This might be a familiar story for some of you. When you first start working with a PR agency, you meet the senior team. They are experienced, understand your business, and you feel reassured that you’re in capable hands.
But once the contract is signed and the initial flurry of activity dies down, things start to change. The senior figures who impressed you have all but vanished from the day-to-day. You find yourself dealing almost exclusively with junior staff who, while enthusiastic, lack the experience or context to effectively represent your business. Juniors are all too often left to sink or swim without consistent senior guidance, and it shows.
Journalists notice it too. Here’s an example scenario which I read about recently that won’t surprise many editors:
- Junior PR (slightly nervous): “My MD emailed you a while ago.”
- Editor: “I don’t recall it.”
- PR: “Well, she was talking to someone about you and they said you’d be interested.”
- Editor: “Really. Who was that?”
- PR: “Um, I’m not sure.”
In this case, the editor had indeed received the email, but the subject line was so generic that it had gone unnoticed and they’d deleted it. This was a missed opportunity for the PR agency’s client, which could have been avoided with better briefing and senior oversight.
I’m not blaming junior staff – they are not the problem. The issue lies with agencies that don’t give them the tools or support they need to succeed. It’s unfair – on them and on the client – to leave them to fend for themselves without guidance from more senior colleagues. Too often they’re expected to engage with seasoned journalists who are busy and just don’t have the time to wade through a pitch or tease out a story from a junior PR on the phone.
Experience and a steady hand don’t come from someone fresh out of university, however capable they may be. While junior staff bring new ideas, they absolutely need mentoring and senior involvement
Too often, senior consultants step back once the contract is signed, and clients find themselves wondering if the people who pitched to them are still involved at all. Clients deserve more than a flashy pitch followed by a quiet handover to other staff. They should get continuity, expertise, and visible leadership. That doesn’t mean senior PRs need to be on every call, but they do need to be consistently involved.
Thankfully this never happened at any of the fab PR agencies where I learnt my craft as mentorship and the clients were prioritised.
