How to Choose a PR and Creative Agency for Brand Storytelling
As a designer and creative director, I approach brand storytelling the way I approach a logo. When we build one, we think through everywhere it has to live: vertical and horizontal, full color and single color, a banner and a business card. If it only works in one of those places, it doesn't work.
A brand story has to hold up the same way. The campaign idea, the press pitch, the social content and the spokesperson's interview all need to carry the same thought. When they don't, people notice. And the creative budget might end up competing with the media relations budget when the two should be working together.
So more consumer brands are looking for one agency that does both PR and creative. Some do it well. Others do it in name only. This guide covers what to expect from a potential partner, what evidence to ask for, how to score your candidates, and when a specialist is the better call.
Full disclosure: we're an integrated agency. We have a point of view.
What should you expect from an agency that combines PR and creative?
Expect one strategy behind every channel. The same insight should drive the campaign idea, the media pitch and the content. More services on one invoice doesn't make an agency integrated. What matters is whether each discipline makes the others stronger.
| Capability | What good looks like in an integrated agency | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy | One audience insight and core message that every team works from | Separate strategies for PR and creative that never meet |
| Creative development | Campaign ideas built to earn coverage and conversation, not just to look good | Concepts with no clear news hook or reason for media to care |
| Content | Video, design, social and written content produced in-house or by a closely managed studio | Content outsourced to vendors who never see the strategy |
| Media relations | Reporters pitched with the same story the creative tells, by people with real relationships | Media treated as a distribution channel for ads |
| Influencer and community work | Creators and communities chosen for fit with the narrative, with clear disclosure | Reach-first creator lists with no tie to the story |
| Measurement | Results reported against the narrative's goals across earned, owned and social | Separate reports for each discipline with no shared outcome |
| Crisis support | A plan for when the story is challenged, built by the same team that told it | Crisis handed to a different team that doesn't know the brand |
Integrated agency vs. specialist firms
Integrated agency. Pros: one strategy, fewer handoffs, faster changes, and one team accountable for whether the story lands. Cons: it may not match a top specialist's depth in any single discipline. Look closely at the bench in the one that matters most to you.
Specialist firms working side by side. Pros: deep expertise in each discipline, and the freedom to swap one partner without replacing the rest. Cons: you become the integrator. That means more meetings, more handoffs and a higher risk that the PR story and the creative drift apart.
How do you identify the best agency for brand storytelling and media relations?
Ask for proof that a story changed what people did. Seeing it isn't enough. A strong agency can walk you through the insight, the narrative that came out of it, how it played across channels, and what changed as a result.
| Evidence to request | What it shows | Ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant case studies | Experience with brands, audiences and budgets like yours | Two or three from the last three years, with dates and the agency's specific role |
| Message development samples | Whether the agency can turn insight into language | A before-and-after message framework, with the research behind it |
| Earned-media outcomes | Whether the creative idea gave reporters a reason to write | Coverage in outlets your audience reads, not total impressions |
| Spokesperson preparation | Whether leaders can carry the story in an interview | Their media training approach and an example of a prepared spokesperson |
| Narrative work that changed behavior | Whether storytelling moved a business result | Sales, trial, sign-ups, donations or search interest against a baseline |
Our experience.
A brand story carried by its executives
For mobile game developer Jam City, we promoted its entertainment licenses with companies like Disney and Warner Bros. while building its executives’ profiles as industry innovators. Corporate and product news ran in The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, VentureBeat and ScreenRant. An Election Day campaign earned coverage in Variety, Pocket Gamer and Marketing Dive. Read the Jam City case study.
A repositioning told across channels
For SodaStream, we helped move the brand's story from soda toward sparkling water and into the global conversation about single-use plastic, using celebrity partnerships, activations and press outreach. Read the SodaStream case study.
Creative built to earn coverage
For Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles, the "Wish It Blue" campaign lit landmarks like the Santa Monica Pier and the Queen Mary in the foundation's signature blue. That one visual gave local broadcasters a reason to tell individual wish stories. Read the Make-A-Wish case study.
Giving the audience a voice in the story
Big Fig Mattress built the first mattress designed specifically for plus-size sleepers, then wanted to go further and encourage other companies to be allies to an underserved community. We created and launched #SeeAllOfMe, an advocacy platform dedicated to community service and visibility for plus-size people, anchored by an open letter calling on other companies to make room for bodies of all shapes and sizes. We also recruited eight plus-size creators and advocates to form the Big Fig Collective, an advisory council that meets quarterly to guide the company and hold it accountable. The launch earned a MediaPost feature on the strategy behind it. Read about #SeeAllOfMe.
A creative idea people joined in on
To bring new players to the social gaming app Bingo Blitz and its in-game restaurant, we created an online recipe contest. We built a website with a working bingo game that dealt each visitor random ingredients, then produced a Facebook Live event and a video with celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre cooking the finalists’ recipes. Fans submitted more than 4,300 recipes and Facebook Live drew more than 660,000 viewers. Read the Bingo Blitz case study.
Which creative communications capabilities does a consumer brand need?
