PR from the Other Side: A Business Leader’s Perspective – with Andrew Wood

Andrew Wood is a business powerhouse. Co-founding ESP Play at just 19, he has built it into a multimillion-pound success story. And if that weren’t impressive enough, he also salvaged a struggling firm, Quest Electrical. Over several years he has transformed its fortunes and today Quest is going from strength to strength.

While many other PR in the Real World guests come from a comms background, Andrew is a guest with a strong belief in marketing and comms. He has a refreshing no-nonsense perspective on what businesses actually want from agencies. Every PR and comms professional looking to understand how PR can be viewed from the other side of the pitch process needs to listen in.

Here is some of his advice.

Let the Experts Take The Wheel

Many entrepreneurs might be classed as control freaks. So my message to fellow business owners is this: if you appoint an expert let them get on with the job. Trust the people you’ve hired to do their job. As for PR professionals, I’d say earning that trust means navigating company politics, sticking to the deal and proving your value. Do this effectively and you’ll have the space to deliver impact and grow the relationship.

Don’t Pitch And Ditch

Winning the business is one thing – keeping it is another. From a buyer’s perspective, few things are more frustrating than when an MD or senior leader is involved at the pitch stage and then disappears the moment work begins. While it’s not always done in bad faith, it can leave clients feeling shortchanged and undervalued. If you’re part of the pitch, stay part of the process.

The Bottom Line: Revenue First

PR and comms professionals talk a lot about storytelling, but businesses need their marketing and PR investments to deliver results. Competing in any marketplace means boosting the bottom line, pure and simple. That doesn’t mean businesses are cutthroat, but it does mean PR needs to deliver measurable impact. Storytelling for its own sake, won’t keep the lights on. We need storytelling to drive growth. Done well, PR does that. Be upfront about this, and so the agency understands its KPIs.

Practice What You Preach

Businesses do their homework when choosing a PR agency. Even to the point of mystery shopping. If you don’t manage your own agency brand well, why would they trust you with theirs? It’s tough to carve out time for your own PR when you’re focused on clients, but neglecting it is a major misstep. It’s not enough to present well in a pitch. PR isn’t just about landing clients, every interaction is a potential lead.

Key takeaways:

• Business owners, let the agency do its job. PR professionals – be assertive, you were hired for a reason. 

• Don’t pitch and disappear.

• Make sure you deliver what you say you will.

• Manage your own PR and brand like you would your clients.