Everyone at Silver Pear Communications has spent some of their career at a large PR agency and most of these were based in London. Working at a large agency helps you hone your core skills as a PR and introduces you to large campaigns and really significant budgets, and how to be part of a team.
Whereas working in a smaller, boutique agency presents a completely different working environment with many advantages including greater autonomy and the opportunity to make a larger impact within the company.
But what about the benefits of working with a smaller agency for clients? It used to be a common trend that the brands who could afford it, would seek out the biggest agency possible, with the misconception that this would bring them the biggest results.
And we are now seeing a shift in more clients searching to work with smaller PR agencies –our latest blog post looks at why:
Specialism
With brands and marketing teams under pressure to do more with less in 2026, they are on the lookout for PR teams who can help them achieve this. They are therefore choosing to go down a more specialist route and seeking experts in a niche area, something which many smaller agencies offer.
At Silver Pear, we specialise in two sectors: visitor attractions and food and drink, which means we have strong media contracts across the consumer and trade landscape. We also fully understand the challenges as well as the opportunities within these industries, the trends and how to create a positive impact for these types of businesses.
Relationship
It’s essential for brands to have a strong and real relationship with their PR contact. They are becoming increasingly fatigued with the “bait-and-switch” models where senior leaders pitch the account, but junior team members then executing the work.
They want to know exactly who is managing their account throughout and feel confident that this person truly understands their business objectives, ensuring the PR activity is seamlessly integrated into the marketing machine.
Often smaller agencies provide clients with direct and continuous access to senior expertise, ensuring strategic alignment and consistent quality. At Silver Pear, we pride ourselves on offering our clients a senior PR consultant who manages the entirety of the account, meaning we are fully immersed in everything we are doing for our client and their brand. We make it our mission to understand all aspects of their business and become an extension of their team.
Cost
Consumers are all feeling the pinch during the cost-of-living crisis, but so are brands and they are looking for ways to achieve cost-effectiveness in all parts of their business.
Smaller agencies avoid corporate bureaucracy and can offer personalised value, which is a major appeal in this current climate. As a smaller agency, Silver Pear doesn’t have expensive overheads and are able to pass these savings onto our clients with a value daily rate, meaning that all of the fee goes into our time, rather than shoring up tangible operating costs that provide no value to the client.
Agility and values
A less hierarchical structure that’s found in smaller PR agencies often means a more unified and responsive team, making them ideal for responding quickly to market shifts and seizing opportunities. And this agile response is becoming increasingly more important for brands, allowing them to react quickly and cut through fierce competition in the industry and the media landscape.
