Agency versus in-house PR: which is better for you? 

By Elizabeth Ritz, Account Director

As students studying public relations we are inevitably confronted with the choice of whether to pursue careers in agencies, or on larger communications teams within companies or organizations. Depending on your specific skill sets and overall career goals, one path may make more sense than the other. As someone who has experienced both professional environments, here are some of the benefits I have observed working at an agency and in-house. 

Agency Benefits: 

Hands-on

When I interned at agencies (and was an account executive in PRLab) I enjoyed being able to tackle a multitude of tasks, from creating media lists, to drafting press releases and pitches. Work is dependent on the client’s need, which gives the unique opportunity to dive in and gain experience contributing to different client deliverables and wearing many hats. 

Being in a Client-Facing Role

Working in an agency also provides you with the unique opportunity of interacting with a client on a frequent basis. This allows you to not only enhance your interpersonal communication skills, but allows for greater feedback on work completed 

Experiencing a Variety of Accounts 

During my internships at agencies I was able to experience accounts ranging from consumer, retail, financial services, and technology companies. Had I been given a choice, I would never have aligned myself with financial services or tech, but these turned out to be the accounts I was most passionate about and encouraged me to pursue a career in those fields. 

In-House Benefits:

Live and Breathe the Company/Mission

I enjoyed my summer working in-house at a large corporation because it allowed me to really delve into the company on a macro level and understand how all teams in the company worked together to drive strategies and produce results. Sure, at agencies I was passionate about the accounts I worked on, but working in-house allowed me to acutely understand business processes, and reasoning behind certain communications decisions that were made. In addition, I worked day-to-day with other individuals who were just as passionate and knowledgeable about the company which allowed us to be more creative in brainstorming because everyone was on the same page. 

Become an Expert in Your Field

Unlike at an agency, when working in-house you typically are aligned to one specific communication area, and really hone your skills with what that area entails. For me, what that meant was hyper-focusing on digital marketing and gaining a lot of industry knowledge in that one area, as opposed to doing a little bit of everything which was the case during my time interning at an agency. 

Collaborating with Different Teams

My favorite aspect of working in-house was working with people outside of communications on communications projects. For me, what this looked like was collaborating with individuals on the legal and human resources teams in order to successfully implement campaigns and strategies on an external basis with stakeholders and internally within the company. This allowed me to see the implications communication has on all lines of business, which is sometimes hard to determine when working outside of a company in an agency.