Fire Your Agencies Every 6 Months to Avoid Mediocrity

The Gist

• Agencies deliver their best work in the first 3 months
• After initial period, quality declines as junior staff take over
• Regular agency turnover prevents complacency and maintains high performance

• Agencies deliver their best work upfront but eventually shift to mediocrity, so firing them every 6 months avoids this decline.
• PR agencies exhaust their key contacts early, leading to diminishing returns after the initial engagement.
• Agencies often replace senior staff with junior resources and raise prices over time, reducing value.
• The agency business model relies on unsophisticated clients to sustain profitability.

• Rotate agencies every 6 months to maintain high-quality output and avoid mediocrity.
• Monitor agency performance closely after the initial 3-month period to detect declining value.
• Negotiate flexible contracts with agencies to prevent lock-in and ensure accountability.

• $7k, $10k, $15k+ a month (Typical monthly fees for PR agencies, which often decline in value after initial engagement.)
• 2x as much (How much a senior events leader charged Facebook compared to other clients, illustrating agency pricing strategies.)