Poland has become one of Europe’s most exciting markets for brand growth. Its mix of fast-adopting consumers, influential media, and thriving digital culture makes it a hot spot for international companies. Naturally, PR agencies in Poland are in high demand – both local firms with strong roots and international players building offices here.
But while the opportunities are real, many brands stumble when selecting or working with an agency. The same errors appear again and again, leading to wasted budgets, missed media opportunities and broken relationships.
Here are the seven key mistakes you need to know (and how to avoid them).
Treating All Agencies as the Same
On the surface, every agency promises “visibility” and “relationships with media.” But look deeper, and you’ll see very different strengths. Some agencies excel at corporate PR and investor relations, while others focus on lifestyle brands and consumer buzz.
For example, a tech startup looking for funding news in Puls Biznesu (a daily newspaper focused on the business and economy in Poland) needs a very different partner than a fashion brand aiming for coverage in Vogue Polska or TikTok influencer campaigns.
How to avoid this mistake:
Audit your real needs. Are you after thought leadership, crisis communication, or influencer partnerships? Match agency expertise to your goals – don’t just pick the first name on Google.
Extra insight:
It’s also worth asking who will actually run your account. In Poland, as in many markets, the “pitch team” often looks different from the “delivery team.” Make sure the senior experts you meet are truly involved, not just figureheads.
Ignoring Local Market Nuances
Polish audiences expect communication that feels local, not copy-pasted. Translating your global press release isn’t enough. Local journalists value tailored story angles, while Polish consumers often prefer brands that respect culture and language.
Consider how Allegro dominates Polish e-commerce: not because it’s the cheapest, but because it “feels Polish.” The same applies to PR – if your story doesn’t connect locally, it won’t stick.
How to avoid this mistake:
Choose an agency with strong local media and influencer relationships. Ask them how they would adapt your global messaging to fit Poland.
Extra insight:
Don’t underestimate regional diversity. Coverage in Warsaw’s business press won’t resonate the same way in Silesia or Pomerania. Polish PR agencies often know how to angle stories for different regions – a subtle but important edge.
Focusing Only on Price
It’s tempting to select the cheapest offer, especially if PR feels like an “add-on” rather than a growth engine. But a low price can mean stretched teams, junior staff without senior guidance, or a lack of network.
In PR, you’re often paying for access to media editors, to creative thinkers, to reputation. Cutting corners here means you’ll spend more later trying to repair weak campaigns.
In Poland, PR agencies usually offer two main models of cooperation: project-based or retainer-based. Each serves a different purpose. Choosing the right one depends on whether you need quick visibility for a launch or long-term reputation building. Here’s how they compare:
| Model | Best for | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project-based PR | One-off launches, short campaigns, product debuts, or event-driven visibility. | ✅ Quick to start. ✅ Clear deliverables and timeline. ✅ Ideal for testing a new market or agency. |
❌ Limited relationship-building. ❌ Harder to sustain long-term media trust. ❌ Often lacks strategic continuity. |
| Retainer-based PR | Ongoing communication, brand reputation, thought leadership, and media relations. | ✅ Consistent messaging and media presence. ✅ Builds credibility over time. ✅ Easier to integrate with digital, social, and influencer efforts. |
❌ Requires longer commitment. ❌ Higher monthly cost. ❌ Needs strong alignment on goals and metrics. |
How to avoid this mistake:
Instead of asking “what’s the cheapest agency,” ask “what’s the value per PLN I’m getting?” Look for transparent pricing, realistic deliverables and case studies that prove ROI.
Extra insight:
Some agencies in Poland work on retainers, others on project fees. Retainers are better for consistency; projects for one-off campaigns. Be clear which model suits your brand before committing.
Expecting Instant Results
PR is not paid ads. You can’t “buy” front-page coverage overnight. Building reputation is about consistency and trust.
Many foreign brands entering Poland expect media coverage in the first week. But journalists are selective, and relationships take time. Rushing only creates disappointment.
