How to check an agency's references the right way

Ask for three references and pick two of them yourself: one client who left, and one current or former client at your stage and in your industry. Let the agency choose the third. An agency volunteers only the names it has pre-screened to say yes, so the curated reference only proves the agency can perform on a good day. The churned client tells you how the relationship works when results slow, and every PR engagement has slow months.

How the agency handles the request is itself a result. A shop that connects you with a client who left is confident in how it treats people on the way out. One that stalls, or insists every departure was a budget decision, is protecting a testimonial. A flat refusal to provide any reference at all belongs on the red flags page. End the conversation there.

On the calls, fifteen minutes each is enough if you ask questions a happy customer cannot answer with a marketing quote:

• Who did the actual work? - You want the named senior person, not the partner who pitched the account. Larger shops often sell a principal and staff the work with juniors.
• What did you get, in named outlets? - Specific placements and counts, not impressions or "great visibility." Vague answers usually mean vague results.
• How long until the first placement? - First placements usually land within one to three months, and broader measurable results build over three to six. If a reference saw nothing for six months, treat that as a serious warning.
• What happened in the slow months? - You are buying the agency's conduct when there is nothing to report: did they communicate, adjust the angle, or go quiet?
• Why did you leave, and would you hire them again? - For the churned client. A founder who left for budget or stage reasons but would rehire is the strongest reference that exists.

Then cross-check. If a case study and a reference describe the same engagement differently, believe the reference. The reading case studies page covers how to pressure-test the written version, and the pitch questions page lists the questions to put to the agency directly.

If you are vetting PressFriendly, ask us for a former client to call. We will set it up.