How to choose a PR agency in 5 easy steps

Choosing a PR agency can seem rather daunting. With thousands of large, small and freelance outfits across the UK, the choice can seem overwhelming; should you stay local or go for a London based agency? Base your decision purely on price? Awards won? Current clients? The list and options are endless.

Appointing a boutique PR and communications agency is an option to consider if you’re looking to amplify your business or products to the media.

We have considered the reasons clients have come to us in the past, to help you think about what you should be looking for in your next agency…

Emma and Verity, Directors of Aubergine

1. Senior expertise in PR and the media

One of the first things to consider is who will be delivering the work once you commission a PR agency. Generally, boutique communications agencies are smaller and led by senior PR professionals who not only win the business but are also, crucially, heavily involved in actually delivering your brief. Rather than junior team members managing day-to-day activity, media relations and copywriting, in boutique agencies the work is delivered by a team of experts in their field.

Aubergine, for example is led by former journalist Emma Gardner and PR pro Verity Clarke, who know the media industry inside out. With experience working at outlets such as BBC, Channel 4 News and ITV News, their knowledge of media relations and insight into how to secure high profile national news coverage is second to none. Furthermore, their ability to write head-turning press releases, features and thought leadership content is the standard you’d expect from a national journalist.

2. Targeted specialisms in different sectors

“All round” agencies exist which can take on clients in any sector; but these agencies tend to have a steep learning curve which is paid for by you, the client. When initially researching potential agencies, be sure to also find out if there is one which specialises in your sector. A specialist agency has much more insight, contacts and experience for that specific sector, understanding from the word go, how the sector operates and what sort of content resonates with the most relevant journalists.

Aubergine specialises in food, tech, lifestyle and health PR and we have secured some outstanding results for our clients in these areas. To demonstrate our food tech PR expertise, a recent media relations campaign for London Food Tech Week saw us smash the KPIs by 182%, securing coverage in 60 national titles including Mashable, Huffington Post, Daily Mirror, The Sun, New Statesman, Evening Standard and City AM. We also launched health tech brand Surfaceskins to the media, securing 25 pieces of coverage mainly in the trade press but also in the business section of the Daily Express, both print and online.

Brian Waligora, CEO of Surfaceskins

3. Modern ways of working

The PR industry has always been quick to adapt to new working practices and has embraced remote working, flexible hours and ‘hot-desking’. Large city centre offices with PR staff chained to their desk for 12 hour days are fast becoming a thing of the past. The industry is putting staff wellbeing and mental health first, meaning that happy PR staff are productive, loyal and work productively. Ensure you check with your agency that these practices are adopted in-house as it’s much more likely you’ll be working with a happy and more productive team.

We operate a ‘virtual office’ set-up which not only gives us immense flexibility, it also means our day rates are much lower than you’d expect from a big agency. In this day and age, it’s all about value for money, right?

4. The right person for the right job

Ensure you look into the bio of every team member who could be assigned to your account, it is imperative that you are working with the right skill set for you.

Not all boutique agencies operate in this way but here at Aubergine we pride ourselves in working with a network of highly specialised freelance PR consultants across the UK to help us deliver high quality PR campaigns for our clients. Working in this way means we can pick and choose the right consultant to match the project, meaning the level of expertise the client gets is unparalleled. Aubergine’s directors always stay heavily involved in managing and delivering all projects, but the consultants bring an additional ‘edge’, and some brilliant additional creativity.

We worked on a media relations campaign for The Ice Co in the summer of 2018 as a collaboration with other food PR specialists which saw this creativity at play. To create original news, we hooked onto the World Cup (and the hot weather!) as a key time to be buying ice. In order to achieve these news angles and headlines, we developed a news-driven survey which found Millennials were shunning the pub and drinking beer during the World Cup and instead hosting parties at home. Through this campaign we secured 24 pieces of coverage in the consumer media including hits in the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Sunday Express and Women’s Health, reaching an audience of 3 million people.

