One of the best parts about agency PR is the chance to engage with a multitude of clients across different industry sectors.

Through this, you become part of the client’s team, communicating their business objectives, organising meetings on their behalf, and often speaking to them as often as their colleagues.

It’s a great opportunity, but it can also be challenging to be part of so many teams at once.

I recently had the opportunity to co-host an awards evening for a client in Bratislava, Slovakia, to celebrate the achievements of the whole team.

It was an honour to be invited, let alone included in the way that I was, and it really shone a light on the role account managers can play within a client’s wider team.

Even if we aren’t in their office every day, we can still be seen as critical team members who represent their brand and ideas.

Importantly, that role also allows us to act as a considered and constructive challenger within the team, bringing an external perspective on positioning, messaging, and reputation that internal stakeholders, by virtue of proximity, may not always see.

By sitting close enough to understand the business, but far enough away to retain objectivity, agency PR teams can help clients interrogate assumptions, stress-test narratives, and identify opportunities or risks that might otherwise go unnoticed.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. We don’t just team up with one client, but often many, which can be a bit like playing five different sports all at once.

Take an industry event, for example. As a PR company we can attend an event supporting more than ten different clients at once, as well as attending on behalf of Meantime. Add in the clients that aren’t there, but still require your attention, and you could have a recipe for disaster.

You want each client to feel like they have you supporting their interests, but it’s impossible to be in ten places at once, and believe me, I’ve tried.

This is a test in time management, people management, and it requires an in-depth understanding of a client’s wants and needs. It’s a skill to juggle this all at once whilst still maintaining the client relationship, and this ability is part of what makes agency PR so demanding and rewarding.

So how do we do this? How do you play for all the teams?

Firstly, it’s important to remember that this isn’t a one-man show. You’re part of an agency there to support and assist when needed, covering when one client requires more of your attention, distributing a press release from the office, or picking up the phone when you’re on the ground. It really is a group effort.

Communication is also key. It’s what drives a good working relationship and cannot be overstated.

Finally, it requires the ability to prioritise effectively, so that you are meeting client’s expectations and goals.

It’s an amazing feeling to be part of so many teams, and to have clients want you included in their milestones and achievements. But it’s a perk you must work for.

You must build that relationship with the client and then maintain it, using the tools provided to ensure that they feel like number one every time.

Do that, and you can be playing, rugby, football, hockey, cricket, and tennis, all while completing a 100-meter sprint, and no one will know.