A public relations contract is the formal written agreement between a PR freelancer/ agency and their client. A PR contract governs the business relationship and outlines responsibilities for all involved parties, as well as important deadlines and guidelines for the working relationship.
The following are the benefits of using public relations contract templates:
Freelance PR or marketing consultants/ agencies and their clients can ensure transparent communication through a well-designed public relations contract template. It helps formulate win-win scenarios between the involved parties. Here's how to use the public relations contract template:
Launching a new public relations campaign involves strategically planned activities with a desired outcome in mind that may promote a positive image, increase sales, or foster goodwill.
The public relations contract can include announcing a new executive hire, a merger, or an acquisition, publicity campaigns such as promoting a product release, crisis management, and influencer collaborations for/or creating buzz before a big reveal.
The public relations campaign's common objective focuses on,
Engage and find out exactly what the client wants. Use your discovery call with the client to determine what is most important to them. This includes if they seek specific outcomes like a certain number of media interviews, coverage, or a specific timeframe for public relations services.
Most companies seek the same broad goals when outsourcing to a public relations services freelancer, like a positive image in the press and media interviews. However, the more you can discuss potential outcomes and how you can collaborate with the client, the better the chances of a happy client.
To get the specifics, ask questions like:
It's like gathering materials and asking questions relating to project scope during the call so that you can document them in your notes and take reference from them again in account proposals and contracts. This defines the scope of services in the contract and can help address unseen opportunities to create new value.
Your conversation during the discovery call might alert you to the importance of setting expectations for the business relationship with the client. If the client seeks to obtain media interviews with national television programs but currently has little to no visibility at your contract effective date, you might not want to guarantee you can achieve that milestone.
Once you know what the client wants, explain the 'how' of the working/business relationship in the contract to showcase what sets you apart. This might be proprietary process access to your database of contacts or simply the systems and software you use behind the scenes to help accomplish the goals laid out in the scope of work.
Having this clause also identifies the parties of the security procedures that are in place to prevent unauthorized use or misuse of the IP(Intellectual Property) assets and protects intellectual property within the contract. Furthermore, remember any and all matters pertaining to wages, hours, terms and conditions of employment, and other mutually agreed-upon terms is subject to negotiation.
If you are a marketing agency or marketing consultant, or even an advertising agency, we also have contracts that you can use!
For a successful public relations agreement, the PR contract should always specify the terms of the working arrangement, the fees to be paid, and how disputes or other such problems will be handled. Following are 7 essential components of the PR contract that binds both parties to the agreement and assists with all the above terms.
Ensure that the involved parties are mentioned in the public relations contract template, whether it is handled by the client or another third party. The primary purpose of identifying the parties involved is to get all parties on the same page about the working arrangement and states obligations of each.
This also gives the freelancer some freedom from worrying about being held up by any third parties who have not fulfilled their responsibilities. It also distinguishes between parties in a promisor and a promisee.
The scope of services section of the agreement includes the basis of the relationship, whether it's a one-time project or an ongoing retainer situation with potential customers. The scope of work covers:
Clients seek out help with public relations services to improve the visibility of their business and domain authority in their area of expertise. Common PR services include event coverage, general social media PR needs, and pitching and media placements.
Ensure the contract details the deliverables in clear words. To maintain a good relationship with your client, you must be able to deliver on time. Therefore, only set milestones that both you and your team can achieve.
Ensure that you analyze the tasks you are required to carry out and let the client know how long it will take you to complete them. If the working arrangement is for a limited time or requires completion of milestones by set-in-stone dates, that information should be listed in the public relations contract template. For instance, you can include bands of time, such as "within the first month" or "in 1-2 months" to allow some room for unforeseen issues.
For example, if a PR consultant or freelancer provides a book launch service, the date of the book launch should be explained in the contract, as well as any other key dates in accordance with a publisher's deadlines or the client's wishes. Furthermore, if a client is signing a contract in advance to hold their spot, the PR contract should list the date on which the contract will be active.
Ensure that the contract has terms of payment mentioned clearly, as they are one of the most important aspects of any contract signed with a company or other party. It's in good business form to capture these details upfront. Without clearly explaining your payment terms and getting the client to agree in writing, you will default some clients to their existing company payment terms, such as paying after a project is completed or paying by check within 90 days.
