Choosing a PR agency in Minneapolis–St. Paul can feel overwhelming. The Twin Cities are home to hundreds of public relations and marketing firms — from global creative networks headquartered downtown to boutique shops in Uptown and St. Paul — each claiming to be the best fit for your brand.
To make your search easier, we reviewed the top PR and marketing firms in Minneapolis and St. Paul and narrowed the list down to 12 standout agencies. Whether you need crisis communications, B2B manufacturing marketing, multicultural PR, content marketing, or full-service media relations, this guide will help you find the right Twin Cities communications partner for your goals and budget.
Quick Comparison: Top Minneapolis–St. Paul Agencies at a Glance
| Agency | Best For | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Bellmont Partners | Full-service PR with deep industry expertise | Minneapolis (Edinborough Way) |
| Padilla | Enterprise brands & national reach | Minneapolis + 6 U.S. offices |
| Beehive Strategic Communication | Change management & purpose-driven brands | Minnesota (national/global reach) |
| Maccabee Public Relations | Creative media relations & publicity | Minneapolis |
| Carmichael Lynch | Integrated advertising + PR | Minneapolis & Philadelphia |
| NewPublica | Multicultural & public-sector PR | Minneapolis (Uptown) |
| Lola Red | Buzz-building & brand activations | Minneapolis (North Loop) |
| Strother Communications Group | B2B & manufacturing marketing | Minneapolis (downtown) |
| The Agency at MSP (MSPC) | Content marketing & custom publishing | St. Paul |
| Eight Moon™ | Branding & creative design | St. Paul |
| Upswing Creative | Industrial & essential brands | Twin Cities |
| The Divine Group | Purpose-driven small businesses | Minneapolis |
The 12 Best PR & Marketing Agencies in Minneapolis–St. Paul
1. Bellmont Partners — Best for Full-Service PR & Industry Depth
Address: 3300 Edinborough Way, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55435 Phone: 612-255-1111 Website: bellmontpartners.com
Bellmont Partners is one of Minnesota’s top public relations agencies, helping growth-focused organizations solve communication challenges through high-impact storytelling. Founded in 1996, the firm serves both B2B and B2C clients — from Fortune 500 companies and startups to nonprofits — and has earned national and local recognition, including honors from Inc. Magazine, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, O’Dwyer’s, and Minnesota PRSA.
What sets Bellmont apart is its partnership-driven model: a team of strategists, creatives, copywriters, and former journalists that takes on each client’s voice and objectives as its own. The agency brings specialized expertise across health and MedTech, agriculture and food, manufacturing, technology, professional services, public affairs, and tourism and hospitality.
Key services:
- Media relations
- Thought leadership & executive visibility
- Multi-platform content development
- Strategic counsel & messaging
- Crisis communications & change management
- Public affairs & community relations
- Influencer relations
- Trade show & event support
2. Padilla — Best for Enterprise Brands & National Reach
Offices: Minneapolis, New York, Boston, Chicago, Richmond, Washington D.C., San Francisco Website: padillaco.com
Padilla is a leading public relations, marketing, and communications agency built on the philosophy that “change happens, but transformation is deliberate.” Headquartered in Minneapolis with seven offices nationwide, Padilla combines earned, owned, and paid media with brand strategy, research, and creative — plus modern digital capabilities like generative engine optimization (GEO) as a Google Partner agency.
The firm brings sector-specific depth across food, beverage and nutrition, health, agriculture, technology, financial services, higher education, manufacturing, renewable energy, and travel and hospitality — making it the strongest choice on this list for mid-size to enterprise organizations that need integrated communications with true national reach.
Key services:
- Public relations & media relations
- Brand strategy + development
- Crisis + issues management
- Corporate strategic advisory
- Change communications + employee engagement
- Creative + content
- Digital marketing, paid media & social media
- Investor relations, market research & measurement
3. Beehive Strategic Communication — Best for Change Management & Purpose-Driven Brands
Location: Minnesota (works nationally and globally) Website: beehivepr.biz
Beehive Strategic Communication is a purpose-driven strategic communication firm that uses the power of communication to build better businesses for a better world. A Certified B Corporation, certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBENC), and registered federal subcontractor, Beehive is a competitive partner for both corporate and government work.
