Is Hiring a PR Agency Worth It for Small Brands?

In the often tangled landscape of modern marketing, small brands are constantly asking themselves: Is hiring a PR agency really worth the investment? With the latest IPA Bellwether Report finding that public relations was the main driver of marketing budget growth in Q4 2025, even as overall marketing spend flatlined, the answer is becoming increasingly nuanced and promising for the right kinds of businesses.

But before we unpack why PR may deserve a place in your marketing strategy, let’s explore what this shift in budgets really means for small brands and why it only works when a solid foundation is already in place.

Why PR Is Gaining Momentum in 2025

According to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s (IPA) latest quarterly Bellwether Report, PR budgets grew more than any other discipline in the final quarter of 2025, marking the tenth straight quarterly increase in PR spend.

Key takeaways include:

• PR saw a higher proportion of budget increases than decreases, resulting in the strongest positive net balance in a year.
• Overall marketing budgets, by contrast, ended the year flat amid economic and political uncertainty.

In other words: brands are being cautious with big mainstream media spends, but many are doubling down on communications that build trust, manage reputation and tell their story, areas where PR excels.

Industry experts believe this is because the modern marketplace is noisier, more complex, and more fragmented than ever, meaning that brands seeking to cut through need something more than advertising spend alone. Strategic PR offers a way to build credibility and influence perceptions over time, vital assets in competitive markets.

The Case for Hiring a PR Agency

So what exactly can a PR agency bring to the table for a small brand? Here are the key advantages many businesses experience:

1. Expertise and Strategic Storytelling

A PR agency isn’t just about sending out press releases, it’s about creating compelling narratives that resonate with your target audience and media outlets. Agencies have experienced professionals who understand how stories get picked up, and how to pitch them credibly.

This expertise matters because getting media coverage isn’t about blasting the airwaves; it’s about placing the right message, in the right format, with the right outlet every time.

2. Established Media and Influencer Relationships

Unlike an in-house team building connections from scratch, a PR agency brings existing relationships with journalists, editors, bloggers, influencers and podcast hosts. These connections can accelerate placements that might otherwise take months of outreach and follow-ups.

More coverage means more visibility and for many small brands, that visibility translates directly into brand awareness and credibility in their market.

3. Reputation and Crisis Management

Not all PR is about positive stories. One of the most important, yet often overlooked, reasons to have professional PR support is crisis readiness. A strong agency will prepare your brand to respond quickly and effectively when things go wrong - from product issues to executive missteps - protecting your reputation before a crisis snowballs.

Having a crisis plan in place before you need it is one of the markers of a mature brand and something most small businesses don’t consider until it’s too late.

4. Amplified Credibility and Trust

When a media outlet writes about your brand, it’s not paid advertising, it’s earned attention. Readers naturally trust editorial content more than ads, and that trust can transfer to your brand. PR helps you shape what competitors can’t buy, which is trust and reputation.

Where customers are increasingly sceptical of ads, this earned trust is a powerful differentiator.

5. More Traffic, Better SEO and Greater Visibility

While PR’s primary role is communication and reputation, it also drives traffic to your website, especially when coverage includes backlinks or strong brand mentions. Websites with consistent organic visibility often see improved search engine performance and higher authority.

This is particularly critical if your digital foundation is strong, we’ll get to that next.

But PR Isn’t Magic, You Need the Fundamentals First

Here’s the truth: even the best PR campaigns will fall flat if your brand doesn’t have the basic infrastructure to capture and convert interest.

Here’s what you should have in place before investing heavily in PR:

A Polished, Clear Website

If press hits or campaign buzz drive people to your site, but your website is outdated, slow, unclear or lacking in calls to action, all that attention will leak away without any measurable impact. Your website is your digital storefront, so make it count.

At a minimum, your website should:

• Clearly articulate who you are and what you do
• Feature compelling, searchable content
• Have clear calls to action (e.g., subscribe, buy, contact)
• Track analytics to measure traffic and conversions

If your site isn’t set up to turn interested visitors into leads or customers, PR can give you visibility but not ROI.

Analytics and Measurement

You need to measure the impact of press coverage: what traffic spikes occurred? Were new users engaged? Did conversions increase? Without analytics (like Google Analytics or similar platforms), you can’t tell whether your PR is working and you won’t be able to refine your strategy.

Good agencies will help you set up measurable goals, but the data needs to be flowing first.

Defined Audience and Brand Positioning

PR works best when you know who you’re talking to and what you want them to think or feel. If you don’t have a clearly defined audience or value proposition, even well-placed media coverage may land with the wrong crowd.

Agencies can help define messaging, but the sharper your internal understanding is beforehand, the more effective PR becomes.

Marketing Alignment and Goals

PR shouldn’t be a silo. Your PR, digital marketing, social media and product marketing should work together toward shared goals. This means workflows, shared calendars, and aligned KPIs, so every channel amplifies the others.

PR gains attention; your website, content and sales processes convert it.

When Hiring a PR Agency Makes the Most Sense

Not every small brand needs a PR agency right away. Here are scenarios where hiring one is truly worth it:

• You’re launching a major new product or service.
• You want to enter new markets or reach broader audiences.
• Your competitors are getting more visibility than you.
• You need to build credibility for investors or partners.
• You want professional crisis preparation and reputation protection.

If these describe your situation, and especially if you already have a strong digital foundation, then a PR agency can be a game-changer.

PR Is Worth It with the Right Setup

The IPA Bellwether Report’s finding that PR was the leading driver of marketing budget growth in Q4 2025 isn’t just a trend indicator, it reflects how brands are adapting to a world where trust, narrative and reputation carry more weight than ever.

For small brands, hiring a PR agency can be worth it, but only if you’ve laid the groundwork: a solid website, clear audience insights, strong brand positioning and analytics that let you track impact. Without that foundation, PR can generate noise but not results.

In a crowded market, PR gives you a voice. But a strong foundation ensures people actually hear what you have to say.