How to Hire and Work with a PR Consultant (When You’re Ready)

By LeAnne DeFrancesco, Vice President, Vanguard Communications

This resource is the fourth in the series of the WWPR Nonprofit Communications Toolkit, a year-long series of practice guides designed specifically for small to mid-sized nonprofits working with limited staff and budgets. Each quarter focuses on a different theme, and each resource is designed to be immediately implementable without prior communications experience or expensive tools. Explore more resources at wwpr.org/nonprofit-toolkit. For questions or feedback: probono@wwpr.org.

Let’s start with the good news. 

1. You have realized you need help.
2. There is a lot of PR and communications talent in the DMV metro area.
3. You have a budget to support hiring a PR consultant. (see below for more on budgets)

Now, the reality: Help comes in many forms, and knowing where to start can be daunting.  

When you bring in an external resource to support a specific project or activity—from an event to a communications audit to a report—there are many variables to consider. Skills and expertise are likely at the top, but price, availability, and work style are also important. You want to know if your resource will meet deadlines, will take feedback, and will produce quality work. 

A few best practices will help you tease these things out and ensure you secure the right person or group for the project and possibly build a long-term relationship you can lean on again in the future.

Phase 1: Getting Started

Step 1: Explore What You Really Need

When an organization brings on a consultant, it can be easy for you or your board or staff to get excited about what you can “unload.” Some may need help with media strategy, others may need someone to draft social media content, and someone else may be thinking they can use the consultant to create a full strategic communications plan. 

Make sure you know precisely what you have funding to support and be transparent with your colleagues about what the consultant, once hired, will be doing and NOT doing. For example, you may engage the consultant to put together media lists, but not pitch stories. Or you may ask them to do a website audit for you, but not actually revise or write copy for it. 

This will help you write a scope of work that is clear, and it will help your team understand which tasks they can share with the consultant and which remain their responsibility. 

Before engaging a consultant, make sure you know:

• What problem are you trying to solve right now.
• Whether the scope is strategic (planning, messaging) or executional (writing, design, media outreach).
• What success looks like following their engagement on the project or task. What will you have in hand that you don’t have now?
• Who their point of contact will be throughout the contract, and who makes decisions about the deliverable(s) completion and quality. 

Individual consultants are often best when:

• You have a clearly defined task
• You need a specific skill (writing, media strategy, facilitation)
• You want deep engagement from one person

Small firms may be better when:

• The project touches multiple disciplines (strategy + writing + design)
• Timing is compressed, and work needs to happen in parallel
• You want a built-in backup if one person is unavailable

Step 2: Market the Task

Here, clarity and reasonableness are incredibly important. Be upfront about what you are really expecting a consultant to do, how long they will have to do it, and what you are prepared to pay for their services. 

Be specific. 

• If you need a consultant to rewrite your website, be clear about how many pages they will need to draft, the approximate length of content, any mandatories that should go into pages like subheads, or the number of hyperlinks, how many rounds of review they can expect from your team, and how the final copy should be delivered to you. Give them a style guide to learn your voice and lexicon. 

If you’re working on a crunched timeframe, say so. 

• Consultants whose availability aligns with your timeline will respond to your call for help—whether you issue a formal RFP or simply use your network to get recommendations—while those who have less flexibility will hang back. If you know that your review team takes a while to review drafts, say that, so the consultant will be prepared for a lull. That might read: “First draft of web copy is due May 1, with expected revisions due June 15.” Timelines rarely work perfectly, but even ballpark dates will give your consultant a sense of where they can slot in other work versus when they need to remain available for you. 

Communicate about your budget. 

• There’s no universal “right” budget, but you can expect an average hourly rate for a consultant (whether practicing on their own or within a firm) to be about $150–$160/hour, depending on experience. Costs for common projects, depending on scope and timeline, are in the following ranges:
  • Communications audits, media lists, or targeted writing support: $3,000–$8,000
  • Message development, campaign planning, or executive communications: $8,000–$20,000+
  • Strategic planning or messaging work is typically higher due to research, experience levels, and iterations.
  • Ongoing support or retainers are best suited for organizations with steady needs and internal capacity to manage weekly work. Could range from $2,500 to $15,000/month. 

Step 3: Review Your Candidates

They probably aren’t going to be with you forever, but you need to ensure whoever you hire for your activity is someone you can trust to do the job well, on time, and on budget. Review their resume or capability statement for the following:

Skill set: If you need someone to write a speech, and they’ve only written fact sheets and op-eds, that’s a disconnect. They may be great at speeches, but without evidence, they can do it well; you’ll be taking a risk that their drafts will need a lot of work.

Expertise area: If you need someone well-versed in health or environmental issues, that should be reflected somewhere on their resume. 

Experience depth: Depending on your task, you may need someone with 10 years of experience or just 2. Whatever the ideal number is, look for that depth in the resume.

Step 4: Have a Conversation

Reviewing resumes only gets you so far. Having a call or meeting is the best way to get at specific details you want to know about their experience and work style. You may ask questions like:

• Have you ever worked on this short of a timeframe?
• What is your research process like?
• When might you be available for a call throughout the day?
• What has been a challenging project for you, and why did it not go well?
• How do you typically handle feedback or changes in direction mid-project?
• What do you need to succeed on this task?

Even though you aren’t hiring a consultant to be an employee at your organization, you are making an investment of time and money, and it’s fair to be thorough about what you’re getting in return.

Step 5: Ask for References

Here’s where you can get into the consultant’s soft skills. Did they respond quickly to emails and calls? Were they open to feedback, and did they execute revisions thoughtfully? Were they easy to collaborate with?

They may have a stellar resume and be great in an interview, but you’ll want to know the experiences of those who have relied on them before you make a decision.

