If you're looking to raise your brand's profile, build credibility and get people talking about your business, you've probably considered investing in PR.
But there's a big decision to make before you get started: should you hire someone in-house or work with a PR agency? Both have their advantages, and the right choice will depend on your budget, business goals and how much PR support you actually need.
As a PR agency, you might expect us to tell you that outsourcing is always the best option. But that's not necessarily true. We've seen how well PR can work when businesses have the right people and resources in place, whether that's internally, externally or a combination of both.
So, let's break down the differences between in-house PR and a PR agency, what you can expect to pay and how to decide which is the better investment for your business.
What's the difference between in-house PR and a PR agency?
The biggest difference is who manages your PR and how they work with your business.
In-house PR means employing someone directly within your company to manage your public relations. Depending on the size of your business, this could be a PR executive, PR manager or an entire communications team.
They're part of your business, attend internal meetings, work closely with other departments and spend their time focused on your brand.
A PR agency, on the other hand, is an external team of PR professionals who work with your business to develop and deliver your PR strategy.
Rather than employing someone directly, you pay an agency a monthly retainer or project fee in exchange for an agreed level of support.
Depending on the agency and your requirements, this could include media relations, securing press coverage, developing creative campaigns, thought leadership, influencer partnerships and other communications activity.
Both approaches can help you achieve brilliant results. But they offer different advantages.
What are the benefits of hiring an in-house PR professional?
One of the biggest advantages of having someone in-house is that they're completely immersed in your business. They understand your products, people and company culture, and they're often the first to know when something interesting is happening.
This can be particularly valuable for businesses that have lots of internal activity to communicate, need someone available throughout the working day or have complex approval processes. An in-house PR professional can also work closely with your marketing, sales and leadership teams, helping ensure your communications are aligned with your wider business objectives. And because they're dedicated to your business, you have greater control over their priorities and day-to-day responsibilities.
However, there are some limitations. Unless you're hiring a very experienced PR professional, it's unlikely that one person will have expertise in every area of PR. They might be brilliant at writing press releases and building journalist relationships but have less experience with influencer marketing, crisis communications or creative campaigns. They'll also need time to build their media contacts, develop processes and establish a strategy. And, of course, there's the cost of employing someone.
How much does in-house PR cost?
When comparing the cost of in-house PR with hiring an agency, it's important to look beyond someone's salary. As well as their annual salary, you'll need to consider employer National Insurance contributions, pension contributions, recruitment costs, equipment, software, training and other employment expenses. You'll also need to factor in annual leave, sick leave and the time involved in managing and developing that person.
If you're hiring someone relatively junior, they may need support from a more experienced PR professional to develop strategies, manage complex situations or build relationships with senior journalists.
This doesn't mean hiring in-house is poor value. For businesses with a consistent, substantial workload, having someone dedicated to PR can be a fantastic investment. But it's worth calculating the full cost of employment rather than simply comparing a salary with an agency's monthly fee.
What are the benefits of working with a PR agency?
One of the biggest advantages of working with a PR agency is that you're usually getting access to more than one person's expertise. Rather than relying on a single employee, you have a team with different skills, experiences and journalist relationships.
At Lem-uhn, for example, our team has experience across both traditional and digital PR, including former journalists, alongside specialists in social media and influencer marketing.
That means our clients aren't relying on one person to know everything. We can bring different perspectives and expertise together to develop campaigns that work across multiple channels.
1. Access to established media relationships
Building strong relationships with journalists takes time. PR agencies spend their days speaking to journalists, understanding what they're working on and identifying opportunities for their clients.
At Lem-uhn, we regularly meet with journalists to build relationships, understand what stories they're interested in and learn more about what they're working on. These conversations help us spot opportunities and develop ideas that are genuinely relevant to the media.
Of course, having a journalist's email address doesn't guarantee coverage. Journalists make their own editorial decisions, and even the best PR agency can't promise that every pitch will result in an article. But knowing how the media works, what makes a good story and how to approach the right people can make a significant difference.