Shann Nix Jones, Founder of Chuckling Goat

5. Staying nimble

Last, but certainly not least, look for an agency who will stick to a plan but can also adapt. If you are a fast moving business, the last thing you want is for your agency to lag behind because there was already pre-planned activity in place.

Aubergine has been able to deliver projects extremely quickly and effectively for our clients. We’d always recommend a long-term retained service, where possible, to guarantee more of a drip-feed of news, but if you’re looking for a quick-win PR project, this is where we come in.

We were commissioned by kefir brand Chuckling Goat to amplify the news that the company had been recognised by the Parliamentary Review as an example of best business practice in the UK. Our strategy was to highlight business owner Shann Jones’ expertise and the business' turnover for national press, whilst emphasising the 'success despite Brexit' angle for regional press in Wales. We developed a series of press releases tailored to different media audiences; national business press and regional newspapers/online. We also offered one-on-one interviews with Shann to national press and broadcast media.

In the space of just 6 weeks from being commissioned we secured 13 pieces of coverage for the story across national, regional and trade media, including pieces in The Telegraph print and online, Daily Express print and online and BBC Radio Wales. The campaign reached an audience of over one million people. As a result of this successful campaign, Aubergine was appointed as Chuckling Goat’s retained agency.

If you’d like to find out more about how our boutique PR and communications agency can help your business get in touch.

We’ve been shortlisted for two national CIPR awards

Our new agency Aubergine has been shortlisted for two national accolades in the CIPR Excellence Awards 2019.

The two categories we’ve been shortlisted in are:

·     Outstanding New Public Relations Consultancy

·     Outstanding Specialist Public Relations Consultancy

A team of more than 60 experienced PR professionals will review the category shortlists and the select the winners, which will be presented with their awards during a ceremony in London in June.  

These latest nominations come less than a month after we won our first award, New Agency of the Year at the 2019 PRmoment Awards.

Established exactly a year ago but with years of PR and journalism experience under our belts, we work with a network of experienced PR consultants and former journalists across the UK to deliver creative campaigns for clients in the food, tech, lifestyle and health sectors. Some of our current and past clients include Flyt, Slingsby Gin, Beerwulf, Chuckling Goat, London Food Tech Week and Glorious Soups.

Fresh from winning New Agency of the Year at the PRmoment Awards, we could hardly believe it when we received the news that we were also nominated for two national awards.

We’ve come such a long way in such a short space of time and these award wins and nominations are testament not only to the hard work we’ve put into building the business, but to the results we’ve secured for our clients. From launching a YouGov survey and thought leadership reportfor leading London tech brand Flyt, to working with a NASA scientist and the Jamie Oliver Group to secure national news coverage for London Food Tech Week, we love bringing client briefs to life with our passion and enthusiasm.

Aubergine wins New Agency of the Year at PRmoment Awards 2019

Leeds PR and content agency, Aubergine, has won New Agency of the Year in this year’s PRmoment Awards for the North.

Hosted at the Hilton Deansgate, Manchester, on Wednesday 13 March, the awards celebrate excellence and recognise outstanding campaigns and exceptional talent in the UK PR and Communications sector.

A firm fixture on the PR calendar, the PRmoment Awards are judged by eminent senior in-house and agency-side communications professionals.

Competing against already established award-winning agencies, the win recognises that despite only having been established for less than 12 months, Aubergine, like its clients, are disrupting the food and tech space. 

The agency, consisting of a team of two Directors, Verity Clarke and Emma Gardner, work with a network of highly experienced consultants across the UK and has secured over £100k of new business in eight months, working with Flyt, London Food Tech Week, Evapolar, Slingsby Gin, Carthy & Black, Glorious Soups and Surfaceskins. Their creative campaigns have also led them to work alongside NASA, Jamie Oliver Group, Deliveroo and UberEats.

