Public relations work is hard to see from the outside. Pitches that didn't land, relationships built over months, a crisis avoided: none of it shows up in a simple report. That's why PR retainers are often the first thing a client questions when budgets tighten.
Agree the plan at the start of each month
A short monthly plan, approved by the client:
- stories and angles to pitch;
- media to target;
- events, launches or announcements coming up;
- what success looks like this month.
Report against the plan
At month-end, report against what was agreed:
- coverage achieved, with links;
- pitches made and responses;
- interviews arranged;
- what's carrying over to next month, and why.
Reporting against a plan the client approved is more convincing than a long list of activity.
Show the effort, not just the results
Coverage depends partly on the news cycle. Effort is within your control. A summary of hours by activity (writing, pitching, media relations, client meetings) helps the client understand what the retainer buys.
Keep the scope clear
Launches, events and crisis work are often outside a standard retainer. Agree in advance how they're priced.
How MSMEPulse helps
MSMEPulse includes PR retainer and product launch templates with the monthly plan and report as milestones, tasks for each activity, and client approvals on a checklist. Time logged against each retainer shows the effort behind the results, and extra work is quoted and invoiced separately.