2. A wider range of expertise
PR involves far more than writing press releases. A successful campaign might require creative ideas, research, media relations, copywriting, influencer partnerships, event management or support with sensitive communications.
When you work with an agency, you can benefit from different team members' experience without needing to employ specialists for every discipline.
For example, a traditional PR specialist might identify a brilliant opportunity for national press coverage, while someone with digital PR experience can consider how that coverage could also support your website's authority through relevant backlinks. Meanwhile, a social media specialist can help you make the most of the coverage across your own channels.
This can be particularly useful for growing businesses that want ambitious PR activity but aren't ready to build an entire communications department.
3. An outside perspective
When you're working on your own business every day, it can be surprisingly difficult to recognise what's newsworthy. Something that feels completely ordinary to you could actually make a brilliant story. Equally, something you're incredibly excited about might not be particularly interesting to journalists. A good PR agency should be able to tell you the difference.
Having someone outside your business who can challenge your ideas, identify opportunities and look at your brand from a journalist's perspective can be incredibly valuable.
4. An always-on team
One advantage that's sometimes overlooked is continuity.
If you employ one PR professional and they go on holiday, are off sick or leave the business, you need to consider who will manage your media enquiries, respond to journalists and keep campaigns moving.
With an agency, you're typically working with a wider team, so activity doesn't have to stop when one person is away.
At Lem-uhn, we work collaboratively across accounts, meaning there's always someone available who understands what's happening. If a team member goes on holiday, the rest of the team can continue pitching, responding to journalists and managing opportunities.
And in PR, where a journalist might need a response within an hour, that continuity can be particularly valuable.
5. Flexibility as your business grows
Your PR requirements aren't necessarily going to stay the same. You might need ongoing media relations throughout the year, additional support around a product launch or a bigger campaign during an important period for your business.
One of the things we love about working with growing brands is seeing how their requirements develop.
At Lem-uhn, we offer a range of retainers to suit different businesses and budgets. Some clients start with our Mellow Yellow retainer, focusing on a more targeted level of PR support, before expanding their activity as their business grows.
We've had clients who started with a smaller PR retainer and went on to add social media management, sponsorships, influencer marketing, Irish PR support and a more comprehensive UK PR retainer.
Rather than having to recruit a new employee every time they want to explore a different marketing channel, they can build on an existing relationship with a team that already understands their brand.
However, agencies aren't automatically more flexible in every situation. Retainer agreements, notice periods and team capacity will affect how quickly support can change, so it's important to understand what's included before signing a contract.
What are the disadvantages of working with a PR agency?
It wouldn't be a particularly balanced comparison if we didn't talk about the downsides too.
An external agency won't automatically have the same understanding of your business as someone who's been working there for years. There's usually an onboarding period where the agency needs to learn about your products, people, industry and objectives. And because agencies work with multiple clients, their teams aren't exclusively dedicated to your business.
That's why communication is so important. You should know who's managing your account, how often you'll receive updates and how your agency will work with your internal team. It's also worth asking who will actually be doing the work. There's little point being impressed by an agency's senior team during the pitch if you never speak to them again once you've signed.
It's also worth considering whether you have enough activity to justify ongoing agency support. If you're an early-stage business with a limited budget and very little news to share, a monthly retainer might not be the right investment just yet.
In that situation, a short-term project, consultancy support or learning how to manage some PR yourself could be a better starting point.
Is a PR agency cheaper than hiring in-house?
The answer is: it depends.
A PR agency can be more cost-effective than employing an experienced PR professional or building an internal team, particularly when you consider the range of expertise you're accessing. But it wouldn't be accurate to say an agency is always cheaper.
Agency fees vary depending on the level of support you need, the experience of the team and the complexity of the work. A relatively straightforward media relations programme will usually require different resources from a national campaign involving research, events and influencer partnerships.
Similarly, an in-house employee might be better value if your business needs someone managing communications full-time, every day.
The most useful question isn't necessarily which option costs less.
It's which option will deliver the best value for your business?
For example, if your objective is to secure high-quality national press coverage, you'll want to consider who has the experience, relationships and capacity to deliver that.
