Can you tell us about your background in PR and how you came to specialize in agency business development?

Adam Whittaker: I actually started out working in agencies rather than helping them win new business. Early in my career, I was in client service roles at some well-respected PR and advertising shops in London, and I learned very quickly how much pressure there was on agencies to constantly feed the pipeline. You could be doing award-winning work for a global client one day, and then see that client vanish the next because of a procurement review or a change in CMO. That constant instability always stuck with me.

Over time, I realized I was more interested in the mechanics of how agencies grew than the day-to-day delivery of campaigns. I moved into new business and marketing roles within agencies, and that gave me a front-row seat to what works (and what really doesn't) when it comes to attracting the right clients. Eventually, I saw there was a gap in the market for an agency that specialized purely in new business for other agencies — not just lead generation, but something more strategic and hands-on. That's what led me to set up Manifest.

Manifest was born out of that lived experience. I know what it's like to be in an agency where the pipeline is dry and everyone starts panicking. I also know how easy it is for new business to fall to the bottom of the priority list when client demands are piling up. That's the space I wanted to work in — helping agencies grow in a consistent, manageable way, without the feast-or-famine cycles that a lot of teams just accept as normal.

What inspired you to focus on helping PR agencies with their business development strategies?

Adam Whittaker: What drew me to focus on PR agencies in particular was how often they undersell themselves. I've worked with and inside PR teams that are doing genuinely strategic work — reshaping brand reputations, influencing policy, managing crises — but when it comes to business development, many still lean too heavily on outdated habits. The industry tends to prioritize relationships and referrals, which is fine to a point, but it's not enough on its own to build a sustainable pipeline.

A lot of PR agencies I've worked with are brilliant at telling their clients' stories but struggle to tell their own. They might have a great niche or an impressive track record, but it doesn't always come across clearly in their pitch decks, websites, or outbound messaging. That gap is what got me interested. I knew from experience that with a few strategic adjustments, they could completely change the quality and consistency of the opportunities coming through the door.

PR is also one of those industries where new business is often left to whoever shouts the loudest or happens to have time that month. There's rarely a structured approach. Helping those agencies build a repeatable process — something that doesn't rely on random chemistry meetings or the founder's network — is genuinely satisfying. It gives teams breathing room and clarity, which in turn makes them better at their actual work.

So, it wasn't just about picking a niche. It was about knowing how much value we could unlock for PR agencies by getting under the hood and helping them build something solid and sustainable. And because I've seen both sides — the internal pressure and the external opportunity — I knew we could approach it with empathy as well as rigor.

In your experience, what's the most common mistake PR agencies make when trying to attract new clients?

Adam Whittaker: The most common mistake I see—by a mile—is that PR agencies tend to position themselves far too broadly. They try to be everything to everyone, and in doing so, end up sounding like every other agency out there. When a potential client is reviewing six or seven agencies, they're looking for clarity, conviction, and a sense that you understand their world better than the rest. If all they see is generic claims about "great storytelling" or "integrated thinking" without any real proof or focus, they'll move on.

The other mistake is an overreliance on credentials decks. There's a belief that if you just get in the room and walk through your past work, the client will be impressed enough to buy. But most clients aren't buying your past work—they're buying your ability to solve their problem, and that requires a different approach. It's not about saying "here's everything we've done," but rather "here's how we think about challenges like yours, and here's how we'd tackle it with you."

There's also a surprising lack of consistency in outreach. PR people are brilliant communicators, yet when it comes to their own agency's business development, there's often no plan. Outreach is sporadic. Follow-up is patchy. Messaging varies depending on who's sending it. What works is treating your agency like a client—putting real effort into targeting, messaging, and measurement, rather than hoping for referrals or inbound leads to do all the work.

Ultimately, if you're not clear on who you want to work with, how you help them, and why you're better than their other options, then no amount of activity will move the needle. Specificity beats scale every time in agency new business.

You've mentioned the importance of personalized, insight-led engagement strategies. Can you share a specific example of how this approach has yielded success for one of your clients?

Adam Whittaker: Absolutely—one of the clearest examples I can think of involved a mid-sized PR agency that specialized in financial and professional services. They'd always relied on word-of-mouth and long-standing client relationships, and while they were doing well, growth had started to plateau. They came to us unsure of how to break into bigger clients or reach new sectors without watering down what made them distinctive.

We started by building a very focused target list—not hundreds of companies, but a small group of businesses where we knew they could genuinely add value. Instead of pushing out generic creds decks or cold emails, we created highly tailored outreach. For each target, we led with a piece of bespoke insight: something drawn from our own research or market intelligence, showing a challenge or opportunity that business might be facing, and how the agency's particular experience could be relevant. It wasn't about selling a service—it was about starting a useful conversation.

