Most founders choose a PR agency the same way: a friend makes an introduction, the agency shows a deck full of logos, quotes a monthly retainer, and promises “100+ articles” and “TV coverage.” Six months later the founder has spent several lakh rupees and cannot point to a single deal, hire, or investor conversation that came from any of it.
The problem is rarely that PR doesn’t work. It’s that the founder had no way to tell a good agency from a bad one before signing. This guide gives you that filter.
Start with the outcome, not the activity
Before you evaluate a single agency, decide what PR is actually for in your business right now. “Awareness” is not an outcome. These are: a searchable, credible record so that when a buyer or investor Googles your name, they find proof instead of silence; editorial coverage in the specific outlets your customers actually read; and a founder narrative you can point serious prospects to before a sales call.
If an agency cannot connect its work to one of these, you are buying activity, not results.
The “100+ articles” trap
The single most common promise in Indian PR is a big number of articles. It sounds impressive until you ask one question: where are these articles coming from?
There is a large ecosystem of low-authority syndication sites that will republish the same press release a hundred times. Google knows these are low quality. Your buyers have never heard of them. A hundred such placements do less for your credibility than one genuine feature in a publication your customers respect. So the number is the wrong metric. Ask instead: which named publications, and why those?
The TV coverage that isn’t
The second common promise is television. What founders often receive is a rushed 20-to-30-second mention in a low-viewership bulletin, no context, no recall, no business impact, dressed up as “national TV coverage.” Real broadcast placement is valuable. A filler slot nobody watched is not. Ask which programme, at what time, and to what audience.
Digital PR usually matters more than traditional
For most Indian startups, digital PR, editorial coverage in outlets like YourStory, Inc42, Entrackr, and the tech desks of the business dailies, matters more day to day than print or broadcast. That is where your customers, investors, and future hires actually check whether you are real. If an agency is still selling you primarily on print clippings and TV, ask how that maps to where your buyers spend their attention.
Seven questions that expose a weak agency
Ask these before you sign anything. First, who actually works on my account? You want a senior person thinking about your narrative, not a junior executing a template. Get names. Second, which specific publications will you target, and why those? Vague answers mean no real relationships. Third, show me three recent placements you secured, not logos, links. Fourth, how do you define success, and how will you report it? If the answer is “number of articles,” walk. Fifth, what do you need from me, and how often? Good PR needs a real point of view from the founder. Sixth, what happens in month four? Most engagements coast after the launch novelty. Seventh, will you help us build in-house muscle over time, or keep us dependent? The honest answer tells you a lot about their incentives.
What PR actually costs in India
Legacy agencies typically charge monthly retainers starting around Rs 1-2 lakh and running well past Rs 5 lakh for larger mandates. Newer, founder-friendly setups offer project-based or milestone pricing that lets you test results before committing to a long retainer. Neither is automatically right, but if you cannot see how the fee maps to a business outcome, the price is too high at any number.
Where a marketing consultant fits
This is the part agencies won’t tell you: you often don’t need to replace your PR agency, you need someone in your corner who can see through the promises, define clear deliverables, and hold the agency accountable to them. A good marketing consultant helps you ask the right questions, avoid the vanity metrics, and over time build enough in-house capability that you depend on agencies less, not more. In 2026, competing against AI, creators, and well-funded rivals in your category, SMEs and MSMEs simply cannot afford to pay for noise.
The one-line test
Before you sign, finish this sentence with your prospective agency: “In six months, this engagement will have produced ______, and we’ll know because ______.” If neither blank fills in cleanly, keep looking.
Ishan Goel is an independent Chief Marketing Officer and PR & branding consultant working with founders and SMEs across India and Dubai. If you’re weighing up a PR agency and want a second opinion before you commit, start a conversation on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/4511CQR