Digital PR service formats and enquiry scoring

What to take away

Client types that buy digital PR in England

Potential prospects to research include online fashion and homeware retailers, financial services firms in Leeds and Manchester, and software companies in Bristol and London. These are starting points for a target list, not evidence of current demand; qualify each prospect against live search or content spend.

Before building a target list, check current sector evidence and verify that prospects still trade and invest in search or content. Business births and deaths alone do not establish demand for digital PR.

The Office for National Statistics publishes its business demography release; check the latest release before using older counts to refresh a prospect list. Business births and deaths can inform how often you revisit that list, but they do not by themselves show sector growth or demand for digital PR.

What buyers ask for when they enquire

Most enquiries arrive as one of four requests: a media list, a set of campaign ideas, a retainer covering outreach, or a fixed number of placements. The first two are hard to price and easy to under-deliver on. The second two are the commercial core of a digital PR service.

If a prospect cannot describe the commercial outcome they want, treat the brief as unfinished rather than as a negotiation. Ask what changes in their business if coverage lands. A vague answer usually means no budget.

Founders weighing their first marketing spend can check GOV.UK's guidance on starting a business.

Service lines you can price

Retainers, campaigns and placements

A retainer works when the scope is monthly and repeatable: research, outreach, reporting. A campaign works when there is a launch date and a story to hang coverage on. Placements work when the client wants a fixed output and accepts that not every link will be editorial.

Typical UK rates: retainers from about £1,500 to £5,000 a month, campaigns from about £3,000 to £10,000, and single placements from about £300 to £1,500. Senior day rates usually sit between £400 and £750.

Measurement that clients accept

Clients accept different evidence at different stages. Early on, coverage volume and referring domains are enough. Later, they want referral traffic, assisted conversions and brand search volume. Agree the measure before the first campaign starts, not after.

The IAB UK's account of its own formation and role covers how measurement norms took shape in the UK market.

Scoring enquiries before you pitch

Use the rubric below to decide whether an enquiry deserves proposal time. For each criterion, award points from zero up to its listed weight, based on how closely the enquiry matches the high-score description, then add the points. The weights total 19, so the maximum is 19. Anything below 18 usually belongs in a nurture list.

A maximum score is 19. A prospect scoring 15 has budget and access but weak content, so pitch a smaller pilot. A prospect scoring nine is a research task, not a pitch.

Track your own enquiry volumes and seasonality each quarter. Record when enquiries arrive, the sector, budget, requested service and outcome; this gives you evidence to refine your target list without treating UK-wide signals as England-specific.

Common questions

What counts as a commercial opportunity in digital PR?

Any enquiry where a named budget holder wants a defined output and can accept a metric you influence. Interest without budget is a lead, not an opportunity.

Should I offer placements or retainers first?

Retainers first if you have capacity for recurring work. Placements suit clients with a fixed launch and a clear output, but they are harder to renew.

How often should I refresh the target list?

Quarterly is realistic given UK business churn. Recheck that each prospect still trades, still spends on marketing and still has the same decision maker before you pitch.