Ballyhoo PR

What Ballyhoo PR does

Ballyhoo PR is a Northamptonshire-based public relations and communications agency founded in 2016 by Emma Speirs and operating from coworking space at Vulcan Works in Northampton. The firm delivers an integrated portfolio of professional services spanning public relations (virtual PR department support, press releases, media relations, award entries), copywriting and editing (websites, blogs, brochures, newsletters), social media management (content, scheduling, community management and reporting from £100 per month), and training, including the Ballyhoo PR Academy, a CPD-accredited six-session course priced at £600 + VAT.

The agency targets primarily small and medium-sized businesses that feel priced out of traditional PR retainers, with secondary segments in start-ups, charities (often served via free Charity of the Year partnerships), and occasional larger corporates seeking supplementary communications capacity. Pricing is modular: low-cost one-off packages such as PR for Start-ups (£300) and PR Boost (£400) sit alongside monthly retainers and bespoke campaigns. The underlying technology stack is non-proprietary, relying on standard industry tooling — Sprout Social, Canva, WordPress, MailChimp, and Insightly — with no platform or AI/ML capabilities of note.

The go-to-market model is sales-led and community-driven, combining direct outreach (phone, email, website enquiry), local business events and chamber exhibitions (Northampton Chamber Business Exhibition, MK Business Showcase, NNBN Awards), referral and word-of-mouth, and the agency's own earned media as a marketing channel. The team of approximately six operates out of a single Northamptonshire location and is founder-led, with Emma Speirs as Managing Director and Laura Smith as Client Services Manager. No external funding, acquisitions, or subsidiaries are recorded.

Name

Ballyhoo PR

Legal name

Ballyhoo PR

Website

https://ballyhoo-pr.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ballyhoo PR is a Northamptonshire-based public relations, copywriting, social media management, and training agency serving small and medium-sized UK businesses, start-ups, and charities with cost-effective retainer and project-based engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Other Services Related to Advertising (54189)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer & Lifestyle PR (MPAAADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Media & Community Management (PR-led) (BPAFADAM), Digital PR & Social Media Communications (MPAAADAJ), Event PR & Communications Support (BPAFADAO)

Keywords

• Public relations services
• Social media management
• Copywriting and editing
• Media relations
• Communications training

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. PR Services: Core revenue stream offering public relations services including press releases, award entries, media relations, virtual PR department, and ongoing PR strategy. Delivered through retainer contracts or project-based engagements.
2. Social Media Management: Social media management services including content creation, scheduling, community management, and reporting. Packages start from £100 per month.
3. Copywriting & Editing: Content writing services for websites, blogs, brochures, email newsletters, and marketing communications materials.
4. Training (PR Academy): Ballyhoo PR Academy training programme for small businesses teaching PR skills over six monthly sessions. Priced at £600 + VAT per course.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ballyhoo PR is a communications agency that delivers public relations, copywriting and editing, social media management, and training services to small and medium-sized businesses, charities, and select larger organisations. Its core offerings span retainer-based PR support (virtual PR department, press releases, award entries, media relations), content writing for marketing materials, monthly social media management packages starting at £100, and the Ballyhoo PR Academy training programme for SME founders.

Product overview

Ballyhoo PR is a PR and communications agency offering a portfolio of integrated services. The core offerings consist of Public Relations (acting as virtual PR departments, press releases, award entries), Copywriting & Editing, Social Media Management (from £100/month with monthly reports, including video production), and Training. The Ballyhoo PR Academy provides structured PR training for small businesses (CPD accredited, 6-session courses at £600 + VAT). Additionally, the company offers targeted start-up and growth packages (PR for Start-ups at £300, PR Boost at £400) for businesses needing specific PR support rather than ongoing retainers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ballyhoo PR Academy: A PR training programme for small businesses offering workshops on PR fundamentals including media readiness, PR planning, press release writing, media pitching, crisis management, and measuring coverage. The six-session course is accredited by the CPD and costs £600 + VAT.

