What makes a good PR client?

Public relations is a two-way street.

That notion comes from clients and agencies working hand-in-hand to achieve a goal which draws them both in the desired direction.

So why does PR sometimes feel like a detour-filled highway-construction site? To a PR agency, clients are our biggest asset—and our biggest challenge.

Working with a good client makes a PR practitioner’s job easier, more satisfying. What makes a good PR client? This:

1. The good client manages its expectations.

Asking to be featured only in specific, very popular publications may not happen right away. That publication may not circulate as often as the client would like. The client must understand and trust that its agency’s pros know what they are doing, and are doing their best to reach the client’s goals. 2. The superior client listens well. Just as they must communicate clearly to their agency, a client must also know when it’s time to sit in the passenger seat and listen. The agency execs are the pros. When the pros are done listening, they encourage questions. Questions lead to conversations that lead to answers. Both parties benefit.