For nonprofits, schools, hospitals, and physicians’ practices, one key question often arises: “Should we build an in-house PR team or hire an agency?”
For larger organizations, the answer is clear… both! Having an internal PR professional who understands the organization’s imperatives, priorities, strengths, and challenges can complement the expertise and focus of a PR agency.
For small to mid-sized organizations, however, hiring in-house may seem appealing, but poses several challenges. For one, the individual often becomes stretched thin, handling multiple responsibilities (beyond media relations), which can dilute earned media and the resultant integrated marketing communications’ outcomes. In addition, it is extremely hard to hire a senior level person and expect them to do all the media relations, content development, social media execution, and strategy without a team to manage that possesses depth (experience and talents). This equates to significant overhead costs: multiple salaries, healthcare coverage, payroll taxes, and a breadth of expertise, which is cost prohibitive for many organizations. Another consideration is a constant flow of fresh thinking and strategy. In-house teams generally work according to what they think is acceptable within the norms of the company or nonprofit. Strategic PR agencies, on the other hand, stretch the limits and provide outside council based on the constantly changing media, social platform, and digital marketing landscapes.
Nonprofit, education, and healthcare PR agencies provide specialization, consistency, and a team of experts with deep media relationships and diverse skill sets. These firms bring together senior strategists, experienced media relations professionals, writers, and tech-savvy professionals well-versed in social media, online marketing, and AI. With their collective experience, agencies offer strategic communication solutions that often yield superior, long-term results.
The Case for an In-House PR Professional and Agency Collaboration
For larger organizations, having an internal PR lead who understands its strategic priorities, company culture, and evolving objectives is invaluable. This individual can work closely with leadership to align PR initiatives with business goals, ensuring a seamless flow of communication.
An agency specializing in an industry such as nonprofit PR, however, serves as a strategic partner responsible for thought leadership PR execution and results. By working together, in-house PR teams and agencies can achieve greater impact through:
- Media relations and content development
- Online reputation management
- Social media and digital marketing strategies
- Video marketing
- Media events
- Compelling human-interest stories
- Crisis communications
- Government relations and advocacy building
- Influencer marketing
A thought leadership agency can be instrumental in positioning executives and organizations as industry leaders through effective thought leadership measurement, which evaluates various indicators of influence.
Utilizing this hybrid approach allows organizations to maximize resources while leveraging the strengths of both internal and external knowledge and expertise.
The Brain Chain Theory: There’s Strength in Numbers
Internal brainstorms and strategy sessions are often limited based on what management and their reports believe is acceptable, even safe, within an organization’s operations and communications paradigms. As stated, an in-house PR professional typically wears many hats—media pitching, content development, crisis preparedness and communications, social media strategy execution, and more. Even the most skilled individual has bandwidth limitations, which can impact efficiency and effectiveness.
A leading PR agency, however, provides access to a team of specialists with expertise across various disciplines:
- Media Relations & Storytelling: Strong relationships with journalists and media – and authentic, constantly evolving strategies truly matter.
- Content Creation & Marketing: High-quality writing for press releases, blogs, and op-eds, along with earned media placements, should be repurposed and leverage for SEO, stakeholder communications, social media, and proactive online reputation management.
- Digital PR & Social Media Strategy: Internet marketing is constantly evolving as is the social media universe. In-depth knowledge of influencer marketing and SEO-driven PR are, therefore, essential.
- Crisis & Reputation Management: Proactive and reactive crisis planning and program activities should constantly be discussed and implemented to protect and enhance a nonprofit, animal health, healthcare facility, or education institution’s “brand” reputation.
By tapping into an agency’s diverse talent pool, organizations gain broader expertise, greater efficiency, and stronger media relationships—all of which contribute to higher-quality PR and thought leadership outcomes.
Cost Efficiency: The True Price of PR
At first glance, hiring an in-house PR professional may seem like the more affordable option. However, when factoring in additional expenses, the cost difference becomes clear.
In-House PR Costs:
- Competitive salaries (including the cost of hiring and turnover)
- Benefits and insurances
- PR tools, media databases, and software subscriptions
- Training and professional development
Conversely, a PR agency consolidates these costs under one umbrella and offers:
- A dedicated team of PR experts working on your account (always look for a hands-on PR agency management team to ensure consistency)
- Access to specialized tools and databases at a fraction of the cost
- Faster, more efficient execution due to extensive industry experience and a single focus
For many organizations, partnering with a PR agency—either alone or in conjunction with an in-house team—can offer cost-effective solutions by maximizing these benefits.
Experience: Depth of Knowledge Matters
One key limitation of an in-house hire is experience level. A new or mid-career PR professional may lack the expertise needed to handle high-stakes media relations campaigns and complex issues.
PR agencies, by contrast, bring decades of combined experience across industries, with senior-level professionals leading strategy and execution. Agencies also offer a diverse skillset, a track record or successful management of high-profile campaigns, and client reviews and case studies demonstrating measurable impact.
With a PR agency, you gain access to industry veterans and proven methodologies that drive meaningful outcomes. A crisis communication firm can be a particularly valuable partnership in safeguarding an organization’s reputation during challenging times.
How Rosica Communications is Making a Difference
At Rosica Communications, we go beyond traditional PR services to develop integrated marketing communications strategies that elevate thought leadership for key executives and organizations alike. Our expertise spans:
- Thought Leadership: Positioning clients as authorities in their industry through earned media placements (that typically contain powerful inbound links to our clients’ websites), speaking engagements, tradeshow/conference strategy, stakeholder communications, content marketing, etc.
- Media Relations: Leveraging decades of journalist relationships to secure top-tier press coverage.
- Digital PR & Marketing: Aligning social media, influencer collaborations, and online PR to amplify reach.
- Crisis Communications: Helping organizations navigate challenges with confidence and powerful, strategic messaging.
One example of our impact is our recent work with the Hoboken Public Library. As a leading education PR agency, we helped position the library as a vital community resource, securing prominent media coverage and increasing engagement across platforms. Our media strategy results spanned across key outlets securing hundreds of millions of media impressions including NPR, USA Today, CBS News, Scripps News, Axios, AARP, NJ.com, InsiderNJ, and many more. Learn more about our work for Hoboken Public Library here.
Contact Rosica’s leadership team today for a uniquely tailored PR and thought leadership program for your organization. If you would like to schedule a call, we’ll be sure to start by learning your goals and objectives!