Firstly, think about how well your PR efforts have gone in the past. Are you confident in dealing with potential clients? Are you able to talk to the media effectively, without damaging your reputation? If you feel you aren’t able to talk to journalists easily and freely, without worrying about what you might say, hiring a PR agency might be a good idea.

Secondly, are you anticipating a major change in your company, or getting ready to launch a new product? If you are, then you’ll need some help getting the news out there. Major changes can mean anything from hiring a CEO or CFO, to undergoing a complete restructure. Whatever it is you’re doing, the important thing is that the people you need to know about it have full knowledge.

Next, consider how much time, effort and money your PR efforts are costing you. If the money is the same as what you’d pay a PR agency, then you really should pay some due care and thought to hiring them. Although it can be scary to place your brand in another person’s hands, if you spend time finding the right agency that understands your individual needs, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Hiring an agency will help you free up time to spend on other activities, focusing on the key areas of the business, and it will also lessen your workload – ultimately leaving you less stressed and with a better work-life balance.