How to pitch a prospective client and win their business

A new business pitch is a different job from a media pitch. The audience is a prospective client, and the aim is for them to choose you. The advice below comes from the PRCA, a PR trade body, through a trainer's published tips and a research report on how pitching works in the industry.

Start with what the client needs

Wheeler says clients often claim they want to be challenged, but mostly want work that improves their standing and solves their problems. He also advises balancing dependability with originality: seem trustworthy while still showing fresh thinking, without pushing so far that the client feels unsettled.

The new business workflow in The PR Assistant starts from the prospect's company and industry for the same reason. The walkthrough shows it on a test run.

What goes in a proposal

Structures vary. One publicly available PR proposal template, from HubSpot, lists these sections:

• An executive summary gives a concise overview of the whole proposal.
• A current situation section describes the organisation's present circumstances and why it needs PR expertise.
• A section on the PR issue sets out the problem the client faces.
• An approach section explains how you plan to address it.
• A schedule gives a timeline for the project.
• A firm description covers your firm and its key staff.
• A price quote states the cost of the project.
• Terms and conditions list any that apply.
• An approval and signatures section gives the client a place to agree.

If the client has sent a brief or a request for proposal, follow the structure and questions it sets, and use a template only to check you have not missed anything.

Show the team and keep it personal

• Wheeler says clients want to work with people they like, and that experienced buyers often hold "chemistry" meetings with unfamiliar agencies before shortlisting.
• He points out that junior team members do most of the daily work, so they should be central to the presentation.
• Nothing should distract from the interaction between the two teams.
• He says the opening and closing carry significant weight, so prepare and rehearse both.
• He notes that many new agency relationships run into trouble in the first twelve months, so staying in touch after a near-miss can pay off.

What the PRCA survey found about pitching

In 2024 the PRCA published Pitch Forward, a research report based on an online survey of 475 PR agency and client respondents, run by 3Gem Research and Insights between 9 July and 13 August 2024. Some of its findings are useful when you plan your own pitch.

• Respondents averaged 14.4 pitch opportunities in the past year and an average conversion rate of 29.5%, so agencies won just under a third of the pitches they took part in.
• The average investment per pitch was £7,165.
• 71% agreed or strongly agreed that a lack of budget transparency is a major challenge.
• 49% said a client had used their pitch ideas without awarding them the contract.
• 95% reported at least one pitch win in the past two years that never went ahead, and the average respondent reported 4.4.

Three practical points follow from this. Ask for the budget range before you invest in a full proposal. Check whether the decision-makers have signed off on the project, because the report links wins that never start to budget cuts, unforeseen client business issues, and stakeholders who were not involved. And decide in advance how much of your strategy you will share in the room. The PRCA lists the misuse of agency ideas as a key concern and found 88% of respondents support a voluntary code of conduct for pitching.

Before you send it

• Does it name the prospect's situation and the problem you would solve?
• Are the price, timeline, and team clear?
• Is the working team in the room, and are the opening and closing rehearsed?
• Have you asked about budget and confirmed who signs off?
• Have you run the written proposal through Writing Review to catch promotional language?

For a full walkthrough of a proposal from first question to finished document, see the new business workflow.