How PR agencies can diversify income through media training

Key takeaways

• Media training is a high-margin service that can boost your agency's profitability beyond standard PR retainers, often achieving gross margins of 60-70%.
• Diversification protects your business by reducing reliance on a few large clients and creating more predictable, varied income streams.
• Successful packaging is key – sell media training as a standalone product, a retainer add-on, or a packaged workshop to attract different client types.
• Use your existing assets to launch new services efficiently by repurposing team expertise, client relationships, and case studies.
• Track new revenue separately to understand the true profitability of each income channel and make smart decisions about where to invest.

What is PR agency revenue diversification and why does it matter?

PR agency revenue diversification means creating income from several different sources, not just your main service. For most PR agencies, that main service is monthly retainer fees for media relations and content. Diversification adds other income channels, like media training, workshops, or strategy audits.

This matters because it makes your business stronger. If one big client leaves, or if the market for traditional PR slows down, you still have money coming in from other places. It also helps you make more profit. Some new services, like training, often have higher margins than day-to-day account management.

Think of it like not putting all your eggs in one basket. A diversified PR agency has a mix of retainer work, project fees, and productised services. This mix creates a more stable and profitable business. In our experience working with PR agencies, the most resilient ones rarely get more than 60% of their income from standard retainer fees.

How can media training become a profitable new income channel?

Media training is profitable because you can charge a premium for specialised expertise, and the delivery costs are relatively fixed. You create the training materials once, then deliver them to multiple clients. Your main cost is your trainer's time, which you can price at a high day rate.

Let's break down the numbers. A typical one-day media training workshop for a client might be priced at £2,500 to £5,000. Your direct costs are the trainer's salary for that day, any venue hire, and materials. If you use an internal expert, your cost might be £500-£800. That leaves a gross margin (the money left after direct costs) of 70% or more.

Compare this to a standard PR retainer. On a £5,000 monthly retainer, your direct costs are the team's time spent on that client all month. After paying your team, your gross margin might be 50-60%. Media training often delivers a better return on the time invested. It's a classic example of creating multiple income channels that work together.

You can also create scalable products. For example, you could sell a pre-recorded online media training course for £300 per person. Once it's made, you can sell it repeatedly with almost no extra cost. This is a form of passive income opportunities for your agency.

What are the first steps to adding media training to your services?

The first step is to audit your existing skills and client relationships. You likely already have the expertise in-house. Identify team members who are confident on camera, great at presenting, or have journalist experience. They can be your trainers.

Next, look at your client list. Which clients have spokespeople who need coaching? Which are in industries facing more media scrutiny? Start by offering a pilot session to one or two trusted clients at a discounted rate. Use this to build a case study and refine your offering.

Then, package your service. Decide what you're selling. Is it a half-day "crisis comms" drill? A full-day "broadcast interview" workshop? A series of coaching sessions? Having clear packages makes it easier to sell and deliver. Price it based on the value to the client, not just your time. Preventing a PR disaster is worth thousands.

Finally, market it. Add a page to your website. Mention it in client reviews. Include it as an option in your proposals. You don't need a big launch. Start small and let it grow organically from your existing PR work. Specialist accountants for PR agencies can help you model the financial impact of adding this new service line.

How should PR agencies price media training for maximum profit?

Price media training based on the value it delivers and the market rate, not just your costs. Research what other specialist trainers charge. Position your agency's offering as premium, leveraging your PR credibility.

Use a tiered pricing model. For example, offer a basic half-day session for £1,500, a full-day workshop for £3,500, and a premium package with follow-up coaching for £6,000. This gives clients choice and helps you upsell. Always price as a project fee, not an hourly rate. You are selling an outcome, not time.

Consider bundling it with retainers. Offer a 10% discount on media training for clients on a 12-month retainer. This increases client loyalty and makes your core retainer more valuable. This approach to retainer variation makes your overall client relationship stronger and more profitable.

Track the profitability separately. In your accounts, create a new category for "training revenue". This lets you see exactly how much profit this new income channel generates. You can then decide whether to invest more in marketing it or developing new courses.

What are the biggest financial risks of not diversifying your income?

The biggest risk is client concentration. If 40% of your revenue comes from one client and they leave, you have an immediate cash flow crisis. You may need to make quick, painful cuts to your team. Diversification spreads this risk.

Another risk is margin erosion. The market for traditional PR services is competitive. Clients often push for lower retainer fees. If all your income is from these fees, your overall profit margin gets squeezed. Higher-margin services like training protect your agency's profitability.

You also face market risk. Economic downturns often see marketing budgets cut first. A diversified agency with income from essential training (like crisis communications) may be more resilient than one relying solely on discretionary PR spend.

Finally, there's talent risk. Your best people might get bored doing only one type of work. Offering multiple income channels like training and strategy gives them new challenges and helps you retain top talent. This is a hidden cost of a non-diversified business.

How do you track the success of different income channels?

You track success by measuring the profit from each channel, not just the revenue. In your management accounts, split your income into clear categories. For example: Retainer PR, Project PR, Media Training, Strategy Consulting.

For each category, track three key numbers: the total revenue, the direct costs (like specialist freelancers or trainer costs), and the gross margin. A good media training programme might have 70% gross margin. A large retainer might have 55%. Seeing these numbers helps you decide where to focus.

Also track non-financial metrics. How many client referrals come from training clients? Does offering training help you win bigger retainers? Sometimes the value of a new service is in strengthening your core business, not just its direct profit.

Use a simple dashboard. Many agencies use tools like Xero for accounting with tracking categories, or a spreadsheet. Review it monthly with your leadership team. This data-driven approach is central to smart PR agency revenue diversification.

Can diversification improve your agency's valuation?

Yes, significantly. When someone looks to buy an agency, they pay for future profit. A diversified agency is seen as less risky and more sustainable. This often leads to a higher valuation multiple.

Buyers love recurring revenue. While PR retainers are good, productised services like annual training packages or online courses create even more predictable income. This type of passive income opportunities is highly valuable.

A mix of income streams also shows commercial sophistication. It demonstrates that you understand how to build a business, not just deliver a service. This makes your agency a more attractive acquisition target.

Even if you don't plan to sell, running a more valuable business gives you more options. It provides security and can make it easier to secure investment if you want to grow. Diversification is a key part of building an asset, not just a job.

What does a balanced, diversified PR agency model look like?

A balanced model has no single point of failure. A good target for a mature PR agency might be: 50-60% income from core retainer fees, 20-30% from project work and media training, and 10-20% from other streams like speaking or digital products.

This balance protects you. If retainer work has a slow quarter, project and training income can fill the gap. It also motivates your team. They get to work on different types of challenges, which boosts creativity and retention.

The model should also match your strengths. If your team loves coaching, lean into training. If you have great strategy minds, offer more consulting. Diversification doesn't mean doing everything. It means building a portfolio of services that play to your agency's unique advantages.

Start with a goal. Maybe you want 20% of your revenue to come from non-retainer sources within 18 months. Break that down into steps. Take the Agency Profit Score to see exactly where your agency stands financially and identify the gaps you need to plug before scaling into new revenue streams. Getting the financial structure right is what turns a good idea into a profitable reality.

Building a diversified income model is one of the smartest strategic moves a PR agency owner can make. It creates a more resilient, profitable, and valuable business. By starting with a service like media training, you leverage your existing skills for new growth. The key is to start small, track your results, and double down on what works.

If you're ready to explore how PR agency revenue diversification can strengthen your financial foundations, getting specialist advice is a good next step. We help PR agencies build commercial models that support sustainable growth.