How to avoid this mistake:
Set realistic timelines. A good agency should explain what’s possible in 3 months, 6 months and beyond. Look for early indicators of progress (first journalist meetings, small mentions) before expecting big media wins.
Extra insight:
In Poland, trust often comes from long-term collaboration. Journalists remember which agencies deliver relevant, credible stories. If you’re patient, your brand can benefit from that goodwill.
Overlooking Digital and Social Media
Traditional media remains important in Poland, but digital is where the conversations happen. TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn are booming, and influencers often drive trends faster than newspapers.
Yet many brands still expect PR to mean only press releases and print coverage. The result? Campaigns that feel outdated and invisible to younger audiences.
Richard Branson captured this contrast perfectly:
“Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.
The point? Advertising buys space, whereas PR earns trust. In today’s Poland, where digital conversations spread faster than print headlines, the right PR story can create an impact money can’t always buy.
To see where audiences actually spend their time, look at the data below. Understanding which platforms dominate online engagement helps brands decide where to focus their PR and communication efforts. YouTube remains the undisputed leader in reach, while TikTok and Instagram continue to grow fast among younger audiences. Facebook still holds a strong position for broad awareness, and LinkedIn’s steady rise proves that professional storytelling is gaining ground, too.
These figures represent advertising reach or potential audience, not daily active users. They show how many people could be reached via ads on each platform, rather than real engagement levels.
The value for TikTok (11.4M) refers only to adults aged 18+, so the total user base is likely higher.
The YouTube figure reflects its wide ad network reach across Poland.
Sources:
SocialPress.pl – Digital 2025 Report
DataReportal – Global Digital Insights
How to avoid this mistake:
Ask your agency about digital integration. Do they have experience with influencers? Can they combine PR with social storytelling? If they can’t, you’re only seeing half the picture.
Extra insight:
More and more Polish PR agencies are blending with marketing agencies. Look for partners who can bridge both worlds: pitching journalists in the morning, briefing influencers in the afternoon. That’s the new PR reality.
👉 You may also be interested in this article: How Much Do Facebook Ads Cost in Poland?
Not Checking Cultural Fit
PR is collaboration. If your agency feels like an “external vendor” rather than a partner, the work will suffer.
Some brands sign contracts based on credentials alone, without testing cultural alignment. Later, they discover the agency works in a rigid style, while the brand expects flexibility – or vice versa.
How to avoid this mistake:
Spend time with the agency team. Notice their communication style. Are they proactive, transparent, and creative? A cultural fit is often what keeps a partnership alive when campaigns get tough.
Extra insight:
In Poland, personal chemistry matters. Teams that “click” often outperform those that don’t, even with fewer resources. Test the waters with a smaller project first before signing a long-term retainer.
Forgetting to Define Success
This is perhaps the most common error. Brands talk about “visibility” or “buzz,” but fail to set clear KPIs. That leaves agencies guessing what matters.
One brand might define success as five articles in tier-one media. Another might want increased website traffic or improved employer branding. Without clarity, both sides lose.
To make PR measurable and meaningful, it helps to track progress across three stages — from awareness to engagement to reputation. Each stage has its own KPIs and tools that show whether your communication strategy is truly working.
| Stage | Focus | Example Metrics | Tools to Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Visibility and reach — getting your brand noticed by the right audiences. | Media mentions, reach, impressions, website traffic spikes, influencer post reach. | Brand24, PressMonitor, Google Analytics, Meltwater. |
| Engagement | Interaction and audience connection — measuring how people respond to your story. | Social shares, comments, backlinks, time on page, influencer engagement rate. | Socialmonials, Sprout Social, Hootsuite Analytics, BuzzSumo. |
| Reputation | Sentiment and authority — tracking how your brand is perceived over time. | Sentiment score, brand trust index, share of voice, journalist feedback, repeat media coverage. | Brand24 (sentiment), Meltwater, YouScan, Talkwalker. |
How to avoid this mistake:
Agree on measurable outcomes from the start. Not just media mentions, but also qualitative results like improved sentiment or stronger industry positioning. Review progress regularly, not just at the end of a campaign.
