10 Factors To Choosing the Right Branding Agency For Your PR

Choosing the right branding agency matters because your brand identity isn’t just about visuals, it’s also about public relations. A polished logo without a strong story won’t land you in headlines. 

So when branding and PR work together, your business becomes not just memorable, but also newsworthy.

Today, the leading PR agency in Malaysia will share the 10 factors to consider when choosing the right branding agency. So let’s get to it.

How Does a Branding Agency Influence PR Success?

A branding agency defines how the public, including the media perceives your business.

PR is built on public perception. If your brand identity is weak or inconsistent, even the best PR team will struggle to generate meaningful coverage. 

When your branding is clear, it provides a solid foundation for storytelling that media outlets actually want to publish.

Branding Creates Narratives, Not Just Visuals

• Journalists and editors don’t write about logos, they write about stories.
• A branding agency helps shape the narrative around your business, not just its design elements.
• Strong positioning gives the press a “hook” to highlight, whether that’s innovation, community impact, or sustainability.

“Media pick up stories, not slogans. A rebrand without a story rarely earns a headline.”

Consistency Makes PR Pitchable

• PR teams rely on consistent messaging crafted during the branding process.
• A scattered or generic identity makes press pitches forgettable.
• Clear, unified branding ensures every pitch, press release, and interview sounds like it’s coming from the same confident voice. (Message house)

In Malaysia, enterprises often operate across multiple languages and cultures. Without a branding agency aligning the messaging, what works in English may not work in Bahasa Malaysia or Mandarin media outlets. 

“Consistent messaging is important, don’t use ChatGPT to translate English to Mandarin to send a message for the sake of it.”

Rebranding as a Media Opportunity

• A rebrand isn’t just cosmetic, it’s an event.
• Journalists see rebrands as newsworthy moments, giving businesses a chance to secure coverage.
• When handled strategically, a branding agency can turn a rebrand into weeks of PR opportunities: interviews, industry features, and opinion pieces.

Let’s take an example: A company repositioning itself as a sustainability-driven brand isn’t simply updating visuals or slapping green all over their site. 

That shift attracts coverage in environmental media, opens doors to partnerships, and aligns the business with rising consumer values, maybe even appearing in The Star!

Read more: 10 Factors to Consider When Choosing a PR Agency in Malaysia

What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Branding Agency?

We’ve seen our fair share of poor branding and confusing messaging, and choosing the wrong branding company doesn’t just waste design fees, it can directly harm your reputation and weaken your PR.

“According to a Landor study, 74% of S&P 100 companies rebrand within a seven-year period.”

In Malaysia’s competitive market, reputation spreads fast, across viral social media, internet forums, and mainstream outlets. 

If a branding agency misrepresents your identity or worse, causes controversy with a poorly tasted slogan or image, the negative impression can ripple through media channels. 

Fixing that damage later costs more than doing it right the first time.

What Should You Look for in a Branding Agency With PR Expertise?

Pick an agency that can shape a story, prove press impact, and work fluently across Malaysia’s languages and media. Here’s the buyer’s checklist.

1) Strategy First, Not “Pretty First”

A good branding agency doesn’t start with fonts or logos. They start with your business goals,  who you’re trying to reach, what risks you face, and what position you want in the market.

• Look for: Discovery workshops where they dig into market context and category challenges before touching design.
• Why it matters: PR isn’t just about pitching, it’s about having a story worth pitching. If the positioning isn’t clear, media coverage will be inconsistent.
• Test: Ask how they would translate your positioning into owned content (like a newsroom page, press kit, or founder quote bank) before going out to journalists. Agencies that “design first, pitch later” usually struggle to get meaningful coverage.

Question to Ask: “How do you translate positioning into owned content like newsroom pages or founder quotes before pitching media?”

2) Media-Minded Messaging (Press-Ready by Design)

A strong branding agency knows how to craft messages that double as press copy. Journalists aren’t looking for slogans, they’re looking for headlines, facts, and quotes they can drop straight into a story.

• Look for: Agencies that write proof points, stats, and quotes as if a journalist would use them.
• Why it matters: Precision beats hype. A clear line about your market impact or innovation has more PR value than fluffy buzzwords.
• Our Recommendation : Prepare English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin versions of your boilerplate and key stats. Many local outlets will copy-paste from your press kit, if you don’t provide multilingual versions, your story may get diluted or misinterpreted.

Question to Ask: “Can you show me messaging you’ve crafted that ended up quoted in a media article?”

3) A Working Press Machine (Not Just a Brand Book)

Some agencies hand you a glossy brand book and stop there. That won’t move the needle in PR. What you need is a partner that thinks beyond guidelines and helps you activate the story in media.

• Look for: A playbook covering press release structure, media list strategy, and a plan to tie your announcement to timely news or trends.
• Why it matters: Journalists use official releases as a starting point, not the final story. If your release connects to current debates or industry shifts, it’s far more likely to get picked up.
• Test: Ask for 2–3 examples where the agency used data or a timely hook to earn coverage. If all they show you is a design refresh with no press traction, that’s a red flag.

Question to Ask: “Can you share examples of press releases or pitches where you used a data hook or trend to earn coverage?”

