What criteria should you use to choose a tech PR agency?

The criterion that best predicts results is the strength of the agency's relationships with the journalists who cover your sector. Everything else (grasp of the technology, method, spokesperson training, measurement, fees) helps you choose between agencies that pass that first test.

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How do you check an agency's media relationships?

Ask for the names of five reporters the agency has pitched in the last thirty days, and on which stories. An active agency answers straight away. An agency that talks about a "database of 10,000 contacts" is describing a list, not relationships.

Targeting matters more than volume. According to Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2026 report, 88% of journalists immediately discard a pitch that falls outside their beat. An agency that blasts the same release to everyone damages your name with newsrooms.

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What other criteria matter for a tech startup?

• Subject knowledge: the agency should be able to explain your technology to a non-specialist reporter without getting it wrong.
• Fit with your stage: putting an unknown seed-stage company on the map is a different job from coordinating five spokespeople at Series B.
• Messaging first: an agency that talks about distribution before defining your angles risks amplifying a vague message.
• Spokesperson preparation: media training before the first interviews.
• Alignment with LinkedIn: coverage should feed your founder's own voice online.
• Measurement: qualified coverage and business impact, not a raw article count.
• The team: who will work on your account day to day, not only who runs the pitch meeting.

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Which red flags should end the conversation?

A guaranteed placement is the first red flag: no agency controls an editor's decision. A very low fee is another. In France, a specialist tech PR agency typically charges between €3,500 and €7,000 a month, and a boutique between €1,500 and €3,500. Below €2,000 a month, it is hard to sustain enough news flow to land coverage regularly.

Our guide to choosing a PR agency in 2026 covers the nine criteria in detail, with the questions to ask in a pitch meeting and the answers to look for.