One prospect, a challenger brand in the insurance space, responded almost immediately. They'd been quietly searching for a new agency but hadn't gone to market yet. Our message cut through because it was clear we'd done our homework. Within a few weeks, the agency had pitched, won the account, and built a retainer that became one of their biggest pieces of business that year.

The point is, personalized doesn't mean complicated. It just means taking the time to say something the recipient couldn't have received from five other agencies that same morning. We often talk about sending fewer, better messages—because when you get the thinking right, you don't need volume to drive results.

How do you help PR agencies articulate their unique value proposition in a crowded market?

Adam Whittaker: The first step is usually helping them get out of their own heads. Most PR agencies are too close to what they do, so when they try to explain it, they either overcomplicate it or default to the same safe language everyone else uses. They'll say things like "we're strategic storytellers" or "we deliver integrated campaigns" — which might be true, but it's not ownable. So the work starts by stripping it right back. Who do you help? What kind of problems are you best at solving? Why does that matter now, in this market?

We spend a lot of time interviewing their clients and prospects, and that feedback is gold. You start to see patterns in what people actually value — and often it's not what the agency thought it was. For one agency we worked with, clients consistently praised their ability to manage internal stakeholders and navigate complex organizations, which is quite different from the surface-level messages they were using about creativity and brand building. Once they leaned into that — made it a key part of how they talked about themselves — they started winning more business in exactly the kind of companies they wanted.

We also push agencies to take a clearer stance. It's not enough to say you work across B2B and consumer and public sector and tech. That just reads as unfocused. It doesn't mean you have to turn away good work, but your positioning needs to be sharp enough that the right clients self-select. We'll often help clients develop a few campaign themes or provocations that reflect their beliefs or point of view, and then build outreach around those. It gives prospects something to respond to — something that feels alive, not just a list of services.

At the end of the day, it's not about finding something no one else does. It's about finding something you do differently, and being confident enough to lead with it.

What role does thought leadership play in PR agency business development, and how do you guide your clients in creating impactful content?

Adam Whittaker: Thought leadership plays a massive role in agency new business, but only when it's done with intent. A lot of PR agencies publish content because they feel they should—LinkedIn posts, opinion pieces, the odd whitepaper—but there's often no strategy behind it. It ends up being sporadic and safe, and while it might tick the box, it rarely drives the right kind of attention. What I try to help clients see is that thought leadership should be less about broadcasting expertise and more about starting conversations with the people they want to work with.

We always begin by mapping content to the audiences they want to influence—not just CMOs, but procurement, in-house comms teams, strategy leads, and so on. Each group has different pressures and buying triggers, so a one-size-fits-all blog post won't cut through. From there, we look at the intersection of what the agency knows deeply and what their prospects care about. That's where the good stuff lives. A few of our clients have had real success with challenger pieces—not just saying "here's how to do PR well," but pushing back on common assumptions or highlighting trends that clients might not have spotted yet.

Format-wise, we encourage them to think beyond longform. Sometimes a short, well-framed LinkedIn carousel or a two-minute video can be more effective than a beautifully written essay no one finishes. We also help them build a rhythm—so it's not just one great post followed by silence, but a consistent point of view that builds credibility over time.

One agency we worked with focused on fintech clients. Rather than writing about PR in fintech in general, they created a series of breakdowns on how specific funding rounds had been handled in the media—what worked, what didn't, and what they would have done differently. It was practical, fresh, and it positioned them as the agency that really understands that world. Within a few months, it led directly to a retained brief from a growth-stage business who'd never heard of them before reading that series.

Thought leadership done well is never about shouting the loudest. It's about being clear, relevant and generous with what you know. The rest follows.

Can you walk us through your process for developing a long-term business development plan for a PR agency?

Adam Whittaker: It always starts with clarity — clarity on who the agency wants to reach, what kind of work they want to win, and what's getting in the way. A lot of agencies jump straight into tactics like cold outreach or events without first aligning internally on those fundamentals. So we kick off with a discovery phase where we dig into the agency's current positioning, their past wins and losses, their ideal client profile, and how they're perceived in the market. That gives us the raw material we need to build something strategic, not just busy.

Next, we shape a targeting plan. This is where specificity is key. We don't recommend huge databases or scattergun lists. We help the agency build a manageable, tightly defined universe of companies and people they genuinely want to work with — then we layer in insight. What are those people likely to care about over the next 6 to 12 months? What triggers could signal a need for support? That allows us to plan timely, relevant outreach rather than relying on cold intros alone.

Then comes messaging. We work with the agency to craft a small number of core narratives — not a long sales pitch, but clear entry points into conversation. These are usually built around the agency's strengths, market needs, and a point of view that sets them apart. Once we've got that, we build a channel plan. For some agencies that might involve outbound email and LinkedIn; for others it could mean events, partnerships, or thought leadership. There's no one-size-fits-all model — it has to reflect how their buyers behave.

