This week we’re chatting to Nicky Regazzoni, co-founder & co-CEO of The PR Network and Lesley Singleton, founder & CEO, Playtime PR about how to lead a virtual agency business.

The virtual or in the office debate has become the ultimate PR conversation starter, up there with AVEs and timesheets. Everyone’s got an opinion and the truth is there are some virtual agencies, some hybrid (3 or 4 days in the office seems like the norm atm) and some always in the office.

Employers, employees and clients just need to find what works for them and the world will continue to turn.

Both The PR Network and Playtime PR have run very successfully for many years with virtual teams.

On this show we talk today about what good virtual PR agency leadership looks like,

Before we start a quick plug for the PRmoment Awards, the final entry deadline is Friday 23 January. Don’t miss the opportunity to shout about the work you and your team have done over the last 12 months and get an independent endorsement from the PRmoment Awards jury.

Here's a summary of what was discussed on the show:

Nicky Regazzoni and Lesley Singleton identify that virtual leadership requires an emphasis on clear vision, intentional culture, trust, a "virtual open door policy," and clear, regular communication to compensate for the absence of physical presence and informal interactions.

Lesley and Nicky discuss talent acquisition through flexible working models, client/employee relationships, and the management of large-scale virtual operations, noting that while no single right answer exists for running a virtual business, it necessitates highly organised systems and a continuous execution of strategies.

Details

Virtual Agency Leadership Ben Smith welcomed Nicky Regazzoni, co-founder and co-CEO of The PR Network, and Lesley Singleton, founder and CEO of Playtime PR discuss leading a virtual agency business.

Nicky Regazzoni talked about how virtual leadership differs from leading a team in an office (00:02).

Key Aspects of Virtual Leadership Nicky Regazzoni, who has led both traditional and virtual agencies, identified that a key difference in virtual leadership is the inability to "walk the corridors" and be physically present, making a clear vision and accessibility when needed very important (00:02).

Lesley Singleton agreed, emphasizing that virtual leadership requires a lot of clarity because leaders cannot rely on body language or overheard conversations, and she noted that micromanagement is ineffective, recommending a respect for autonomy. Nicky Regazzoni added that trust is a crucial aspect, ensuring people know the leader is available to them for issues or problems (00:02).

Communication and Organizational Culture

Both Nicky Regazzoni and Lesley Singleton stressed the importance of clear and regular communication in a virtual setting due to the absence of "water cooler moments" (00:04).

Nicky Regazzoni detailed that the PR Network maintains regular contact through weekly core team catch ups, quarterly face-to-face meetings, and consistent communication with their extensive network of over 1,400 associate partners globally (00:05) (00:17).

Lesley Singleton described a need for culture to be much more visible and intentional in a virtual business, sharing that Playtime PR's culture centres on "making lives more playful," which includes ensuring serious messaging is delivered in an accessible and playful tone (00:09).

Demonstrating Values and Maintaining Open Communication

Nicky Regazzoni emphasized the necessity of demonstrating the organisation's values and culture in a virtual agency, listing the PR network's five values as intelligence/insights, empathy, curiosity, tenacity, and connectedness (00:06). To counteract the loss of physical cues, Nicky Regazzoni advocated for a "virtual open door policy" to ensure constant communication and the ability to pick up on issues, which is done by the senior leadership team and client service directors (00:07).

Lesley Singleton agreed that virtual check-ins and communications need to become "rituals that matter," requiring a deeper level of emotional intelligence to proactively spot potential issues before they escalate (00:10).

Talent Acquisition and Flexible Working Model

Lesley Singleton explained that Playtime PR was intentionally set up to work with freelancers, attracting strong talent who did not fit the traditional 9-to-5, five-day-a-week model due to different life stages or locations (00:14). Lesley Singleton confirmed that Playtime PR operates with "100% flexible working," allowing people to choose their hours within a typical working week, which helps them retain talent for long periods (00:15). Nicky Regazzoni shared a similar founding philosophy at the PR Network, which was set up as "virtual by design" over 20 years ago to allow them to hire the best people regardless of location, although they noted that this model might not be appropriate for people at the very beginning of their careers who need more opportunities to co-locate and learn (00:16).

Client and Employee Relationships in a Virtual Setting

Ben Smith clarified that the virtual agency model utilised by both businesses typically involves a higher proportion of freelance personnel compared to full-time staff, necessitating that freelancers work for multiple clients (00:13) (00:22). Lesley Singleton noted that the relationship with staff feels "more personal" and less hierarchical than in traditional agencies, but this requires being more explicit about boundaries to prevent the expectation of being "always on" (00:20). Nicky Regazzoni stated that the client relationship is not fundamentally different from a traditional agency, but they need to be very clear on remit and accountability, ensuring they deliver the highest standards by working only with the "best people" who align with the agency's values (00:23).

Scale and Management of Virtual Operations

Nicky Regazzoni provided details about the PR Network's scale: a core staff of nine people managing over 1,400 associate partners globally, serving about 50 clients (00:17). They affirmed that the complexity of managing this large, international virtual business is not inherently greater than managing a big face-to-face business, but it requires highly organised systems and processes, along with continuous communication (00:18).

Ben Smith and Nicky Regazzoni concluded that there is no single right answer to running a virtual business; it is about consistently executing many strategies well, with the choice of working model often depending on personal preference.