When it comes to payment terms, consider including verbiage such as:
In addition, If you do provide guarantees, your contract should specify the terms of the guarantee as explicitly as possible. For example, you might include in your statement of work a section like this:
"Freelancer will write two press releases per month for the client, guaranteeing that at least one of them is picked up by a national newswire. If the newswire does not pick up the press release, the client will be refunded 10% of their retainer expense." You can outline this in your PR contract as well.
The period through which a contract is effective is called contract duration. The primary purpose of establishing the contract duration is to let the involved parties know when the responsibilities and obligations outlined within a contract will begin and end.
Make sure the contract includes confidentiality clauses; it helps to ensure that the parties involved can be trusted and the contract information will not be disclosed to any third party. The confidentiality clause in the agreement should include a clear definition of the confidential information and addresses the indemnification of a breach of the terms of the PR contract.
As a freelancer or agency owner in the trade of public relations, there are many ways to set yourself apart from the competition; this is known as your unique value proposition. If you're stuck on what makes you stand out, look back at past testimonials from other businesses you have worked with or ask previous clients for testimonials.
Here are a few other ways you can make a real impact on your potential clients in your public relations contract and proposals:
Ideally, you will already have told the client about these unique differentiators in your proposal, but it helps to highlight them again in your contract. Seeing all the benefits or ease of working with you can increase the chances they will sign the contract.
Furthermore, once the contract is made with all the above important points included, it still needs revision afterwards. This ensures that all terms of the contract are fair, enforceable, and properly documented.
Generating a foolproof and everything-included PR contract can become a daunting task, which is why it's best to employ one that's pre-made. Bonsai, a smart business tool, comprises 500+ customizable FREE templates for contracts, invoices, proposals, and more.
There are 4 types of PR contracts, each serving different purposes. Know which of these is best suited for your business.
Retainer-based contracts are a work-for-hire legal contract or a service agreement between a company or an individual and a client. In this contract, the agency is paid upfront and agrees to be available for and provide services to a client at an agreed fee over a certain period of time.
A project-based contract is tailored for filling short-term positions without the hassle of hiring full-time employees. This contract's purpose is to outline the obligations, duties, and expectations of the project, as well as protect both the legally involved parties mentioned in the agreement.
An event-specific contract is a legally binding agreement that explicitly lays out the terms and conditions of agreement between the involved parties while receiving/delivering goods or services to coordinate in the event. Apart from all the integral components of PR contracts, the event-specific contracts also include the cancellation policy (if), for some reason, the client calls the event off.
Product launch is a process in which a new product or service is brought to market, and the product launch contract is like the marketing agreement that ensures a flawless marketing plan for the launching product.
Since the PR contract template comprises all the basic elements in their rightful places, all you
require is to amend and edit the contract template to suit your needs. Here's how:
Make a list of all the basic components required for the agreement, including the legal names of both the parties and the third parties involved, terms, payment terms, deadlines, and other important clauses. This helps narrow down the template choice.
Choosing the right template can be daunting. However, one simple way is to narrow down your needs, as mentioned in the previous point. Once done with the step, search for a suitable PR contract template to download from a user-friendly platform offering easy-to-use and customized templates, such as HelloBonsai.
Download our PR Contract Template now to guarantee clarity in your client collaborations.
When looking for the template, make sure the user-friendly platform offers highly customizable templates that guide you through the personalization process, allowing you to input project-specific details with ease.
The scope of services section ensures transparent communication through the contract with regards to your business relationship with clients. Although most templates will cover this, it's always important to confirm whether the public relations contract template you've chosen comprises this part before you settle for it. In case your PR agreement template doesn't have this, you can opt for another template or simply fix it in the one you have.
This is one of the most vital sections to include in your PR contract. Therefore, explain your payment terms comprehensibly. The payment terms include the 'how' and 'when' the payments will be made, as well as the other related terms and clauses such as cancellation fees.
Whether the PR contract is long-term or short-term, it is necessary to set the duration of the contract and the termination clause. This clause also explains the conditions, factors, and cancellation fee for early termination of the contract's effective period.
All things considered, Following are two points to take extra note of when crafting a winning PR contract template.
This section basically sets the rules and guidelines that the parties involved must agree to and follow, as well as ensure transparency and certainty, which reduces the risk of disputes between the parties involved. It also covers other fundamental terms and conditions, such as ensuring the contract has provisions for termination, payment terms, deadlines and milestones, and more.
