PR agency RFP template (copy-paste)
The entire RFP is nine fields about your company and eight questions every agency must answer, in order, on one page. Send the identical document to every agency you're considering and five proposals come back in one format instead of five unmatched sales decks, which means you can score the field in an afternoon. Copy the block below, fill the brackets, and send it before any call.
Most founders collect proposals that share no format, then try to compare a retainer against a "let's hop on a call" against a deck with no number in it. The fix is to control the question. The RFP forces structure onto the answer: same scope, same asks, same evidence, every time. You stay the buyer.
The RFP (copy from here)
Company: [name, one-line description, URL] Stage and funding: [Seed / Series A / Series B, last raise] What we sell and to whom: [product, buyer, market] Why now: [the news driving this: launch, raise, exit, growth story] Goal in plain terms: [the business outcome, not "more coverage"] Target outlets: [name 3 to 5 real ones: WSJ, TechCrunch, your trade] Budget range: [state it: e.g. ~$5,000/month, or "project, one launch"] Timeline: [start date, and any fixed event date] Decision date: [when you'll choose]
In your proposal, answer these in this order:
- Scope: exactly what you'll do each month, named activities, not adjectives.
- Team: who does the actual pitching, and how many other clients they carry.
- Relevant wins: two or three placements in our space, with live links and dates.
- Pitch volume: how many targeted pitches per month, to how many reporters.
- Reporting: attach a sample monthly report we would actually receive.
- Price: the real monthly or project number, what's included, what's extra.
- Term and exit: contract length, notice period, what happens on day one and on the way out.
- References: two current or recent clients at our stage we can call.
How to read what comes back
Lay the proposals side by side and check each answer against the eight questions. The agency vetting scorecard page covers full weighting, and the checking references page covers reference-call mechanics; the table below exists to catch the dodge.
| What you asked | Good answer | Walk away when |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Named activities, monthly cadence | "Strategic counsel," no specifics |
| Relevant wins | Live links in your space, recent | Logos with no clickable coverage |
| Pitch volume | A real number per month | "We focus on quality, not quantity" |
| Reporting | A sample report you can audit | "We'll build something custom" |
| Price | One clear number | "Let's discuss after a call" |
| References | Two clients you can reach | Stalls, or only old names |
Two rules make the RFP work. Send it to no more than four or five agencies; past that, you can't run real reference calls. And never let an agency reset the format on a sales call: an agency that won't put a price in writing before a meeting won't get more transparent about money after you sign. Treat that proposal as incomplete.
One more shortcut on question 5: the monthly PR reporting template page shows exactly what a sample report should contain, so you can audit what they attach. Our own scope and price are public on the pricing page, so a filled-in proposal drops straight into the comparison.