What should the scope of work spell out?

Four things, in writing: the deliverables, the activity level behind them, what the retainer excludes, and who supplies what. A contract that promises "media relations" with no pitch volume, no reporting cadence, and no named exclusions cannot be audited, and an unauditable retainer drifts in the agency's favor every month it runs. Pin all four before you sign.

The point is not micromanagement. A written scope is what lets you check each invoice against the work, and it is the baseline you renegotiate from at renewal. Scope creep is a documented, cross-industry problem; PMI found more than half of all projects suffer uncontrolled scope changes. A vague PR retainer is no exception, quietly absorbing social posts, blog writing, and event logistics you never agreed to pay agency rates for.

Get these into the document:

• Deliverables - the outputs you can count: pitches sent, outlets targeted, placements pursued, and the report that proves it. Whatever volume your agency proposes, make them commit to a number.
• Activity level - the cadence behind the deliverables: pitches per month, meeting frequency, when the report lands and what it contains.
• Exclusions - what the retainer does not cover: paid placements, ad buys, your social calendar, content writing, event production. Then ask how out-of-scope requests get priced, so any addition comes through as a written change order you approve before the work starts.
• Responsibility split - the inputs only you can supply: approvals within a stated turnaround, founder interview time, customer references, company data. Most stalled programs stall here. If you miss your turnarounds, the agency will cite this clause, so commit only to deadlines you can hit.

Two adjacent questions belong in the same negotiation but not in this clause. The pricing models page covers how the fee itself is structured. The what-you-keep page covers who owns the media lists, coverage trackers, and press materials when you part ways; settle that in the same contract.

One test before you sign: hand the scope to someone outside the deal and ask what the company is buying. If they cannot tell you what arrives each month and what is excluded, send it back.