If you need someone to manage internal communications, coordinate multiple departments and respond to daily requests, an in-house professional might be the stronger choice.
And if you're trying to achieve both, a combination could be ideal.
We've also written a separate guide explaining how much PR costs, including the factors that influence agency fees.
Can you have an in-house PR team and work with an agency?
Absolutely. In fact, for many businesses, this can be a really effective approach.
At Lem-uhn, we love working alongside experienced marketing professionals. They know their business inside out, understand their customers and have a clear picture of their wider marketing objectives. We can then bring our PR expertise, journalist relationships and creative ideas to the table.
It's a partnership that can work incredibly well. Your internal team understands the business, knows what's happening behind the scenes and can coordinate activity with other departments. Meanwhile, your agency brings external expertise, creative thinking and media relationships.
For example, your marketing manager might oversee your wider strategy, website, email marketing and social media, while an agency focuses on securing earned media coverage and developing PR campaigns.
Or you might have an internal PR manager who wants additional support with a major product launch, digital PR campaign or influencer activity.
The important thing is making sure everyone understands their responsibilities, shares information and works towards the same objectives. Otherwise, you risk duplicating work or missing opportunities.
How do you decide between an in-house PR team and a PR agency?
Before making a decision, I'd recommend asking yourself five questions.
1. What do you actually want PR to achieve?
Are you looking to increase brand awareness, build credibility, support a product launch, attract customers or establish your founders as industry experts?
Different objectives require different skills and resources. The clearer you are about what success looks like, the easier it becomes to decide what support you need.
2. How much PR activity do you have?
If your business is constantly announcing new products, opening locations, managing corporate communications and responding to internal requests, you might benefit from having someone in-house. If you're looking for specialist media relations, creative campaigns or support around particular business objectives, an agency could be a better fit.
3. What's your realistic budget?
Think about the total investment, not just the headline cost. For in-house PR, that means salary, employment costs, tools and management time. For an agency, consider the retainer or project fee, any additional campaign costs and the internal time required to support the relationship.
4. What expertise do you already have?
If you have a strong marketing team but limited media relations experience, an agency could fill that gap. If you already have experienced PR professionals internally, you might only need external support for specialist campaigns or particularly busy periods.
5. How quickly do you need to get started?
Recruiting the right employee can take time, particularly if you're looking for someone with specialist industry experience. An established agency may be able to get started more quickly, although they'll still need time to understand your business and develop an effective strategy.
And remember, PR itself takes time. Whether you're working with an agency or an in-house professional, building credibility and journalist relationships rarely happens overnight.
We've explored this in more detail in our guide to how long PR takes.
So, is a PR agency or in-house PR the better investment?
There's no universal answer.
If you're a large business with complex, ongoing communications requirements, having an experienced in-house PR team could be exactly what you need. If you're a growing brand looking to build awareness, secure media coverage and benefit from a wider range of expertise, working with a PR agency could be a brilliant investment. And if you already have a marketing team but want specialist PR support, combining the two approaches might deliver the strongest results.
Ultimately, what matters most isn't whether your PR team sits inside or outside your business. It's whether they understand your objectives, have the right experience and can deliver meaningful results.
At Lem-uhn, we believe PR should do more than generate impressive-looking coverage reports. It should help brands build credibility, connect with the right audiences and support their wider business goals. You can see examples of our approach through our client work.
We're also big believers in being realistic about what's achievable. PR isn't guaranteed, and a good agency should be honest about what it can deliver.
Thinking about investing in PR?
If you're weighing up your options and want to understand what working with an agency could look like, get in touch with Lem-uhn.
We'd be happy to talk through your goals and help you work out whether agency support is the right fit for your business.
I think the strongest addition is the section about clients starting on Mellow Yellow and growing their support over time. It gives prospective clients a much clearer picture of how Lem-uhn can grow with their business, without making them feel they need to commit to everything from day one.
One final improvement I'd consider before publishing is adding a brief example of a client who started with one service and expanded into others, once you have their permission. That would turn a convincing explanation into an even stronger piece of evidence.
