PR agency cost calculator.
Pick the kind of agency and how many months you would sign for. The calculator turns published 2026 retainer ranges into the total you commit before you can fairly judge the results, which is the number to compare between proposals.
Where the agency is
Agencies sell retainers for a term, and everything-pr says many buyers allow twelve months or more before judging results. Enter the minimum term in the proposal. The UK figure is Bark’s single range for the whole market; Bark gives £2,000 a month as the average.
Total commitment
$0to$0
- Each month
- Published range from
- Agency hours a month at Clutch’s typical US rate of $100 to $149
- Pay-per-placement articles the same total buys, at $2,500 to $10,000 each
Published ranges, not quotes. They leave out costs billed on top, such as wire distribution, media databases and travel, and none of the sources says how many agencies its range is based on.
Need one labelled article by a date you know? Features start at $249.
See PR pricingHow the calculator works
- Total commitment = the monthly retainer range for the type of agency × the months you sign for.
- Agency hours a month = the monthly retainer ÷ Clutch’s typical US hourly rate of $100 to $149. The low end uses the lowest retainer and the highest rate, so it is the fewest hours.
- Pay-per-placement comparison = the same total ÷ $2,500 to $10,000 per placement, rounded down to whole articles.
A worked example: a US boutique agency at $3,500 to $10,000 a month, signed for six months, is a commitment of $21,000 to $60,000. At $100 to $149 an hour, each month buys roughly 23 to 100 hours of the agency’s time.
Where the figures come from
The US ranges are from everything-pr’s 2026 pricing guide: a solo publicist at $2,000 to $10,000 a month, a boutique agency at $3,500 to $10,000, a mid-sized agency at $10,000 to $25,000 and a large firm at $25,000 to $90,000 or more. The same guide puts pay-per-placement at $2,500 to $10,000 or more per placement, and projects at $10,000 to $75,000 over 60 to 120 days.
The UK range is Bark’s price guide: £1,000 to £4,000 a month, with £2,000 as the average. The hourly rate is from Clutch’s PR pricing page, updated September 2026. Our guide to PR agency and PR firm costs explains each pricing model in full.
What a retainer buys, and what it does not
A retainer pays for a team’s time: strategy, pitching journalists, press materials and reporting. Coverage is earned, so an editor decides whether your story runs, and nothing is guaranteed. That is why the total over the minimum term matters more than the monthly fee: it is what you have spent before you can tell whether the pitching is working.
Seniority, location, your company’s stage and the scope of work all move the price. New York and Los Angeles agencies usually charge more than regional firms, and crisis work, investor relations and international markets add cost.
Ask these before you sign
- Who will pitch my story, and how senior are they?
- What is the minimum term, and what is the notice period?
- What costs sit outside the fee: wire distribution, databases, travel?
- Is any coverage you are promising paid for? If so, will it be labelled?
Anything you pay a publication to run is advertising in the eyes of the FTC’s native advertising guide, and it has to be labelled.
Where Blue Leopard Media fits
We do not sell retainers or earned press. We sell sponsored features, written for you and published on titles we work with, at fixed prices: $249 for one feature on one publication, $499 for three and $999 for eight, each with your official cover. You approve the final draft, and on the titles marked Guaranteed · 24h on our PR page the feature is live within 24 hours of your approval (business days), or you can claim a full refund under our refund policy.
Every feature is sponsored content and labelled as such, as our disclaimer states. A feature does not replace an agency or a publicist if you need journalists to choose your story or someone to handle a crisis, and we do not promise rankings, traffic or sales. If one accurate page about you, live on a date you know, is the job, see the prices.
Frequently asked.
How much does a PR agency cost per month?
In the US, about $3,500 to $10,000 a month for a boutique agency and $10,000 to $25,000 for a mid-sized one, according to everything-pr’s 2026 guide. In the UK, Bark gives £1,000 to £4,000 a month, with £2,000 as the average.
How much does a PR agency cost for six months?
At everything-pr’s boutique range of $3,500 to $10,000 a month, six months is $21,000 to $60,000. A UK agency at Bark’s £2,000 average comes to £12,000 over six months.
How many hours does a PR retainer buy?
Divide the monthly fee by the agency’s hourly rate. Clutch lists typical US PR firm rates of $100 to $149 an hour, so a $5,000 retainer buys roughly 34 to 50 hours a month.
Is pay-per-placement cheaper than a retainer?
Not always. everything-pr lists $2,500 to $10,000 or more per guaranteed placement, so three placements can cost $7,500 to $30,000. You pay only when each one runs, and paid placements have to be labelled.
Why does the calculator show a range and not a price?
Because the published guides give ranges, and agencies price above and below them. Use the result to judge whether a proposal is in the usual band, then compare written proposals.
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