Importantly, we treat business development as an always-on function. That means putting in place a rhythm — a weekly or monthly cadence of activity — and giving someone clear ownership. Agencies often falter because no one's truly responsible, or because it gets drowned out by client work. So we help them set up the systems, tools and behaviors that keep it moving.

Finally, we track what's working. Which messages are landing? Which sectors are most responsive? What's moving opportunities forward? That feedback loop means the plan evolves. A good BD strategy should be a living thing — built on a strong foundation but responsive to what the market is telling you.

How do you measure the success of a business development strategy, and what metrics do you find most valuable?

Adam Whittaker: A lot of agencies default to tracking just the end result—did we win the pitch or not—but that's far too binary and doesn't give you any real insight into how your business development efforts are performing over time. We always look at success in three stages: inputs, engagement, and outcomes. That way, we can see where the strategy is working and where it might need adjusting before it's too late.

Inputs are the activity levels—how many outbound messages have been sent, how many meetings have been secured, how much thought leadership content has gone out. If those aren't happening consistently, you can't really expect results. Engagement is what matters next: open rates, replies, meeting conversion, and whether the conversations feel meaningful. We've worked with agencies who weren't winning much work, but once we looked at the numbers, it became clear they were targeting the wrong people with the wrong messages—their open rates were decent, but reply rates were flat. Fixing that changed everything.

The outcome metrics—pitches, pipeline value, win rate, average deal size—tell you how those upstream activities are translating into actual opportunities. But we also look at the quality of those opportunities. Are these brands you genuinely want to work with? Is the budget there? Are you being invited into briefs early enough to shape them? Success isn't just about volume—it's about the right fit. I'd rather see one excellent lead a month than ten lukewarm ones.

Over time, we build benchmarks for each stage. That way, we know what "good" looks like for that particular agency, and we can spot patterns. If things start to stall, we can pinpoint where the friction is and fix it fast. Business development is never a one-off sprint—it's a long game. But if you measure the right things, you can keep moving in the right direction.

Looking ahead, what emerging trends do you see in PR agency business development, and how can agencies prepare for these changes?

Adam Whittaker: One of the clearest trends we're seeing is that clients are buying in a much more self-directed way. They don't want to be sold to — they want to research, shortlist, and validate agencies on their own terms, often long before a formal brief ever lands. That means PR agencies need to make sure their positioning, content, and case studies are all working hard to pre-sell them. If someone lands on your site or your LinkedIn and can't immediately figure out what you do, who you do it for, and why it matters, you're already behind. Agencies need to think less about chasing leads and more about being findable, credible, and relevant in the right circles.

Another shift is the growing influence of procurement and non-PR stakeholders in buying decisions. This makes it even more important for agencies to be able to articulate not just their creative credentials but their commercial impact — how they help solve business problems, not just communications ones. Agencies that can link their work to real business outcomes, whether that's growth, trust, or retention, will stand out in a market where everyone is claiming to be strategic.

I also think we'll see more agencies getting smarter with data and tech around business development. Not just CRM systems, but tools that allow for better targeting, personalization, and measurement. The agencies that win will be the ones that combine old-school relationship-building with a more structured, insight-led approach.

Lastly, I think we'll see a shift in tone. The most effective agencies in new business will be the ones who feel more human — who don't over-polish their messaging, who show a bit of personality, and who are willing to take a point of view. Bland and corporate just won't cut it. Prospects are looking for confidence and clarity, and that often comes from being willing to say "this is what we believe" and backing it up with smart thinking.

Agencies that get ahead of this now — by sharpening their story, investing in visibility, and being more intentional with their outreach — will be in a much stronger position as the market continues to evolve.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Adam Whittaker: Only that I think a lot of PR agencies underestimate how much control they can take over their own growth. There's still this lingering belief that new business is about being lucky, getting referrals, or being in the right place at the right time. And while all of those things help, they're not a strategy. What I've seen time and again is that when agencies take a more intentional, structured approach — when they define their audience, sharpen their message, and show up consistently — the results follow. It's not magic, but it does take discipline.

I'd also say that agencies shouldn't feel like they have to sound like everyone else. The market is noisy, yes, but it's also hungry for clarity. If you can talk about what you do in a way that's specific, confident, and a bit human, you'll stand out more than you think. That's true in your outreach, your content, your creds — all of it. You don't need to be the loudest, you just need to be the clearest.

And finally, business development doesn't have to be a lonely or chaotic part of agency life. With the right systems, the right mindset, and the right support, it can actually be something people enjoy — because it's about growth, momentum, and opportunity. Done well, it gives teams energy, not just pressure.

Thank you!

#PRontheGO