Products and services

• Public Relations Services Core PR offering delivered to businesses, charities and organisations, acting as a virtual PR department. Includes press release writing and distribution, photo calls, award entry preparation, media relations, ongoing PR strategy and campaign support designed to help clients share their stories and raise their profile in media and online.
• Copywriting & Editing Services Content writing, editing and proofreading for marketing communications including websites, blogs, brochures, email newsletters and other marketing materials. Delivered to businesses needing on-brand written content without in-house writing resource.
• Social Media Management Services Ongoing management of clients' social media activity including content creation, scheduling, community management, video production and monthly reporting. Packages start from £100 per month and are designed to keep messaging on-brand and aligned with broader communications strategy.
• Ballyhoo PR Academy CPD-accredited PR training programme for small businesses consisting of six monthly sessions covering media readiness, PR planning, press release writing, pitching to media, crisis management, and measuring press coverage. Maximum six students per cohort for tailored advice; priced at £600 + VAT per course.

Quantifiable outcome

• 496 pieces of press coverage generated for Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity reaching 79+ million people
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Royal & DerngateminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 April 2026Ballyhoo PR has joined Royal & Derngate Business Club, strengthening commitment to supporting local organisations and the creative industries. The partnership provides networking opportunities with other local businesses and access to theatre productions.
• huddleUpminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 February 2026Ballyhoo PR acts as official PR partner for huddleUp, a mental health and wellbeing service established in 2024. The partnership involves supporting huddleUp in announcing new collaborations and raising awareness of their human-led mental health support services. Additionally, all Ballyhoo PR employees receive access to huddleUp's confidential mental health support services as an employee benefit.
• Northampton Saints FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 May 2022Ballyhoo PR selected Northampton Saints Foundation as their Charity of the Year for 2022/23, providing free PR and communications support worth thousands of pounds to help increase visibility and brand awareness and support fundraising efforts.
• Building Business ConsultancyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 9 February 2022Ballyhoo PR worked with Building Business Consultancy to deliver social media workshops to retailers in North Northamptonshire as part of the North Northamptonshire Council's NN Future Retail Programme.
• onefoursixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 August 2020Ballyhoo PR partnered with onefoursix, a Northampton-based marketing agency, to offer PR services to onefoursix clients. The partnership also includes collaboration on Northampton Life magazine and its accompanying website.
• Vulcan WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBallyhoo PR moved its operations to creative hub Vulcan Works in Northampton's Cultural Quarter in 2025. The agency holds coworking memberships for all team members and has been instrumental in helping tell the Vulcan Works story. The relationship began in 2022 preparing for Vulcan Works' official opening in February 2023.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hunter PR: International PR and communications agency with consumer and B2B capabilities. Comparable category but operates at meaningfully larger scale.
• The PHA Group: Established UK PR, digital and communications agency with a wider portfolio of services. Serves as a scaled benchmark and competitor for SME PR engagements.
• Beattie Group: Larger UK integrated communications group offering PR, social, advertising and content across consumer and B2B. Relevant broader incumbent against which Ballyhoo PR competes for SME budgets.

Emerging players

• Lexis PR: Boutique consumer/lifestyle PR agency serving challenger brands and SMEs. Comparable niche positioning and SME target segment.

Direct peers

• Wild Card PR: Small UK PR agency serving consumer, lifestyle and SME clients with PR, social media and content services. Comparable business model, size band, and target customer profile.
• McKenzie Arnold PR: Regional UK PR and communications agency offering media relations, social media and copywriting to SMEs. Comparable service mix, geographic scope, and SME-focused value proposition.
• Stone Junction PR: UK-based, similarly sized PR agency specialising in B2B and technology PR for SMEs and mid-market clients. Directly comparable in scale, target segment, and retainer/project-based engagement model.
• Patter PR: Small UK PR consultancy serving SMEs with press relations, copywriting and content. Similar team size, customer profile, and service portfolio.
• Hatch Communications: UK PR and social media agency focused on SMEs and start-ups with flexible packages. Closely aligned target market and modular pricing approach to Ballyhoo PR's offering.

Others

• onefoursix: Northampton-based marketing agency that has partnered with Ballyhoo PR to cross-refer clients. An adjacent marketing services partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BallyhooPR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ballyhoo-pr
• Xx.com/BallyhooPR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ballyhoo PR