Agency vetting scorecard
Score each finalist agency on eight weighted criteria, 0 to 5 each, for a maximum of 75 points. Sign above 55, interrogate 35 to 54, walk below 35. The scorecard exists because the agency that gives the best meeting is often not the agency that gets coverage, and a filled-in grid forces you to compare the agencies on evidence.
Use it after the pitch meetings and before the contract. If you sent an RFP first (the RFP template page has a copy-paste version), score the written answers and the meeting together. Run every finalist through the grid in one sitting, while the meetings are fresh, and keep the filled-in copies. The partner who ran the meeting is rarely the person who will pitch your account, so weigh the written answers and the work samples as heavily as the conversation. Practitioners on r/PublicRelations call it the classic agency bait-and-switch: "You get the senior most person in the room for the pitch only to be working day-to-day with a recent college grad." The day-to-day team is usually staffed to your budget, so get the name of the operator who will actually pitch your account written into the scope.
The scorecard
Rate each agency 0 (absent), 3 (adequate), or 5 (strong) per criterion. Multiply by the weight, then total each column.
| Criterion (what to demand) | Weight | Agency A | Agency B | Agency C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Named senior operator - the person who pitches reporters is in the room and stays on the account | x3 | |||
| Live activity, by name - they show a raw pitch log from a real account: who got pitched, who replied, what published | x3 | |||
| On-beat, recent wins - named placements in your space in the last 12 months | x2 | |||
| Reachable references - two clients you can call, including one who left | x2 | |||
| Coverage tied to outcome - success defined as fundraising credibility, recruiting, or trust, never impressions or AVE (advertising value equivalency, the discredited ad-rate metric) | x2 | |||
| Stage fit - they have run your stage, and the proposed scope matches it | x1 | |||
| Clean terms - real notice period, no guaranteed-placement clause, no auto-renew trap | x1 | |||
| Responsiveness - reply speed and specificity during the sales process itself | x1 | |||
| Weighted total (max 75) |
How to read the score
Any zero in an x3 row ends the evaluation. No named operator, or a refusal to show the live pitch log, disqualifies the agency. A high total does not paper over it.
- 55+ - a real operator with reach. Move to references and terms.
- 35 to 54 - workable. Get a specific answer for every low row before you sign.
- Under 35 - the agency showed activity without evidence it converts to coverage. Keep looking.
The criteria stay constant; only your weights move. A Series B funding push leans harder on stage fit and outcome. A first launch leans on the named operator and the live log. Any agency claiming real reach should be able to show a pitch log with every contact named; the monthly PR reporting template page sets the scale and format a real program logs.
To run a startup specialist through your own grid, book a call.