technology) is starting to spread to other parts of the world in terms of the regulation.”14 mins Why the problem the West will have with social media regulation is that we don’t have real name registration.“Without stricter registration rules for the Apps and the social networks the limits on age usage are not going to be fit for purpose."“Concerns over safety have largely led to the advertiser exodus from Twitter.”“We’re going to see that if a social network is not taking safety seriously, it will be banned from a country and Brazil set a precedent for that.”18 mins Do we believe governments will stand up to the social media companies, bearing in mind the seemingly infinite number of lobbyists they seem to have?19 mins Without real person registration is social media regulation even possible? Bearing in mind AI, bots and disinformation.“In the not too distant future we will be in a safer place.”“OFCOM is going to be tasked with the regulation of the Online Safety Act.”

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to Lis Lewis Jones founder of LiquidLiquid had its 20 year birthday its year - and for your background has a fee income of £2.5 m and it works across a few sectors but specialises in agriculture and food - which amongst other things means it has a chef on the payrollIt has 35 employees and works across 25 countries.Lis is going to talk us through the journey of Liquid - which includes sponsorship of her beloved West Brom.Before we start, check out the programme for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum. It’s on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is in central London. Face-to-face tickets are expected to sell out, so if you want to come along, don’t hang about. Testimonials from previous delegates on the PR Masterclasses microsite. It really is an incredible programme, a great atmosphere and well worth your time if you are a PR agency leader out there.Thank you to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2 mins Lis looks back at 20 years of running her own PR firm - Liquid PR.5 mins Lis talks about how Liquid became a food specialist - including why they have 2 chefs on the payroll.8 mins Lis explains how and why a £2.5 fee income PR firm with 35 works across 19 timezones!14 mins Lis talks about why she bought a Guernsey based business and why Liquid no longer has an office there.16 mins How  Liquid Australia came about.“I would describe our growth past as a couple of 5 years olds on acid!”23 mins  The importance of cultural intelligence when setting up in new geographical markets.24 mins Lis talks about her role as an export champion for the Department for Business and Trade.

Welcome to our review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in October 2024.Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Andrew launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start, check out the programme for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum. It’s on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London. Face-to-face tickets are expected to sell out, so if you want to come along, don’t hang about.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA1.30 mins Andrews run down of this months biggest pitch wins“It’s decent, the budget has created some uncertainty…its picked up a little slowed than I had expected post the summer but there's plenty going on.”Formula E hires Soapbox – Soapbox also look after Matchroom Boxing, Pro Darts Corporation, Under Armour, AJ, Luke Littner and Eddie Hearn.Primark hire Weber Shandwick to support global trust and reputation projects. Asos hires The Earnies for consumer comms.Typhoo also hire The Earnies G- Shock hire Kingdom Collective – National Energy System Operator (NESO) – Britain’s new energy body responsible for planning Britain's electricity and gas networks – appoint Brands2Life to deliver brand strategy and Eulogy to create a national advertising campaign.Bafta film awards hire DDA Pooch (healthy premium dog food company) & Mutt hire Munch Dave's Hot Chicken hire Cut The bull Epson, the global tech company hire Kindred ESG brief for internal and external audiences. Ena Athletics, the premium performance sportswear brand hire Brand Nation San Miguel hire MSL –XIX Vodka hire Sunny Side Up. Honda hire Exposure Monopoly Lifesized hire One Green Bean.21 mins Andrew talks us through this month's biggest PR M&A deals.“There’s been a lot of people trying to get things through because of the budget”Auspicious Group – A new creative services agency is formed via acquisition of 2 film companies.  Studio Yes and Blue Chalk Media.  3 businesses already have 40FTEs and $7m revenue.Run by Rachel Pendered, co-founder of Media Zoo who will be co CEO alongside Barnaby Cook co-founder of Casual Films and Mark Killik also previously from Media Zoo. Helios Global Group (healthcare comms) gets backing from Telemos Capital (PE). Berkeley Communications acquire Danebury Research – a PR survey company. Blue Communications acquire Saltwater Stone.

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.This week we’re chatting to Kat McGettigan, founder of Fine Lines about how to pitch successfully.Kat describes Fine Lines as an “agency-growth agency.” Previously she worked at Grayling, M&C Saatchi and Weber Shandwick.On the show, we talk about how agencies can improve their pitch techniques but we’re also going to take a step back and look at the broader area of growth strategies for PR firms.Kat was last on the podcast discussing this theme a couple of years ago, so this is an updated perspective on the PR pitching world.Before we start, check out the programme for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum. It’s on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London. Face-to-face tickets are expected to sell out, so if you want to come along, don’t hang about.Testimonials from previous delegates on the PR Masterclasses microsite. It is an incredible programme, with a great atmosphere and well worth your time if you are a PR agency leader.Finally, thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.2 mins Kat outlines the key elements of a successful pitch from an agency's perspective: Chemistry, Clarity, Commitment and Conviction.“The short answer is winnable chemistry.”5.30 mins How do you build chemistry with someone you’ve never met? 10 mins Commitment to a pitch: “You’ve got to really commit (to a pitch), not batten pass!”“For small to medium sized agencies (relatively) pitching is a lot more expensive.”“If someone asks you to respond to a pitch in less than 2 weeks, walk away.”14 mins What are the stages of a pitch response?21 mins What is a good win rate for agencies when pitching?“My advice would be to pitch to win more”“If your being selective a good pitch win rate is about 40- 50%”“Some pitches are pitch and learn into a different sector”25 mins What’s the difference between a chemistry and a tissue session?30.25 mins The problem of ghosting in the PR sector.32 mins Do clients understand the level of investment agencies are putting into the pitch process?34 mins Has ghosting taken over from procurement as the most frustrating part of the pitch process?“I’m a fan of procurement.”36 mins How many pitch rehearsals should you have?37 mins What is slide 47 syndrome?“The slides are your backing singers, You are Beyonce!”“Always go for the earliest pitch slot.”39 mins Why you should always try and have the pitch at the agency’s office.41 mins What are the red flags for agencies when to walk away from a pitch: 1) no access to the stakeholders, 2) no budget and 3) unrealistic timelines.42 mins Is it not mad that so few ideas from a pitch ever get used?44 mins Should all pitches just be limited to one idea?“Virtual is really difficult to get that winnable chemistry.”“Hybrid is really difficult”