Aubergine’s co-founder, Emma Gardner, commented: “We are delighted to be given the prestigious accolade of New Agency of the Year in this year’s PRmoment awards. From winning a nine-way pitch against established London agencies to work with tech company Flyt, to launching the world’s first Food Tech Village in London, Team Aubergine prides itself on bringing passion and enthusiasm to all client briefs. As a team of experienced former journalists and knowledgeable consultants, who all have unique behind-the-scenes experience we will look to continue to innovate in the tech and food PR landscape.”

Aubergine’s co-founder, Verity Clarke added: “The last year has been an incredible journey– from setting up an agency, developing our business model and acquiring some incredible clients. It’s therefore great to see Aubergine being recognised by our peers and is a testament to how far we have come in such a short space of time.”

Aubergine has the right culture for leading kefir brand

PR and content agency, Aubergine, has been awarded the PR contract for leading kefir producer, Chuckling Goat.

The Leeds-based consultancy, specialising in the food, tech and health industries, secured the contract after approaching the brand directly.

Chuckling Goat weren’t actively looking for PR support due to having exceptional in-house expertise, securing support from Fearne Cotton and BBC Radio Four’s The Archers plus authoring three books on kefir and fermentation.

Shann Jones, Founder of Chuckling Goat, said: “Aubergine really stood out because they have a clear passion for what they do and they were customers of the brand. Like me, they are former journalists so there was a real affinity between us. They put their heart and soul into the pitch and really impressed us. It’s an exciting time for Chuckling Goat and I’m looking forward to growing and reaching new markets with Aubergine.”  

Since establishing less than 12 months ago, Aubergine, like its clients, are disrupting the food and tech space. Founded by former BBC and Channel Four journalist Emma Gardner and experienced PR practitioner Verity Clarke, Aubergine works with a network of highly experienced consultants across the UK to produce PR and content campaigns.

Aubergine co-founder, Emma Gardner, said: “Gut health and the kefir market is hot news at the moment and our head was turned by the wonderful customer experience from Chuckling Goat. The packaging, the quality product, the testimonials and the science backing really got our head spinning with PR ideas so we HAD to get in touch to show what we could do. We are so pleased we did.”

Aubergine shortlisted for major tech accolade

Aubergine has been shortlisted as Technology Agency of the Year in the 2019 PRmoment Awards for the North.

Since establishing less than 12 months ago, Aubergine, like its clients, are disrupting the food and tech space.

Carving a niche within tech and food, the pet passion of its two directors, Aubergine has created head-turning campaigns which consistently smash KPIs.

The team of two, which works with a network of highly experienced consultants across the UK, has secured over £100k of new business in eight months, working with Flyt, London Food Tech Week, Evapolar, Slingsby Gin, Carthy & Black, Glorious Soups and Surfaceskins. Their creative campaigns have also led them to work alongside NASA, Jamie Oliver Group, Deliveroo and UberEats.

Aubergine’s co-director, Emma Gardner, commented: “From winning a nine-way pitch against established London agencies to work with tech company Flyt, to launching the world’s first Food Tech Village in London, Team Aubergine prides itself on bringing passion and enthusiasm to all client briefs. We’re a team of experienced former journalists who all have unique behind-the-scenes experience of the media and I’m thrilled this has been recognised in being nominated for this prestigious award – especially as we’re such a young company.”

How we create effective PR survey stories that journalists love

Creating PR survey stories that journalists love and want to cover in their editorial content, can be a very tough nut to crack. However, if an agency can get it right they can generate media coverage that gets clients seen in high profile national, trade and regional press.

As a team of former journalists, Aubergine has a unique ‘journalist first’ approach when it comes to creating survey stories and as a result, we have a brilliant track record for securing insight-led media coverage. Having worked behind the scenes in print, television and digital newsrooms for so many years, we’ve been ‘sold’ stories by countless PR types ourselves, so we know what works and what doesn’t.