An effective date specifies when an agreement or transaction between one or more parties becomes legally binding, and the terms outlined in the contract begin to apply. The inclusion of an effective date in the contract serves an essential purpose; it signifies the point from which parties need to begin and fulfill what they are obligated to under the contract.
Each business is unique, and for a freelancer, drafting a public relations agreement may seem daunting; for this reason, making use of the technology available to us is vital. This will allow you to work smarter and faster instead of worrying over the laborious administrative and repetitive task of building an entire agreement from scratch.
Technology such as the Bonsai software, which comprises 100+ contract templates, enables you to dedicate your efforts to your actual work. That being said, creating your own public relations contract template with Bonsai is easy and has multiple benefits:
Note: If you're ready to start editing your PR contract template for free, just sign up here, and you'll have your watertight documents ready in minutes.
HelloBonsai, a freelancer's trusted and reliable assistant, offers over 100 easy-to-use and legally verified contract templates in PDF or Word format. You can sign up here to make use of their FREE and easily customizable templates to build contracts based on projects, job type, and country.
A contract requires signatures for it to become valid until its termination. And about digital signatures, that depends on the terms of the proposing party. If the contract is not subjected to specific requirements, then yes you can execute a contract using an electronic signature.
Yes, the PR contract templates can be personalized to suit your specific needs. Bonsai contract templates cover all of the basics while also allowing room for customization based on the needs of each client.
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This Contract is between Client (the "Client") and Acme LLC (the "Publicist").
1.1 Project. The Client is hiring the Publicist to do the following: [PROJECT SCOPE]
1.2 Schedule. The Publicist will begin work on [START DATE] and will continue until the work is completed. This Contract can be ended by either Client or Publicist at any time, pursuant to the terms of Section 6, Term and Termination.
1.3 Payment. The Client will pay the Publicist an ongoing rate of [PROJECT RATE] per month. Of this, the Client will pay the Publicist a non-refundable deposit of [DEPOSIT AMOUNT] before work begins, to be deducted from the first invoice payment. This deposit is non-refundable due to the Publicist reserving their schedule on behalf of the Client.
1.4 Expenses. The Publicist may request additional payment for any agreed-upon, non-cancellable expenses, which must approved by the Client in advance.
1.5 Invoices. The Publicist will invoice the Client [INVOICE FREQUENCY]. The Client agrees to pay the amount owed within [X DAYS TO PAY] days of receiving an invoice. Payment after that date will incur a late fee of [LATE FEE PERCENTAGE]% per month on the outstanding amount.
1.6 Support. The Publicist will not provide support for any deliverable or once the Client accepts it, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
2.1 Client Owns All Work Product. As part of this job, the Publicist is creating "work product" for the Client. To avoid confusion, work product is the finished product, as well as drafts, notes, materials, mockups, hardware, designs, inventions, patents, code, emails, email content and anything else that the Publicist creates as part of this project. The Publicist hereby gives the Client this work product once the Client pays for it in full. This means the Publicist is giving the Client all of its rights, titles, and interests in and to the work product (including intellectual property rights), and the Client will be the sole owner of it. The Client can use the work product however it wants or it can decide not to use the work product at all. The Client, for example, can modify, destroy, or sell it, as it sees fit.
2.2 Publicist's Use Of Work Product. Once the Publicist gives the work product to the Client, the Publicist does not have any rights to it, except those that the Client explicitly gives the Publicist here. The Client gives permission to use the work product as part of portfolios and websites, in galleries, and in other media, so long as it is to showcase the work and not for any other purpose. The Client does not give permission to sell or otherwise use the work product to make money or for any other commercial use. The Client is not allowed to take back this license, even after the Contract ends.
2.3 Publicist's Help Securing Ownership. In the future, the Client may need the Publicist's help to show that the Client owns the work product or to complete the transfer. The Publicist agrees to help with that. For example, the Publicist may have to sign a patent application. The Client will pay any required expenses for this. If the Client can't find the Publicist, the Publicist agrees that the Client can act on the Publicist's behalf to accomplish the same thing. The following language gives the Client that right: if the Client can't find the Publicist after spending reasonable effort trying to do so, the Publicist hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Client as the Publicist's agent and attorney-in-fact, which appointment is coupled with an interest, to act for the Publicist and on the Publicist's behalf to execute, verify, and file the required documents and to take any other legal action to accomplish the purposes of paragraph 2.1 (Client Owns All Work Product).
