What Makes a PR Agency One of the Best?

Posted on August 25, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Companies frequently search for the best PR agency, top PR firm for startups, or a public relations firm capable of securing national media coverage. Those searches tend to focus on what an agency can deliver tomorrow.

A better way to evaluate a PR firm is to look at what it has consistently built over time.

Yes, awards matter and media placements reinforce your ability to secure coverage. Newsroom experience plays a critical role in securing media coverage since editorial drives story flow. But none of these exists independently. The strongest indicator of a PR firm’s capabilities is whether it can repeatedly turn strategy and storytelling into meaningful media coverage across different clients, industries and news cycles.

That’s the foundation we’ve been building at MACIAS PR since 2009.

What Should You Look for When Choosing a PR Agency?

Business owners often ask: How do I choose the best PR agency for my company? Start with the work.

Look beyond promises about media relationships and ask which stories the agency has actually secured. Examine whether the coverage appeared in publications that influence the client’s customers, investors or industry. Review case studies to see whether the firm can explain the strategy behind those results.

Recognition from independent organizations can provide another signal.

City & State New York named Mark Macias to its list of the Top PR Power Players in New York, recognizing the communications professionals influencing the media and political landscape in New York. MACIAS PR has also received multiple industry awards over the years, including recognition from Finance Monthly and ACQ Global Awards.

Those honors are appreciated, but the more important question is what produced them.

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There Is No Template for Great PR: Why Every Strategy is Different

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

There is a recurring mistake in public relations that rarely gets discussed: companies often buy a PR process when they should be buying a strategy.

The PR process sounds reasonable. Develop messaging, write a press release, build a media list, pitch reporters, follow up and repeat. Those steps can organize a campaign, but they don’t explain why a journalist would cover one company instead of another.

After working inside newsrooms at NBC and CBS and later founding MACIAS PR, I’ve seen the same principle from both sides of the editorial equation. The path to coverage changes with the company, the story, the audience and the moment in the news cycle.

There is no template for great PR because there is no template for a great story.

Why One PR Strategy Doesn’t Work for Every Company

A healthcare startup, hedge fund, drone manufacturer and consumer brand might all want national media coverage. That doesn’t mean they should pursue it the same way.

Healthcare reporters frequently need evidence, patient relevance, clinical expertise or data that demonstrates why a development matters. Financial journalists are looking for market implications, investment insight, economic trends and credible analysis. A technology company may have an opportunity when its product illustrates a much larger change taking place across an industry.

Consumer PR introduces another set of considerations. Culture, behavior, visual elements and trends can become more important than technical expertise. The mistake is assuming the media outlet is the strategy.

“We want to be in the Wall Street Journal” is a goal. It doesn’t tell you what story the Wall Street Journal has a reason to pursue.

A stronger PR strategy works backward from the editorial opportunity: What is happening in the world right now, where does this company intersect with it, and what can it contribute that a journalist cannot easily get somewhere else?

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The PR Multiplier: Why One Great Story Creates More Value

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

The image E = PR² started as a play on Einstein’s famous equation, but the more I looked at it, the more I realized it captures something fundamental about public relations.

Effective PR multiplies.

A great media story doesn’t reach only the people who read it on the day it’s published. It can influence prospective customers researching your company, investors conducting due diligence, journalists looking for sources, job candidates considering your business and even the information that surfaces in search and AI platforms.

That’s what makes earned media different from most forms of marketing.

Before founding MACIAS PR, I spent years inside newsrooms, including as an Executive Producer with NBC. I saw thousands of story ideas compete for a limited amount of airtime. The companies that broke through weren’t necessarily the biggest or the ones with the largest marketing budgets.

They gave journalists a reason to tell their story.

Today, I see the other side of that equation. When the right strategy produces the right story, the impact can extend far beyond the original media placement.

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When Should I Hire a PR Agency? Earlier than you think

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

It’s one of the most popular questions I hear from founders and CEOs: When is the best time to hire a PR agency?

Usually, they’re asking because something big is approaching. A product is launching, or the company is preparing to raise capital. Suddenly, leadership realizes competitors are generating media attention while their company remains invisible.

By that point, you’re already behind any strategy.

PR requires more preparation than most executives realize. A PR team must identify the strongest story angles, develop the messaging, research the journalists covering the topic, determine which reporters are appropriate for the pitch, begin outreach, follow up, coordinate interviews and prepare executives for those conversations. That doesn’t happen overnight.

Before founding MACIAS PR, I spent years as an Executive Producer with NBC and CBS in New York. That newsroom experience taught me something that still guides our campaigns today: the best time to develop a story is before you need the coverage.

Recent industry commentary makes the same point. Entrepreneur reported in June 2026 that founders who wait until a launch or fundraising campaign is imminent lose the runway required to build familiarity with journalists and the market. Media relationships and visibility compound over time rather than appearing instantly when a company suddenly needs them.

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Should I Hire an In-House PR Person or a PR Agency?

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

One of the biggest decisions growing companies face is whether to hire an in-house public relations professional or work with a PR agency. The answer isn’t always obvious.

At first glance, bringing PR in-house may seem like the logical choice. An employee understands the business, sits in meetings and becomes immersed in the company’s culture. An agency, on the other hand, works from the outside.

That comparison overlooks one important reality. The most valuable part of public relations isn’t writing a press release. It’s everything that happens before and after the press release.

Having spent years as an Executive Producer with NBC and CBS in New York – before founding MACIAS PR – I’ve learned that successful media campaigns depend on strategy, timing, persistence and execution. Those responsibilities require far more time than most executives realize.

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Client Case Study – Media and Content Campaign for Lending Organization

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Mark Macias

MACIAS PR led the publicity, social media and content marketing for Provident Loan Society from June 2014 to June 2019. Our media strategy introduced their alternative lending services to new and existing clients across the New York metro area.

Over the course of our partnership, MACIAS PR helped grow their customer base among college students, business owners, immigrants and consumers with no credit. Their former CEO and CMO both credited MACIAS PR with increasing their revenue and growing their customer base by 50 percent among Latinos. You can read their testimonials on Linkedin.

Our media campaigns also introduced their services to consumers who speak Spanish and Mandarin via targeted outlets covering those communities.

Targeted Consumer-Facing Media Campaign

MACIAS PR led the entire media campaign from conception to execution. Our team identified stories of interest and reframed them around news stories.

Our media coverage included stories with: CNN, New York Post, ABC 7, FOX5, NY 1, PIX 11, Metro New York, Crain’s Business Magazine, Univision, Inc., Entrepreneur Magazine and others.

Digital Marketing, Social Media and Content Creation

In January 2017, MACIAS PR took over the content marketing for Provident Loan. Our team searched for trending topics on Google and social media, and created content that positioned them into the conversation.

Our approach had an immediate impact on their web traffic, growing it year-over-year from 2017 to 2019. This increased web traffic began showing up in the first month.

You can review the case study by clicking here. Or if you’d like to schedule a call to discuss more, click here.

Marketing-PR-Case-Study-Provident-Loan-Society-of-New-York-copy Download

ABOUT MACIAS PR

Our founder – Mark Macias – is a former Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York. City & State Magazine named him a PR Power Player in New York in 2024 and 2022, while marketing peers named MACIAS PR the 2017-2020 Strategic PR Firm of the Year. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Finance Monthly named MACIAS PR the Financial PR Firm of the Year.