The firm organizes its expertise around three types of challenges: inside your organization (change management, culture alignment, M&A, retention), in the marketplace (AI visibility, brand reputation, thought leadership), and in a crisis (data breaches, executive misconduct, regulatory issues). Its leadership team includes certified change practitioners and crisis experts, serving clients in healthcare, life sciences, financial services, energy, education, and the public sector.
Key services:
- Change management communication
- Impact strategy & communication
- Organizational culture & communication
- Brand positioning
- Digital strategy & PR
- AI visibility
- Thought leadership
- Crisis management & business continuity
4. Maccabee Public Relations — Best for Creative Media Relations & Publicity
Location: Minneapolis, MN (national reach) Website: maccabee.com
If you want national headlines, Maccabee should be on your shortlist. This Minneapolis PR and digital marketing agency has spent 30 years delivering refreshingly bold campaigns, securing client coverage in The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Good Morning America, CNN, USA Today, and The New York Times — and winning “Most Creative Publicity Stunt of the Year” from the International Festival and Event Association.
Maccabee’s pioneering “borderless agency” model is a key differentiator: rather than replacing your existing partners, it collaborates with other agencies, stacking strengths and acting as the glue that keeps every moving part aligned. The firm serves food and beverage, CPG, financial services, healthcare, technology, real estate, retail, and travel and hospitality brands.
Key services:
- B2B and B2C public relations
- Media relations & publicity
- Crisis preparedness & communications
- Influencer & content marketing
- Media & presentation training
- Brand strategy & corporate communications
- Event & experiential marketing
- Product launches, digital marketing & analytics
5. Carmichael Lynch — Best for Integrated Advertising + PR
Offices: Minneapolis, MN — (612) 334-6000; Philadelphia, PA — (215) 790-4100 Website: carmichaellynch.com
Carmichael Lynch is a global creative advertising agency established in 1962 and built on “the hard work of simple” — stripping away everything unremarkable until only a brand’s most compelling truth remains. The agency is behind culture-shifting work like the acclaimed Subaru “Love” campaign and has been named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work list multiple times.
For PR buyers, the standout is Carmichael Lynch Relate, an award-winning full-service PR firm housed within the agency, covering media relations, influencer marketing, experiential, corporate communications, reputation management, and crisis and issues management. Clients include Subaru, Bush’s Beans, Maker’s Mark, Jack Link’s, Red Robin, and the Houston Texans.
Key services:
- Advertising & creative
- Brand planning & strategy
- Design & content studio
- Public relations (Carmichael Lynch Relate)
- Media planning & buying
- Social strategy & engagement
- Digital experience & integrated production
- Analytics & business intelligence
6. NewPublica — Best for Multicultural & Public-Sector Communications
Address: 2909 Bryant Ave S, Suite 301, Minneapolis, MN 55408 (Uptown) Phone: 612-729-5900 Website: newpublica.com
NewPublica is a Minneapolis PR and strategic communications firm built around a simple idea: new audiences require new communications. Multilingual and multicultural-led, the firm specializes in connecting brands and institutions with mainstream, diverse, and multicultural audiences alike. Co-founder and CEO Alberto Monserrate previously built Latino Communications Network’s publications and radio stations, bringing first-hand cultural intelligence to every campaign.
Its client roster reflects strong public-sector and community ties: the City of Minneapolis, City of Saint Paul, Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, Greater Twin Cities United Way, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, MnDOT, Arts Midwest, Verizon, and Univision Minnesota.
Key services:
- Public relations & marketing
- Public affairs (electoral, legislative & public engagement)
- Multicultural communications
- Media relations (earned media, media coaching, media buying)
- Communications consulting & strategic messaging
- Digital design (branding, web, video)
- Events (planning, execution & event marketing)
- Crisis & reputation management
7. Lola Red — Best for Buzz-Building & Brand Activations
Address: 323 1st Avenue N., Minneapolis, MN 55401 Website: lolared.com
Lola Red is a boldly modern Minneapolis PR agency built around one promise: making clients “the talk of the town.” The agency rejects one-size-fits-all playbooks in favor of a “no formula” approach — customized, unconventional campaigns backed by serious strategic rigor and a “why-not?” spirit of innovation.
Its portfolio spans high-profile activations for Red Bull, Casper, Shinola, the Museum of Illusions, and the Catan World Championship, with deep expertise in franchise, food and beverage, and technology brands including Smashburger, Great Clips, Sonny’s BBQ, Sphero, and Pocketalk.