4) Proof of PR Outcomes From Branding Work

Branding should do more than look good, it should earn coverage.

• Look for: Case studies where a rebrand turned into media stories, interviews, or op-eds, not just a gallery of new logos.
• Why it matters: a rebrand is a natural “news moment.” If the agency doesn’t seize it, you miss valuable attention.
• Local Examples: Guardian Malaysia used its brand refresh launch in Kuala Lumpur to secure national coverage, while JAECOO’s rebrand to OMODA also highlighted their new product to commemorate their rebranding.

In other words, If an agency can’t show examples of branding work that led to press mentions, they may not be PR-ready.

Question to Ask: “Which rebrand project of yours resulted in media coverage, and how did you achieve it?”

5) Cultural & Multilingual Fluency (Malaysia-Ready)

We can’t stress this enough. A brand story that works in English may stumble in Bahasa Malaysia or Mandarin, we have seen enough press releases being Google Translate for different languages, please do not ignore this.

• Look for: Agencies that adapt messaging across languages and cultural contexts, not just translate word-for-word.
• Why it matters: sensitive phrasing around festivals, traditions, or industry terms can make the difference between positive coverage and tone-deaf headlines.
• Our Recommendation: Ask for portfolios that show the same story carried across EN, BM, and CN outlets. Awards and campaign write-ups often highlight agencies that excel at this.

Question to Ask: “Can you show me how you adapted the same story across different languages and outlets?”

“Mistranslated messages and meanings can land you in very hot water in Malaysia.”

Read more: How Malaysian Brands Can Get Featured in International Media

6) Crisis Awareness Baked Into the Brand

The best branding agencies prepare you not just for good press, but also for tough questions from journalists.

• Look for: Agencies that provide counsel on what to say, and what not to say during sensitive issues, plus draft messaging trees.
• Why it matters: mishandling a crisis can damage reputation for years, getting it right can protect long-term trust.
• Our recommendation: Ask for a sample Q&A pack or escalation protocol they’ve used in past campaigns.

A crisis management plan helps soften the blows of negative headlines. A prepared agency helps you avoid that spiral and would advise you on what to do.

Question to Ask: “Do you have a sample crisis Q&A pack or escalation protocol you’ve used with clients?”

7) Owned Channels That Journalists Can Source

If a branding agency claims to understand PR, they should set you up with assets journalists can use immediately.

• Look for: Agencies that build a proper brand newsroom, not just a website tab. This should include bios, quotes, downloadable images, and captions.
• Why it matters: Reporters under deadline will pull facts directly from these pages. If your agency only gives you Instagram posts and a PDF brand book, they’re not PR-ready.
• What to check: Do they provide press kits in EN/BM/CN and local event photos (KL, Penang, Johor)? That’s what Malaysian journalists expect.

Question to ask: “Can you show me a newsroom you’ve built for a client that’s been used by journalists?”

8) Measurement That Connects Brand to Coverage

A PR-savvy branding agency won’t stop at design metrics, they’ll measure how branding affects media visibility and trust.

• Look for: Agencies that report on message pull-through (are your key points echoed in coverage?), share of voice vs competitors, and outlet quality.
• Why it matters: If an agency only sends you a logo file and clippings, they’re not proving PR value. The right partner links brand strategy → coverage → audience trust.
• What to check: Ask if they’ve tracked consistency across EN/BM/CN articles, this shows they understand Malaysia’s multilingual press.

Question to ask: “Show me how you attributed a rebrand to an uplift in coverage or reputation.”

9) Timing & Newsworthiness Sense

Agencies that “get” PR know that timing is everything.

• Look for: Agencies that can tie your brand story to a trend, event, or calendar moment (Hari Raya, Budget announcements, EV policy news).
• Why it matters: Editors filter stories by asking “why now?” If your agency can’t answer that, your rebrand won’t make headlines.
• Our Recommendation: Have they aligned rebrands with Malaysian sector shifts (EV launches, cultural campaigns)? If not, they may lack newsroom instincts.

Question to ask:  “Give me an example of how you tied a client’s rebrand to a trending story or local moment.”

10) Evidence They Can Turn Rebrands Into Momentum

Coverage shouldn’t stop at launch day.

• Look for: Agencies that map out a sequenced plan — teasers → launch-day stories → founder POVs → partner collabs → community angles.
• Why it matters: The best agencies plan teasers, day-of stories, op-eds, and follow-ups to keep the momentum alive.
• Local check: Many Malaysian roll-outs (retail, automotive) extended press buzz through events and touchpoints.

Question to Ask: “What’s your plan for keeping media interest going after the rebrand launch?”

Why the Right Branding Agency Matters for PR

The right agency doesn’t just polish your image; it shapes reputation, earns credibility, and builds the kind of trust that advertising alone can’t buy.

The thing is, every brand has a story. The question is: will yours be remembered? 

At PRESS, we go beyond design. By combining branding expertise with Digital PR services, we help businesses turn identity into influence. We make sure your story isn’t just seen once, but remembered, shared, and reinforced where it matters most.

If you’re ready for your next rebrand to be more than a new look,  if you want it to spark conversation, headlines, and lasting impact, let’s talk about how PRESS can turn your strategy into a story the world wants to hear.