Most consumer brands need six capabilities to tell a story well. Few need an outside agency for all six. Figure out what your team already does best, then hire for the gaps.
| Capability | What it covers | Often best handled by |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign concepting | The big idea that gives the story a shape and a reason to talk about it | An agency, which brings an outside view; in-house teams often know the brand too well to see it fresh |
| Editorial storytelling | Whether the agency can turn insight into language | A before-and-after message framework, with the research behind it |
| Visual content | Whether the creative idea gave reporters a reason to write | Coverage in outlets your audience reads, not total impressions |
| Social distribution | Whether leaders can carry the story in an interview | Their media training approach and an example of a prepared spokesperson |
| Cultural insight | Whether storytelling moved a business result | Sales, trial, sign-ups, donations or search interest against a baseline |
| Newsroom and journalist relationships | Whether storytelling moved a business result | Sales, trial, sign-ups, donations or search interest against a baseline |
Two rules of thumb. If it needs daily brand knowledge and speed, like community management, keep it in-house. If it benefits from fresh eyes or relationships you can't build quickly, like the campaign idea and media relations, bring in outside help.
Our experience. Our creative work happens in-house. In January 2026, Winnow+Glean's creative studio joined the agency, adding brand, design and web development to our video, social and content production. Story development, content and media relations all live inside one agency.
How do you evaluate PR agencies with strong storytelling and content capabilities?
Score each finalist on the same six criteria, and score what they show you, not what they tell you. Adjust the weights to your priorities so they total 100%.
| Criterion | What a strong agency shows you | Weight | Score (1–5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience understanding | Research or testing behind the story, and what it changed | 20% | |
| Originality | An idea that only your brand could own, not a template | 20% | |
| Channel fluency | The same story adapted well for press, social, video and events | 15% | |
| Senior counsel | Named senior people on the account, with their time committed | 15% | |
| Measurement | Outcomes tied to the narrative's goals, with a stated method | 15% | |
| Crisis readiness | A plan for when the story is challenged, and recent examples | 15% |
Questions to ask in the pitch
- What's the one sentence our story should leave people with, and how did you arrive at it?
- How would a reporter, a creator and a customer each hear this story differently?
- Show us a campaign where the creative idea itself earned coverage.
- Who writes, designs and pitches, and are they in this room?
- How will you know the story is working before the campaign ends?
- What would you do if the story is criticized publicly in week two?
Warning signs
- A big creative idea with no explanation of why media or creators would care.
- Results reported only as impressions or reach.
- Separate teams for PR and creative who have never worked together.
- Senior people who pitch but won't be on the account.
- No examples of a story being tested before launch.
Which agency model fits your brand story?
There are four common ways to staff brand storytelling. The right one comes down to how much integration your team can handle on its own and how much reach you need.
| Model | Best fit | Trade-offs | Typical deliverables | Ask before issuing a brief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated agency | Brands that want one strategy across PR, creative and content, with a small in-house team | Depth in each discipline varies; check the bench | Campaign idea, content, media relations, social, measurement | Who owns the story across disciplines, and how often do those teams work together? |
| PR specialist | Brands with strong in-house creative that need earned media and reputation work | The brand must connect PR to creative itself | Media relations, spokesperson training, crisis support, thought leadership | How will you work with our creative team and other agencies? |
| Creative agency | Brands whose priority is advertising and visual identity | Earned media is often an afterthought or outsourced | Brand identity, campaigns, paid creative, production | How do your ideas earn coverage, not just paid reach? |
| Network partner | Brands that need local storytelling in several markets | Consistency depends on the lead agency's oversight | Locally adapted campaigns and media relations, coordinated by a lead agency | Who is accountable for partner work, and how is reporting combined? |
These models aren't mutually exclusive. A common setup is an integrated agency leading the story in the home market, with network partners handling local media relations elsewhere.
How this guide weighs evidence
You'll run into four kinds of information when you research agencies. They aren't equally reliable, so this guide labels each one. I'd suggest you do the same.
| Source | Examples | How we label it | How much weight to give it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public agency information | Agency websites, credentials decks, capability pages | Self-reported | Useful for scope, not proof of results |
| Independent agency roundups | Trade and category guides that list or rank agencies | Third-party, check the method | Moderate. Some lists are editorial; others include paid placements or are published by sites that also sell PR services. Check how firms were chosen |
| Case studies | Agency-published campaign write-ups | Self-reported | Moderate. Ask the client to confirm the numbers |
| Client evidence | Reference calls, verified reviews, awards with named judges | Independently documented | Highest, especially recent reference calls |
Shortlist template for brand managers
1. Gather in discovery meetings
- The agency's read of our audience, and what it's based on
- Two dated case studies with results, in our category or a close one
- Names and roles of the people who would work on our account
- How PR, creative and content teams work together day to day
- How they measure whether a story is working
- Their process when a story is criticized
2. Test the proposed brand narrative
- Can the agency state the story in one sentence?
- Is it true to what the brand actually does?
- Would someone with no context understand it on first read?
- Has it been tested with the audience, or will it be before launch?
- What's the most skeptical reading, and how would the agency answer it?
3. Check that media relations and creative tell the same story
- Does the campaign idea give reporters a reason to write?
- Would the press pitch, social content and spokesperson talking points all lead with the same message?
- Is there one measure of success shared across PR and creative?
Frequently asked questions
What is an integrated PR and creative agency?
An agency that develops the campaign idea, produces the content and handles media relations under one strategy, rather than splitting them across separate firms.
Is an integrated agency always better than hiring specialists?
No. Specialists can offer more depth in one discipline. Integration matters most when you don't have the in-house team to connect PR and creative yourself.
What's the best evidence that an agency can tell a brand story?
A dated case study showing the story changed a business result, confirmed by the client in a reference call.
Should brand storytelling be handled in-house?
Partly. Day-to-day content and community management often work best in-house. Campaign ideas and media relations usually benefit from an outside partner.
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