How to build a knockout communications team

26 February 2026

The role of the "storyteller" at large corporations has come to the fore recently, following articles in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and The Times, shining a light on the intrinsic importance of strategic communications to company growth.

However it's not just large businesses that benefit from having an engaging and clearly defined corporate narrative. For startups looking to fundraise, differentiate from competitors, or secure new customers, having the right company story can be the difference between success and failure.

But for early-stage companies that may be new to comms, knowing who and how to hire can be challenging. Should you start with a PR agency or build an in-house team? What attributes should you look for? 

To help startups understand where to begin, the questions to ask, and what makes a great agency or in-house hire, our CEO, Stephanie Forrest, sat down with Richard Savage, Founder and MD of Sapio Consulting. As a specialist PR and communications recruiter with over 10 years of experience, Richard has a unique perspective on the evolving state of the comms industry and knows how to create the best comms team to adapt to it.

Below, we’ve dissected the most important pieces of advice from their talk. If you’d like to watch the full recording of the discussion, click here.

Identify your key objective

The common PR objectives for startups are building awareness and credibility, engaging with investors, and driving customer interest. 

Richard pointed out that being clear on the objectives you want your comms agency or new hire to achieve means you will be much more likely to find the support that you need. Once your objectives are clear, the next question becomes structural: do you build in-house, work with an agency, or some combination of both?

Choosing between in-house and agency

The benefits of recruiting an agency versus hiring an internal communications professional vary case-by-case. 

Good agencies are flexible and reactive, providing expertise for key moments such as launches, funding announcements, and market entries. You’ll generally have access to a team of specialists, meaning you can benefit from senior skills without the overheads of a full-time senior comms hire. Agencies can also provide valuable capacity, helping you deliver more than an internal hire would be able to do on their own. 

In addition, the connections and wide level of expertise that an agency has can be invaluable. Many will have international partners which can help build your presence in new markets, or relationships with other key stakeholders, such as industry analysts, organisations and event organisers. An agency can also scale its activity fairly easily, which is especially valuable when you need strong support at the start, but might not be able to afford the flat wage of a full-time internal hire.

These benefits are not solely limited to early-stage startups though – the best agency-client partnerships are when the agency gets to be part of a startup’s growth journey and effectively becomes part of the team. That’s what forms long-lasting relationships that drive long-term value.

On the other hand, an in-house comms professional is, as Savage stated, “the custodian of your brand and your messaging.” Working day-to-day at the business, they will have a more detailed understanding of the business itself. As your business scales, an internal communications person who can act as this brand guardian and manage agency relationships becomes more important.

For well-funded startups, Richard suggests a hybrid approach – acquiring an in-house hire early on, then deploying an agency to work alongside your internal team and amplify your message.

Key questions to ask when appointing a PR agency

If you decide to hire an agency, ask these four questions:

Are they a good cultural fit for your business? 

Look at their experience, both within your industry and in your region. In addition, their level of preparation for kickoff meetings and longevity with other clients are signs of how suitable they might be.

Are they inquisitive? 

They should have a curiosity in your work and demonstrate an attention to detail. They should be asking the right kinds of questions. 

How do they measure success? 

Their metrics and goals should align with your marketing and broader business goals.

Do you think they could represent you? 

Often, they will be representing your brand as a first line of contact with the media and other external stakeholders.

Prioritise people with a good eye for content

Whether hiring in-house or choosing an agency, it is critical that your comms team knows what good content is – they need to be able to write articles, blogs, and case studies that genuinely connect and resonate with both technical and non-technical readers.

Stephanie warned, “I would be really wary about a person or an agency that says they use AI for content. A human-centric approach is critical nowadays. The fact of the matter is, people are simply not very interested in AI content.” 

People are increasingly attracted to content written by humans. This is also spilling over to SEO, where search engines draw upon authentic thought leadership and stand-out content when deciding which companies to promote.

The changing landscape

For B2B companies in particular, hiring people who can quickly adapt to a shifting landscape is key.

Beyond traditional media, modern B2B comms professionals manage LinkedIn profiles for executives, create video content, optimise articles for search, brief industry analysts, and monitor real-time conversations across markets and languages. The role now demands fluency across multiple platforms and formats, each with its own logic and audience expectations. As such, the best communications professionals have become “channel strategists” who understand the best place for each message.

Find a trusted partner

However, while the attributes and requirements will differ, the key theme of the conversation, Richard pointed out, was ‘partnership’.

Effective comms partnerships are built on trust and mutual understanding. This comes from alignment on two fronts: a team that can keep pace with your operations, and one that has the judgment to challenge you when necessary. Get this right and you will have built a knockout comms team.