Navigating comms on a tight budget and still reaching for the stars

Let’s be honest: communications budgets have been feeling the squeeze. While 2023 was challenging, 2024 tightened the belt even further. And with another rather pessimistic looking year of 2025 just around the corner, navigating the cosmos of comms with limited resources requires focus, flexibility, and a dash of creativity. As an agency, here’s our take on steering through a small budget, making the most of each moment, and keeping the mission in sight—no matter how tight the financial orbit.

1. Avoiding “One-Size-Fits-All” in the space race

Comms is not a cookie-cutter game. Each challenge, market, brand and budget have different requirements, and while there may be industry templates, every client’s story and trajectory need a unique angle. Cookie-cutter approaches can lead to auto-masmism—falling back on methods that may be tried and tested in the past for someone else, but can waste both time and money if not the right fit for what’s next. Trust your instinct, pick up on what’s trending, know what works, but also remember: true expertise lies in always questioning what you think you know. After all, it’s often better to launch a specialized effort than spread thin across many targets and not much thought through assumptions.

So what should you look out for? If the budget’s tight, choose quality over quantity. With limited funds, focus on standout projects or specific narratives that will have the highest chance to resonate and make a splash. Keep in mind that 95% of your potential buyers are not directly open to purchase but open for a creative idea that sticks in their mind.

2. Finding your “shortcuts” without cutting corners

Even with a smaller budget, there are essential elements in every strategy that can’t be sacrificed. Clear messaging, a compelling story, and baseline audience engagement need to stay front and center.  If the foundation is not right, the whole house falls.

However, there are shortcuts to make things work on a budget without cutting the essentials. Consider a more flexible timeline, using timeboxing (setting specific time limits for each task) to keep efforts focused and on point, or selecting specific media placements instead of a broad campaign.

3. Set expectations from liftoff 

You see. Adjusting expectations is key—for everyone involved, whether it is the client or the agency. While there’s always more that could be achieved, a limited budget requires clear boundaries. That balance between aspirations and reality lets both sides respect each other’s time and resources.

As agencies, it’s our job to communicate what’s achievable within the given scope. The goal isn’t to dampen enthusiasm, but to maintain clarity and keep the mission on course. A clear breakdown of services versus budget helps both sides understand the impact. Letting the client know what coverage and outcomes are realistic without over-promising is a crucial part of the job.

4. Remember: Budgets aren’t the whole story 

Here’s a hard truth: budget alone doesn’t buy influence or coverage. Relationships and genuine storytelling are what propel a comms effort. Money can buy the time to create those relationships, but it can’t replace the value of authentic connections. Investing in strategic, high-value relationship-building will yield better results than pouring money into endless pitch cycles.

The magic? Sometimes less is more. Rather than aiming for massive media outreach, hone in on select journalists and platforms where your client’s story will have the most resonance. This approach turns limited resources into high-impact outcomes. After all, what's better? 80 shitty mentions or 1 in-depth article?

5. Defense against the dark sheep: respecting our worth 

In an industry full of grey and black sheep who sometimes compromise on quality to cut costs, it’s essential to stand firm. You will plenty of people out there that will tell you that services like OTS will get you clippings - reasonably priced and cheap - but in the majority of cases they lack real value. 

Defending a budget isn’t just about money—it’s about respect for our expertise, commitment and hard work. It’s easy to compare this to a lawyer’s retainer model, where every task and billable hour is seen as valuable without question. Like legal services, strategic comms work relies on skill, timing, and experience—and that should be non-negotiable.

6. Too many cooks (or even Space Dogs) spoil the launch 

While a large agency often benefits from the diversity of skills and perspectives, a tight budget doesn’t allow for too many players. In lean times, the focus needs to be on a few skilled individuals who know the territory and can execute with precision. Keeping the team small but as experienced as possible ensures efficiency and helps avoid wasted time on trial-and-error approaches, as well as too many people sitting on meetings etc. But yes - it comes with downsides as every compromise does: you may not be able to ramp up efforts quickly enough for times when in need, there might be a certain unflexibility in changing gear and you can’t weigh on the whole agency experience and all hands on deck mentality. Long story short: whether you handle your comms internally or externally - with a tight budget at hand, it is of paramount importance for most crews to know their strengths and weaknesses to find not only the most time efficient person for a job, but also the best efficiency/price ratio. There is no point in hiding this fact, be upfront and transparent so that this can be openly discussed instead of thinly veiled.

7. In summary: tight budgets need to get navigated with clarity and commitment 

Small budgets are a reality many clients face, but with the right approach, they can still deliver results. Through careful planning, prioritizing key initiatives, and setting realistic expectations, even limited budgets can achieve success. Just as every astronaut needs to use resources sparingly on a mission, so too do we need to manage a client’s comms journey with precision, focus, and a little ingenuity.

So, what’s the takeaway? With clear goals, a streamlined crew, and a trusted strategy, you can navigate any budget. Sometimes, it’s the “lean missions” that end up with the most memorable achievements. After all, it’s not the size of the budget—it’s the strength of the story and crew navigating it.