Extra insight:
Think in tiers of impact: awareness (media hits, influencer reach), engagement (shares, comments, backlinks) and reputation (sentiment, industry recognition). The best agencies in Poland will already work with this layered model.
Three More Pitfalls to Watch
Believing one agency can cover every market – Global agencies often promise reach across borders, but without a local presence in Poland, campaigns rarely achieve impact. Local media is relationship-driven, and international pitches without context often land in spam folders.
Overlooking internal training – PR isn’t just external. If your spokesperson isn’t media-ready, even the strongest agency can’t save a poor interview. Media training and clear messaging are as important as the press release itself.
Neglecting measurement tools – Modern PR isn’t guesswork. In Poland, agencies use monitoring platforms to track coverage, sentiment and share of voice. Reports are no longer “nice to have” – they’re essential for proving value.
As Anna Sójka explains in her article on PR metrics:
“In the age of instant online opinions, monitoring and responding to public sentiment is absolutely crucial for protecting and building reputation.”
This makes one thing clear: measurement isn’t optional anymore. It’s the foundation of proactive reputation management.
Quick Guide – The PR Landscape in Poland
Understanding the media and digital environment is key to working with PR agencies in Poland. Here are some essentials:
- Media outlets that matter – Poland has a strong press ecosystem. Rzeczpospolita and Puls Biznesu lead in business coverage, Gazeta Wyborcza and Polityka shape public opinion, while lifestyle and culture titles like Vogue Polska, Elle and Glamour influence consumer trends. For a broader view, see Mass Media in Poland (TV, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet).
- Digital adoption – In January 2025, there were 34.5 million internet users in Poland, amounting to ~89.8% internet penetration. Meanwhile, social media user identities stood at 29.0 million, or ~75.6% of the population. TikTok and Instagram dominate consumer culture, while LinkedIn is fast becoming essential for B2B and employer branding. For deeper insight, check the DataReportal “Digital 2025: Poland” report.
- Influencer market – Poland’s PR/marketing sector is evolving to include more influencer-driven work and integrated digital strategies. According to Worldcom’s Focus Report: PR Insights from Poland, many Polish agencies now offer ESG communication, data analytics and AI-aided storytelling alongside classic media relations (source link).
- Digital advertising & market size – The digital ad market in Poland is growing sharply. IAB Poland estimates that in 2024, the digital advertising market reached about 9.2 billion PLN. In June 2025 alone, there were 88 billion online ad impressions, reaching ~87.0% of Poland’s population aged 7–75. Also, in August 2025, 84.1 billion ad impressions were recorded. Forecasts show that the online advertising sector in Poland will continue to expand in the coming years.
- Regional differences – Warsaw remains the primary media hub, but cities like Kraków, Gdańsk and Wrocław host strong tech, creative and lifestyle scenes where regional media coverage can carry real impact. The digital and e-commerce growth in Poland also shows strong performance across regions.
- Language & localisation – English is used in many business contexts, but most press outlets expect Polish-first content. Simple translation is rarely sufficient — localization (tone, idioms, cultural cues) often makes the difference between a pitch being ignored and picked up.
Final Thoughts – The Smarter Way Forward
PR agencies in Poland can open powerful doors. They know the local press, understand cultural codes and help brands enter one of Europe’s fastest-moving markets. But the right partnership requires clarity, patience and strategy.
Our agency builds visibility in Poland, from influencer marketing to PR. Our team includes experts who’ve worked with media and secured coverage in Polish outlets.
Avoid these mistakes, and your brand won’t just “show up” – it will stand out.
👉 Want to find the right PR partner and land smoothly in Poland? Contact SoBirds – we help international brands cut through the noise and take flight in new markets.
You may also be interested in other articles:
How to Find an Influencer in Poland
Influencer Marketing Agency vs. Direct Collaboration
Business in Poland. Complete Guide for International Brands
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