Key services:
- Media relations
- Crisis management
- Social media strategy
- Influencer marketing
- Brand activations
- Product launches
8. Strother Communications Group (SCG) — Best for B2B & Manufacturing
Address: 222 S 9th St, Floor 41, Minneapolis, MN 55402 Phone: (612) 288-2401 Website: strothercommunicationsgroup.com
Strother Communications Group is a Minneapolis B2B marketing and PR agency with a rare specialty: manufacturing. Positioned as “the marketing agency for business growth,” SCG brings 35 years of expertise and a remarkably tenured team — averaging about 12 years — that delivers the capability of a full B2B marketing department, often at the cost of a single new hire.
A member of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association, SCG helps clients attract customers, enter new markets, launch software products, and even prepare for eventual sale. Clients include JR Machine, SmithCo, Mate Precision Technologies, Veridocs, and DAKA Docks & Lifts.
Key services:
- Marketing research
- Branding
- Content
- Digital marketing
- Marketing strategy & execution
- Public relations & media relations
- Marketing signaling
9. The Agency at MSP (MSPC) — Best for Content Marketing & Custom Publishing
Address: 953 Westgate Drive, Suite 107, St. Paul, MN 55114 Phone: 612.339.7571 Website: mspcagency.com
The Agency at MSP (formerly MSPC) is a full-service content marketing agency established in 1978 with a differentiator no one else on this list can match: it’s owned by MSP Communications, publisher of Twin Cities Business and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. That publishing heritage gives the team genuine editorial craft and audience-development expertise.
The agency pairs art and science — creativity, data intelligence, and business acumen — for a roster that includes 3M, U.S. Bank, UnitedHealthcare, Delta, Dairy Queen, Ameriprise, Thrivent, McKesson, and Boston Scientific, spanning finance, healthcare, technology, and consumer packaged goods.
Key services:
- Digital strategy (audience development, journey mapping, UX)
- Content strategy & custom publishing
- Creative + design (writing, art direction, photography, animation)
- Video production
- Search engine optimization (on-page, off-page, technical, local)
- Paid media & digital advertising
- Reporting + analytics
10. Eight Moon™ — Best for Branding & Creative Design
Address: 550 Vandalia St, Ste 301, Saint Paul, MN 55114 Phone: 612.925.1927 Website: eightmoon.com
Eight Moon™ is a full-service, women-owned (WBE-certified) Saint Paul creative design and marketing firm with 30 years of brand, promotional, and advertising work — and more than 70 design industry awards earned over the past 15 years. President Megan Junius launched the Eight Moon name in 2019, eight years after purchasing Peter Hill Design from her mentor.
The firm’s collaborative process guides clients from discovery through concept generation to full brand launch, with first-hand experience across healthcare and dental, law firms and CPAs, nonprofits, education, manufacturing, CPG, real estate, and hospitality. Clients have included Larson • King, The Good Acre, DeGidio’s, and Park Dental.
Key services:
- Branding (logo, naming, identity systems, messaging)
- Marketing (campaigns, product launches, media kits, email)
- Design (packaging, retail POS, sales collateral, annual reports)
- Digital & web (website design, motion graphics, social media, SEO)
- Strategy (planning, positioning, market research, PR)
- Advertising (media buying, campaign management, digital & SEM)
- Video production & photography direction
11. Upswing Creative — Best for Industrial & Essential Brands
Website: upswingcreative.com
Upswing Creative is a message-first creative agency purpose-built for companies in industrial and essential products and services — “industrial-strength creative,” in its own words. The team specializes in making complicated products simple, translating industry jargon into messaging that resonates, and tailoring creative for the channels where industrial marketing actually happens: brokers, distributors, specialty retailers, and trade publications.
Its portfolio includes work for GE Appliances, Trane Residential, American Standard, Church Mutual, Pentair, Bonfe, and Concordia University–St. Paul, with capabilities spanning branding, digital, content, and video from strategy through production.
Key services:
- Brand strategy & positioning
- Brand creative (logo & visual identity, brand standards)
- Digital strategy (organic social, paid campaigns, SEO/SEM)
- Digital creative & content strategy
- Copywriting & content creation
- Video strategy, scriptwriting & production
- 2D + 3D animation
- Brand photography & print/digital design
12. The Divine Group — Best for Purpose-Driven Small Businesses
Address: 3401 40th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406 Phone: (612) 978-1085 Website: thedivinegroup.co
The Divine Group is a Minneapolis marketing agency that supports purpose-driven brands through growth and change. Founded by brand photographer Angela Divine, the agency delivers branding, marketing, photography, and social media as one cohesive, human-centered digital presence — positioning itself as the bridge between DIY marketing and hiring a full-time CMO.
