Why We Started ACID, and What Startups Should Look for in a PR Agency
Most founders in Singapore and the region approach PR and comms agency selection backwards, prioritising media contacts over strategic capability, campaign ideas over systematic execution.
Cutting through the local agency landscape, we identify what actually drives results for early-stage companies in Southeast Asia's ultra-competitive startup ecosystem.
Founders and business owners typically approach agency selection with four core assumptions that guarantee misaligned expectations that lead to subpar outcomes.
An agency’s media contacts are what matters: Absolutely wrong. You can be golf buddies with an editor and have been to their son’s birthday party, but if you’re a startup with no idea how to make an announcement newsworthy, you’re out of luck. Reporters care only about the news value, not the relationship—pitching a story that won’t fly tarnishes their credibility in their newsroom, which means there’s absolutely no reason for them to do it. The real skill is not the ability to establish personal rapport, which is a fundamental skill that goes without saying, but to have a keen understanding of what each reporter considers newsworthy, then tailoring a story angle specifically for them.
When it comes to media relations, that’s what you pay comms and PR professionals for—everything else is noise.
Awareness is what comms and PR is meant for: Again, massively wrong. Awareness—the extent to which your audience has heard of your brand—is the job of marketing and advertising, not comms. True strategic communications is about brand equity, not awareness. Because if you don’t give people a reason to remember your brand, it almost doesn’t matter in the long run that you got their attention for five seconds with an ad. Brand narrative development and consistent messaging deployment is what builds brand equity over time, so that the next time you run a marketing campaign, more people who trust your brand actually click.
The senior director is a friend, I’ll be in safe hands: Third strike—you’re out! For reasons we’ll get into further into this piece, you’ll almost definitely not receive senior-level counsel for your account after signing an expensive retainer with a senior director.
Their clients are big names, we’ll be fine: Perhaps the most insidious of all, this one is particularly counterproductive for startups simply because they end up going with agencies that have no idea what being in a startup is like, the unique challenges associated with it, and how founders and investors measure success, often to the detriment of business growth.
The highest-performing communications partnerships focus on structural communications challenges: developing compelling founder narratives, establishing thought leadership positioning, and creating systematic communications strategies that work across multiple channels—not just traditional media.
How Much should a PR Agency Cost in Singapore?
PR agency retainers in Singapore vary dramatically based on service scope and agency positioning, from as low as S$5,000 a month for a basic media relations scope to as much as S$50,000 for comprehensive communications support including multi-year strategies, investor relations, crisis communications, adhoc media training, and multistakeholder engagement.
However, our cost analysis reveals systematic pricing inefficiencies across the market:
Prominent PR firms in Singapore often price based on brand prestige rather than startup-specific experience and support
Fractional communications models offer 40-60% cost savings compared to traditional retainer structures
Specialised agencies or consultancies that focus on startups tend to provide better ROI than generalist firms
Most agencies bundle services startups don't need, inflating costs without benefit
Red Flags to look out for
Certain agency characteristics predict poor outcomes for Singapore startups regardless of other capabilities. These red flags appear consistently across both local and international firms operating in the market:
Media relationships as differentiation: Agencies leading with journalist relationship lists rather than strategic methodology
Execution-first thinking: Proposing creative executions before understanding business objectives and market positioning
Vanity metric focus: Emphasising reach and impressions over qualified pipeline generation or brand authority development
Inflexible retainer structures: Requiring long-term retainer commitments without demonstrated results or project-based and fractional engagement options
How startups are paying for a broken Agency model
Traditional agencies typically price retainers on the promise of senior-level counsel, but junior consultants or associates are often the ones running each account, inevitably churning out low quality work.
This dynamic massively shortchanges brands, leading most to feel frustration and disappointment. When that is conveyed to the agency, instead of putting a senior director back on the account, the "solution" is almost always to "do more extra work for free", ultimately leading to burnout in junior members of the team, and in turn to even worse work quality.
This model particularly damages Singapore startups operating in Southeast Asia's most expensive business environment. Early-stage companies cannot afford the 6-12 month learning curves that junior staff require to understand complex B2B positioning, regulatory considerations, or regional expansion messaging.
Prioritising Systematic Excellence Over perfect Pitches
The agencies that deliver sustainable results for early-stage companies often present less impressively than those focused on winning pitches. They prioritise methodology over ideas, strategic media relations over name dropping, and strategic positioning over tactical campaigns.
The key decision criteria should centre on whether the agency can develop and execute integrated communications strategies that evolve with company growth stages. This includes long term media relations, consistent content development, and positioning work that supports business development and fundraising objectives—not just brand awareness.
For Singapore founders specifically, prioritise agencies that understand the unique dynamics of operating in Southeast Asia's most sophisticated startup ecosystem. This includes experience with government relations, regulatory communications, multicultural stakeholder management, and positioning Singaporean companies for regional expansion whilst maintaining credibility with local investors, customers, and regulatory bodies.