Here’s how we make survey stories work, time and again, for our clients:

1. Nail the brief. We begin by working with our clients to find out exactly what sort of key messages they want to convey

2. Journalist interviews. We then spend a great deal of time talking to our extensive network of journalist contacts to find out what sorts of headlines, angles and stories are of interest to them, which fit in with the client’s key messages

3. Work on the questions. Once we have an idea of the angles and headlines that will work for both the client and the media, we work with the chosen market research agency to develop the questions for the survey. We never take it as a given that these questions are right first time, we work on them to hone them and ensure we know they are going to give us strong results

4. Analyse, analyse, analyse. Once the survey has been into field and we get the results, we analyse them to find out the best angles that have been uncovered. We are unique in the PR world in that we work with an independent market research consultant specialising in quantitative research, who takes a deeper dive into results and finds angles we perhaps didn’t spot initially

5. Develop the story. Armed with our brilliant statistics, headlines and angles, we develop a press release for the client to approve. We ALWAYS create several versions of the same release to ensure we’re tailoring it to the various target media. If we think it’s relevant, we also develop infographics or even an in-depth report, to accompany the story

6. Selling in. When the press releases are approved, we hit the phones, speaking one-on-one to our huge journalist contact database, or we meet them for face-to-face briefings. We think speaking to journalists first then following up by email is the best approach as it’s the best way to get feedback and insight into their interest in the story. Blanket emails are a no-go for Team Aubergine

This formula has seen us secure some amazing results for our clients, for example:

• Flyt – We worked with YouGov to launch a survey to establish why the dining industry has been struggling of late. We integrated the results in a bespoke thought leadership report, which we wrote in-house using our journalistic writing skills, accompanied with infographics and a press release to sell-in. This resulted in widespread national coverage including standout pieces in The Times and the Telegraph. See the full case study here

• The Ice Co – Europe’s largest manufacturer of ice came to us with a brief that they wanted to create buzz around their brand during the World Cup 2018, coinciding with the hottest summer on record. Our survey found Millennials were shunning the pub to watch the World Cup at home and were drinking less than ever before, which peaked several journalist’s interest. We saw widespread consumer coverage including in the Daily Express, Sunday Express Daily Mirror and Women’s Health. See the full case study here

• Glorious Soups – The brand wanted to establish itself as a thought leader in health and lifestyle, taking a new approach away from product-focused PR. Our survey uncovered unique headlines around how people were ditching ‘fad’ diets and instead opting for a more balanced approach to being fit and healthy. We backed this up with a report from a food futurologist and infographics, securing coverage in Telegraph online, Huffington Post, Daily Mail and Waitrose Weekend amongst several other pieces. See the full case study here

In a nutshell, we love working on survey stories for our clients because we get such a buzz when we see all the lovely coverage filtering through once the hard work has been put in.

If you’re considering launching a PR survey campaign why not get in touch for a chat? Alternatively, if you work in PR and have been working on a survey story that doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere, we can help with that too.

Aubergine takes Flyt

Aubergine has been awarded the PR contract for disruptive London-based tech company, Flyt.

The Leeds-based consultancy, specialising in the food, tech and health industries, secured the contract after a nine-way pitch and has started its trade and consumer media campaigns programme immediately.

Flyt enables hospitality operators to integrate new and existing technologies within one innovative streamlined platform, increasing efficiency through ordering and payment and boosting customer satisfaction.

Flyt powers technology in over 2,500 locations in the UK and clients include JustEat, Pizza Express, Wahaca, Nandos and KFC.

Trade Marketing Director, Dominic Atkinson, said: “Aubergine really stood out during the pitch because of their creative, journalist-led approach and their clear passion for what they do. As former journalists themselves, it was clear they know the media industry inside out and have delivered incredible ROI for previous clients. I’m confident they’re the best agency to help us grow and reach new markets.”

Former BBC and Channel 4 News journalist and Aubergine founder, Emma Gardner, said: “We were delighted to join the “Flyt crew” and look forward to growing awareness of this innovative technology which is disrupting the hospitality industry. The team here at Aubergine is passionate about food and technology – so it’s such a thrill to be appointed to work with a company that fuses both of these sectors together.”