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4 steps to help your PR agency win more RFP bids

by | Oct 28, 2020 | Analysis, Public Relations

For PR agencies, crafting and submitting RFP bids consistently requires a massive effort. A team must put long hours of thought and writing in their goal to stand above their competitors and win their bid. In the end, it’s the agency that works hardest at their RFP response who gets the client. But winning more bids doesn’t come easy.

So what can your PR agency do to improve your efforts and win more RFP bids? The key is to focus on the right prospective clients, understand the complexities of the RFP process, and make sure to stand out from the rest. This article will help your PR agency learn all the ways how to write a winning RFP response and win more bids for your PR agency.

Determine if the RFP is a good fit

For the time and effort your agency needs to invest into creating a RFP response, it’s important to stop and think whether the response be created in the first place. You can’t send a response to every single RFP that comes your way. There’s simply not enough time in the world for that. Especially if you own or work for an up-and-coming PR agency, as you may be on a tight budget or have a smaller team.

The quality of your investment matters. When an RFP comes your way, take the time to carefully read it over. The idea is to make sure you are the perfect agency for the job and are willing to work with the potential client. If neither of these criteria are met, consider setting the RFP and focusing on one that is a better fit. It’s a simple, yet effective, trick. This process of weeding out bad fits will save you time that you can otherwise focus on better matches, thus helping you win more bids.

Stand out from the competition

When a company sends out an RFP, many potential buyers will flock and compete with one another to be the winning bidder. As such, it’s important that your RFP response shows the prospect that you are the best agency for the job. A tried-and-true way of doing this is by demonstrating all the ways in which you stand above the competition.

This is not to say you should drone on about how your agency is so great. Remember, the client cares most about how you’re going to serve them. But it does mean that you should take the time and provide evidence of the successes of your PR agency. You can do this efficiently through brief case studies and testimonials from high-level businesses. Show your prospective client what your competition can’t.

Focus on the prospect’s goal

While creating your RFP bid, your primary focus might be on doing everything you can to win the bid and gain a client. This is important, yet you must also remember that the goal is not to win the bid, but to give the client the service or product that they need. Your RFP response should show and tell the prospective client that you clearly understand their product or service needs.

You can do this throughout your RFP response, in sections like the Executive Summary, Project Summary, or Project Strategy. You can also make it clear in your About Us section that the purpose of your business is to provide high-quality solutions and measurable results. Focusing on the prospect’s goal is the key to writing a response that shows that ultimately, their needs matters most.

Optimize your response

This brings us to the actual quality of the content within the RFP response. The quality of the RFP response you submit is a very important factor in determining your chances of winning your bid. As such, you need to be aware of all the ways you can improve upon its content and increase its quality.

The improvements don’t have to be drastic. Making sure the text is concise, adding relevant visuals, and proofreading everything before it gets submitted is enough. Minor details like that can seem insignificant, yet they can have a lasting effect on how a prospective client views your bid.

In summary, winning more RFP bids boils down to two important steps: being careful about which RFPs you choose to pursue, and ensuring the bids you submit are of the highest quality. Consider the time, energy, and money you invest in your RFP bids. To ensure the success and growth of your PR agency, all that effort needs to count. Pursue RFP bids that fit well with your agency and submit the best bid you possibly can, keeping the client’s needs and goals in mind throughout the process.

Dan Martin
I’ve hands-on experience in digital marketing since 2007, with a current emphasis on legal writing. I’ve been building teams and coaching others to foster innovation and solve real-time problems. I’ve built high-performance teams that have produced engaging content enjoyed by millions of people. I like to travel and take pictures.

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