2.4 Publicist's IP That Is Not Work Product. During the course of this project, the Publicist might use intellectual property that the Publicist owns or has licensed from a third party, but that does not qualify as "work product." This is called "background IP." Possible examples of background IP are pre-existing marketing strategies, code, type fonts, properly-licensed stock photos, proprietary marketing practices and web application tools.
The Publicist is not giving the Client this background IP. But, as part of the Contract, the Publicist is giving the Client a right to use and license (with the right to sublicense) the background IP to develop, market, sell, and support the Client's products and services. The Client may use this background IP worldwide and free of charge, but it cannot transfer its rights to the background IP (except as allowed in Section 11.1 (Assignment)). The Client cannot sell or license the background IP separately from its products or services. The Publicist cannot take back this grant, and this grant does not end when the Contract is over.
2.5 Publicist's Right To Use Client IP. The Publicist may need to use the Client's intellectual property to do its job. For example, if the Client is hiring the Publicist to build a website, the Publicist may have to use the Client's logo. The Client agrees to let the Publicist use the Client's intellectual property and other intellectual property that the Client controls to the extent reasonably necessary to do the Publicist's job. Beyond that, the Client is not giving the Publicist any intellectual property rights, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Contract.
The Publicist won't work for a competitor of the Client until this Contract ends. To avoid confusion, a competitor is any third party that develops, manufactures, promotes, sells, licenses, distributes, or provides products or services that are substantially similar to the Client's products or services. A competitor is also a third party that plans to do any of those things. The one exception to this restriction is if the Publicist asks for permission beforehand and the Client agrees to it in writing. If the Publicist uses employees or subcontractors, the Publicist must make sure they follow the obligations in this paragraph, as well.
Until this Contract ends, the Publicist won't: (a) encourage Client employees or service providers to stop working for the Client; (b) encourage Client customers or clients to stop doing business with the Client; or (c) hire anyone who worked for the Client over the 12-month period before the Contract ended.
The one exception is if the Publicist puts out a general ad and someone who happened to work for the Client responds. In that case, the Publicist may hire that candidate.
5.1 Overview. This section contains important promises between the parties.
5.2 Authority To Sign. Each party promises to the other party that it has the authority to enter into this Contract and to perform all of its obligations under this Contract.
5.3 Publicist Has Right To Give Client Work Product. The Publicist promises that it owns the work product, that the Publicist is able to give the work product to the Client, and that no other party will claim that it owns the work product. If the Publicist uses employees or subcontractors, the Publicist also promises that these employees and subcontractors have signed contracts with the Publicist giving the Publicist any rights that the employees or subcontractors have related to the Publicist's background IP and work product.
5.4 Publicist Will Comply With Laws. The Publicist promises that the manner it does this job, its work product, and any background IP it uses comply with applicable laws and regulations.
5.5 Work Product Does Not Infringe. The Publicist promises that its work product does not and will not infringe on someone else's intellectual property rights, that the Publicist has the right to let the Client use the background IP, and that this Contract does not and will not violate any contract that the Publicist has entered into or will enter into with someone else.
5.6 Client Will Review Work. The Client promises to review the work product, to be reasonably available to the Publicist if the Publicist has questions regarding this project, and to provide timely feedback and decisions.
5.7 Client-Supplied Material Does Not Infringe. If the Client provides the Publicist with material to incorporate into the work product, the Client promises that this material does not infringe on someone else's intellectual property rights.
This Contract is ongoing, until ended by the Client or the Publicist. Either party may end this Contract for any reason by sending an email or letter to the other party, informing the recipient that the sender is ending the Contract and that the Contract will end in 7 days. The Contract officially ends once that time has passed. The party that is ending the Contract must provide notice by taking the steps explained in Section 11.4. The Publicist must immediately stop working as soon as it receives this notice, unless the notice says otherwise. The Client will pay the Publicist for the work done up until when the Contract ends and will reimburse the Publicist for any agreed-upon, non-cancellable expenses. The following sections don't end even after the Contract ends: 2 (Ownership and Licenses); 3 (Competitive Engagements); 4 (Non-Solicitation); 5 (Representations); 8 (Confidential Information); 9 (Limitation of Liability); 10 (Indemnity); and 11 (General).
