🚩🚩🚩 When PR Firms Put Themselves First … That’s an Ick
There’s a saying in tech: “If the product is free, YOU are the product.” In PR, there’s a version of this too: When your agency uses your success to market themselves.
The right PR partner should help you own your narrative, engage the right audiences, and achieve tangible impact—not just rack up easy media hits or fill their own marketing pipeline with your work. But too often, agencies prioritize their visibility over your results.
It’s not always obvious when this is happening. It can look like strong agency support. But if you’re not careful, you’ll find that your wins and work are the content for their business development.
Here’s what to watch out for:
1. The Press Release Hijack
You invest time, strategy, and resources into a big announcement. Instead of sharing a link to your website when they post on social, your PR agency hosts your press release on theirs.
đźš© You lose traffic and SEO value.
🚩 Your site doesn’t become the go-to source for your own news.
đźš© The agency gets all the clicks and engagement that should be yours.
It’s a subtle but telling move—one that shows they prioritize their brand over yours.
2. The Clickbait Play
Your agency pitches your news to a low-quality, high-volume outlet because they know it’ll run. No real strategy, no meaningful audience—just an easy placement.
Then they promote that win like it’s a major media hit, instead of working to get you in front of the right reporters, decision-makers, and industry insiders who actually matter.
🚩 You end up with press that doesn’t serve your goals.
đźš© The agency looks busy, but your brand gets little real impact.
đźš© You miss opportunities to be in the outlets that actually shape conversations.
3. The Client-as-Content Trap
Some agencies use their clients’ wins as content for their own marketing—turning press hits into agency LinkedIn posts and newsletters or writing case studies that embellish their own role over the client’s success. Look, we write case studies too. But a well-crafted case study should celebrate client accomplishments and articulate the agency’s professional approach to problem-solving—not make the agency the main character in their client’s story.
🚩 Instead of focusing on getting your story to the right industry stakeholders, they’re more concerned with getting it in front of their next potential client.
đźš© They treat your success as an extension of their brand, not a milestone for yours.
The Half Street Approach: PR That Puts Clients First
At Half Street Group, PR isn’t about vanity metrics—it’s about securing meaningful coverage, driving impactful conversations, and helping our clients achieve their goals through strategic stakeholder engagement, persuasion, and pressure.
Here’s how we do that:
🔹 We start with the audience. Every strategy begins with a deep understanding of who you need to reach and what moves them. We don’t chase placements for the sake of it—we ensure every media hit aligns with your broader objectives.
🔹 We ensure senior-level involvement. Every client benefits from direct, experienced guidance. We don’t hand off accounts to junior staff who focus on surface-level execution—our leadership team is actively engaged in strategy and decision-making.
🔹 We adapt in real time. News cycles shift, public sentiment changes, and unexpected challenges arise. We don’t rely on rigid, outdated playbooks—we evolve our approach to keep you relevant and effective.
🔹 We make sure you own your story. Your press releases, media placements, and messaging should live within your communications ecosystem—your website, social channels, and direct engagement efforts. Our job is to amplify your voice, not co-opt it.
PR isn’t about getting the most placements—it’s about getting the right people to listen, engage, and act. And if your agency isn’t helping you do that, you deserve better.