Step 6: Set Up the Contract

Your organization probably already has a contract it likes to use for outsourcing work, but if there are any details that should be specific to your project, make sure they are included. For example, if you are contracting out for graphic design support:

• Include a line about how the artwork your consultant supplies should be 100% original and free from any claims of copyright. 
• Note that all final native files should be transferred to you upon completion of the project.
• Be clear about the maximum expenses the consultant may incur (e.g., Shutterstock images) and charge to you.
• Establish the number of rounds of review because these represent time invested by the consultant and if not explicitly stated, you might receive pushback. Particularly on creative work, revisions are unavoidable and need to be factored in.
• Add confidentiality and/or no marketing clauses, if it is needed to protect the sensitivity of the work.

The scope of work, the timeline, and the budget must be explicitly called out in this document. Make sure the scope is crystal clear and that any work must be cleared by you or the lead in your organization, so you don’t end up paying for scope creep by well-meaning staff or consultants with additive ideas. It is binding, so be sure all the details click. Avoid words like “may” and “could.” These are subjective and will be difficult to enforce if the consultant falls short in any area. Use definitive words like “will” that set out the expectation clearly and leave no room for interpretation, including mapping deadlines for each task.

Many consultants work on a project-by-project basis, while others prefer an hourly rate. If your organization has a specific way they like to pay for services, put that in the contract.

Ask your consultant to review the contract and sign it, and then sign on your end. Make sure all parties have a copy of the fully executed contract so that everyone is working from the same piece of paper.

Phase 2: Working Together

Developing a positive relationship with a consultant requires you to play a role as well. Remember, they have networks too, and if you are difficult to work with, word will spread, making it harder to contract with a strong consultant in the future. 

Step 1: Be a Good Partner

Start off on the right foot by introducing your consultant to your team and discussing what they will be doing and who their point of contact is. This “kick-off call” should be included in the scope of work and budget. It’s a best practice for the consultant to have one person from whom they should receive assignments and communication. 

Frame the consultant’s support as a way to help your organization reach its goals and, if applicable, take some pressure off overloaded staff. 

Consultants have lives, too. They likely are juggling several projects in addition to yours and just because they are tied up when you want to meet or don’t respond to an email within 10 minutes doesn’t mean they are checked out. Be patient and gracious and assume the best. If their response time starts to become an issue, raise it with them. Work styles can vary greatly and if you need more touchpoints with them, it’s OK to say so. It’s in their best interest to meet your expectations.

Step 2: Be Fair on Deadlines

Just because they are working for you doesn’t mean that they can operate at warp speed. They may be able to fast-track your project based on what else they are working on but be collaborative on that point instead of prescriptive. Or, be very transparent if you have an immovable deadline. Ask yourself: What would you negotiate for yourself for that deliverable?

This relationship is a two-way street. Ensure that your team is fair regarding your own deadlines throughout the process. Be as responsive to the consultant’s inquiries and deadlines. If your work is delayed, you are also delaying the consultant’s performance, and project timelines may be affected.

Step 3: Trust Their Expertise

If you have hired a consultant, something in their experience told you it was a good match. Listen to what they have to say and have a dialogue about ideas and recommendations. Even if what they propose won’t work for your organization, there is value in getting different perspectives. Be respectful of what they are bringing to the table.

Same with written content. Even if their first draft of content doesn’t match what you are looking for, take a moment to provide specific feedback on why it doesn’t work. Statements like “I just don’t like this” or “My boss will never go for this” don’t provide action steps on how to make it better next time. Good feedback sounds like:

• “This is a little too playful for our brand.”
• “We need punchier statements in fewer words.”
• “We have to reference the Annual Meeting in every social post.”

Step 4: Create a Relationship 

You want a framework in which the consultant is an extension of your team. Think about what they are tasked to do and set up systems to help them succeed. For example:

• Should they be in any team meetings, even if just a fly on the wall to hear conversations and strategies?
• Should they be on specific emails about an issue?
• Do they need additional context about something they are working on that would help them do their job better? 

Important Things to Consider 

1. Be wary of a consultant’s budget or rate that seems too good to be true. 

Right now, many communicators are discounting their work to bring work in the door. That’s great, but it might not last. If a fee seems way below market value, ask why and how long it will remain valid.

2. Ask for samples: plans, writing assignments, even email communications 

If a potential consultant can’t or won’t supply that, ask why. Tell them it’s OK to redact information for confidentiality if that is a barrier. But it’s fair for you to explore how they think and communicate. 

3. Probe into their use of AI. We’re all using AI tools in different ways. 

You want to be sure that what you are “buying” is real expertise and not just a savvy AI prompter. There’s nothing wrong with using AI, but make sure their approach aligns with your organization’s expectations around originality, confidentiality, and quality control.

4. Assess their approach to inclusive language

If a potential consultant speaks only in broad generalities about “target audiences” without demonstrating a nuanced understanding of the communities you serve, that’s worth a closer look. Ask how they tailor messaging for different identity communities and how they ensure language is respectful, accessible, and inclusive. 

Clarity and Partnership

You don’t need to have everything figured out to hire a consultant, but you do need clarity, honesty, and a willingness to partner. When those things are in place, outside expertise can move your mission forward faster and more thoughtfully than doing everything in-house ever could.

About the Author: LeAnne DeFrancesco is a Vice President at Vanguard Communications, a Washington, DC–based public relations and social marketing firm serving mission-driven organizations. She leads the firm’s editorial and design practice and brings more than 25 years of experience helping clients develop clear messaging and dynamic creative portfolios. She is a member of Washington Women in PR and supports WWPR’s Pro Bono Committee and initiatives.