The Client is hiring the Publicist as an independent contractor. The following statements accurately reflect their relationship:
8.1 Overview. This Contract imposes special restrictions on how the Client and the Publicist must handle confidential information. These obligations are explained in this section.
8.3 Third-Party Confidential Information. It's possible the Client and the Publicist each have access to confidential information that belongs to third parties. The Client and the Publicist each promise that it will not share with the other party confidential information that belongs to third parties, unless it is allowed to do so. If the Client or the Publicist is allowed to share confidential information with the other party and does so, the sharing party promises to tell the other party in writing of any special restrictions regarding that information.
Neither party is liable for breach-of-contract damages that the breaching party could not reasonably have foreseen when it entered this Contract.
10.1 Overview. This section transfers certain risks between the parties if a third party sues or goes after the Client or the Publicist or both. For example, if the Client gets sued for something that the Publicist did, then the Publicist may promise to come to the Client's defense or to reimburse the Client for any losses.
10.2 Client Indemnity. In this Contract, the Publicist agrees to indemnify the Client (and its affiliates and their directors, officers, employees, and agents) from and against all liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) related to a third-party claim or proceeding arising out of: (i) the work the Publicist has done under this Contract; (ii) a breach by the Publicist of its obligations under this Contract; or (iii) a breach by the Publicist of the promises it is making in Section 5 (Representations).
10.3 Publicist Indemnity. In this Contract, the Client agrees to indemnify the Publicist (and its affiliates and their directors, officers, employees, and agents) from and against liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) related to a third-party claim or proceeding arising out of a breach by the Client of its obligations under this Contract.
11.1 Assignment. This Contract applies only to the Client and the Publicist. The Publicist cannot assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Contract to a third-party (other than by will or intestate), without first receiving the Client's written permission. In contrast, the Client may assign its rights and delegate its obligations under this Contract without the Publicist's permission. This is necessary in case, for example, another Client buys out the Client or if the Client decides to sell the work product that results from this Contract.
11.2 Arbitration. As the exclusive means of initiating adversarial proceedings to resolve any dispute arising under this Contract, a party may demand that the dispute be resolved by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its commercial arbitration rules.
11.3 Modification; Waiver. To change anything in this Contract, the Client and the Publicist must agree to that change in writing and sign a document showing their contract. Neither party can waive its rights under this Contract or release the other party from its obligations under this Contract, unless the waiving party acknowledges it is doing so in writing and signs a document that says so.
11.4 Notices.
(a) Over the course of this Contract, one party may need to send a notice to the other party. For the notice to be valid, it must be in writing and delivered in one of the following ways: personal delivery, email, or certified or registered mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested). The notice must be delivered to the party's address listed at the end of this Contract or to another address that the party has provided in writing as an appropriate address to receive notice.
(b) The timing of when a notice is received can be very important. To avoid confusion, a valid notice is considered received as follows: (i) if delivered personally, it is considered received immediately; (ii) if delivered by email, it is considered received upon acknowledgement of receipt; (iii) if delivered by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested), it is considered received upon receipt as indicated by the date on the signed receipt. If a party refuses to accept notice or if notice cannot be delivered because of a change in address for which no notice was given, then it is considered received when the notice is rejected or unable to be delivered. If the notice is received after 5:00pm on a business day at the location specified in the address for that party, or on a day that is not a business day, then the notice is considered received at 9:00am on the next business day.
11.5 Severability. This section deals with what happens if a portion of the Contract is found to be unenforceable. If that's the case, the unenforceable portion will be changed to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, unless that change is not permitted by law, in which case the portion will be disregarded. If any portion of the Contract is changed or disregarded because it is unenforceable, the rest of the Contract is still enforceable.
11.6 Signatures. The Client and the Publicist may sign this document using online e-signature software such as Bonsai. These electronic signatures count as originals for all intents and purposes.
11.7 Governing Law. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this document shall be governed by the laws of the United States of America.
11.8 Entire Contract. This Contract represents the parties' final and complete understanding of this job and the subject matter discussed in this Contract. This Contract supersedes all other contracts (both written and oral) between the parties.
THE PARTIES HERETO AGREE TO THE FOREGOING AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR SIGNATURES BELOW.