Guided by three principles — intentional, impactful, and personality-driven — the firm serves mission-focused clients across fitness and wellness, food, healthcare, arts and culture, and consumer products, including the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Breakthrough Fitness, KMama Sauce, and the Hmong Cultural Center Museum. It also offers Minneapolis photography studio rentals.
Key services:
- Brand photography & visual content
- Brand building & strategy
- Social media management
- Website design
- Digital marketing team (newsletters, blogging, SEO)
- Photography studio rentals
How to Choose the Right PR Firm in Minneapolis–St. Paul
Not every agency on this list will be right for your organization. Before you start booking discovery calls, consider these factors:
- Industry specialization. A manufacturing-focused shop like SCG and a multicultural communications firm like NewPublica operate in completely different media ecosystems. Choose an agency with proven relationships with the journalists — or communities — that matter to your brand.
- Boutique vs. full-service. Boutique Twin Cities firms like Lola Red and The Divine Group typically offer senior-level attention and lower minimums, while integrated agencies like Padilla and Carmichael Lynch bundle PR with advertising, digital marketing, and analytics.
- Scope of services. Do you need pure media relations, or an integrated program with content, influencer marketing, and paid media? Agencies like The Agency at MSP and Maccabee combine PR with digital marketing; others go deep in one discipline.
- Change and crisis readiness. If organizational transformation or reputation risk is a concern, prioritize firms with dedicated practices, such as Beehive Strategic Communication or Bellmont Partners.
- Certifications and diversity credentials. If supplier diversity or federal contracting matters, note that Beehive (B Corp, WBENC, WOSB) and Eight Moon (WBE-certified) hold formal certifications.
- Measurement and reporting. Ask how the agency defines success — media placements, share of voice, website traffic, or pipeline impact — and make sure it matches your business goals.
- Chemistry and communication. You’ll work with this team weekly. Request to meet the actual account team (not just the pitch team) before signing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a PR agency in Minneapolis–St. Paul cost?
Most Twin Cities PR firms work on monthly retainers. Boutique agencies often start around $3,000–$8,000 per month, while mid-size and integrated firms typically range from $10,000–$25,000+ depending on scope. Project-based engagements — a product launch, rebrand, or media training program — are also common.
What’s the difference between a PR firm and a marketing agency in the Twin Cities?
A PR firm focuses on earned media, reputation, and stakeholder communications — think Bellmont Partners, Maccabee, or Lola Red. A marketing or creative agency emphasizes branding, advertising, content, and paid channels — like Eight Moon or Upswing Creative. Several Twin Cities agencies, including Padilla, Carmichael Lynch, and SCG, blend both under one roof.
Which Minneapolis PR agency is best for crisis communications?
Beehive Strategic Communication has a dedicated crisis practice covering data breaches, executive misconduct, and regulatory issues. Bellmont Partners, Padilla, Maccabee, and Carmichael Lynch Relate also maintain strong crisis and issues management capabilities.
Which agency is best for multicultural marketing in Minnesota?
NewPublica is the clear standout, with a multilingual, multicultural-led team, bilingual strategic consultants, and deep experience serving government, healthcare, and community organizations across the Twin Cities.
Are boutique PR firms in Minneapolis better than large agencies?
Neither is universally better. Boutique firms offer senior-level attention, flexibility, and often lower costs. Larger integrated agencies bring deeper benches, more service lines, and national media reach. Match the agency size to your budget, timeline, and complexity of needs.
Do these agencies work with clients outside the Twin Cities?
Yes. Most firms on this list serve clients across the Midwest and nationally — and several, including Padilla, Beehive, and Carmichael Lynch, work with national and global brands from their Minnesota headquarters.
Final Thoughts: Finding Your Twin Cities Communications Partner
The best PR agency in Minneapolis–St. Paul for your brand depends on your industry, goals, and budget. Start by shortlisting two or three firms whose specialization matches your needs — full-service PR, B2B manufacturing, multicultural communications, content marketing, or creative branding — then evaluate their media relationships, case studies, and reporting approach before committing to a retainer.
Every agency on this list has a distinct strength. Use the comparison above to book your first discovery calls with confidence.
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