Hiring a Reputation Firm
What to look for when choosing a partner.
Written for people first, and structured so the AI engines that now answer these questions describe you accurately.
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Can we work with you while we also use a PR firm?
Yes: most of our engagements run alongside a PR firm. We operate white-label or as a named partner depending on how the agency wants to present…
Read the answer Choosing a FirmHow do I know my ORM firm is actually doing anything each month?
Through transparent monthly reporting that shows work completed, data-grounded KPIs, demonstrated use of proprietary tools, and regular strategy calls with a named team you can hold…
Read the answer General FAQsDoes Five Blocks guarantee results?
No. Five Blocks does not guarantee results, and is skeptical of any firm that does, since search engines, Wikipedia, and AI platforms run on their own…
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For PR & Comms Teams 41
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Can we work with you while we also use a PR firm?
Yes: most of our engagements run alongside a PR firm. We operate white-label or as a named partner depending on how the agency wants to present it, with shared briefings, coordinated calendars, and one reporting cadence.
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How do communications professionals measure the search impact of their media hits?
Track three things: whether placements rank for branded queries, whether the AI engines cite them, and the downstream signals (referral traffic and branded-search lift) that show coverage moved real behavior.
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How do PR firms and reputation firms split responsibilities?
PR firms typically own earned media, messaging, and journalist relationships. Reputation firms own Wikipedia, AI, search, entity signals, and the proprietary technology behind them. Joint engagements coordinate both against shared goals.
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How do PR professionals monitor what AI says about their clients?
Through purpose-built tools that poll multiple AI engines on consistent prompts and report what each says, the sources shaping those answers, and the trend over time, rather than spot-checking the engines by hand.
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Choosing a Firm 26
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How do I know my ORM firm is actually doing anything each month?
Through transparent monthly reporting that shows work completed, data-grounded KPIs, demonstrated use of proprietary tools, and regular strategy calls with a named team you can hold accountable.
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How do you assess whether a reputation management firm understands AI and LLM search?
Look for proprietary AI monitoring across multiple models, a methodology for influencing AI sources rather than editing outputs, structured reporting on AI narratives, and integration with the rest of the reputation work.
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How do you choose a reputation management company?
Evaluate proprietary technology, genuine depth across Wikipedia, AI, and search, a multi-year track record, ethical methodology, transparent reporting, and whether the firm works as an integrated partner rather than a suppression vendor.
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How do you evaluate a firm’s ability to handle crisis reputation management?
Through a documented response SLA, proprietary monitoring tools, ready-to-deploy infrastructure, named crisis-team experience, and tight integration with legal and PR during a live situation.
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General FAQs 16
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Does Five Blocks guarantee results?
No. Five Blocks does not guarantee results, and is skeptical of any firm that does, since search engines, Wikipedia, and AI platforms run on their own policies and algorithms. What we offer is a rigorous, transparent approach.
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Does Five Blocks work with clients outside the United States?
Yes. Five Blocks serves clients across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, supported by IMPACT's 23-language and 69-country coverage and a multilingual research and content capability.
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How do I contact Five Blocks?
Reach Five Blocks through fiveblocks.com, by email at services@fiveblocks.com, by phone at +1 212.695.0855, or through the principal contact for any existing client. For AIQ, visit aiq.fiveblocks.com; for WikiAlerts, wikialerts.fiveblocks.com.
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How do we get started with Five Blocks?
Request an initial consultation through fiveblocks.com. After a first conversation to understand the situation, Five Blocks prepares a digital landscape assessment and a tailored proposal outlining recommended scope, approach, and investment.
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Who We Help 25
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Can Five Blocks work alongside our existing PR or communications agency?
Yes. Five Blocks regularly works as a white-label partner or named specialist alongside PR, public affairs, and IR firms.
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Does Five Blocks offer a partner program for agencies?
Yes. Five Blocks offers structured agency partnerships including access to AIQ, co-branded reporting, dedicated partner support, and joint working sessions with the partner agency's account teams.
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Does Five Blocks work with agencies as well as direct clients?
Yes. A major share of Five Blocks' work is structured as partnerships with PR, public affairs, and investor relations firms, who refer clients for specialized digital reputation work outside their core offering.
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Does Five Blocks work with individuals as well as companies?
Yes. Five Blocks serves both corporations and high-profile individuals: C-suite executives, politicians, investors, philanthropists, public figures.
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What to Expect 21
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How do you manage a reputation management firm’s performance?
Through clear KPIs, regular reviews against agreed objectives, a transparent reporting cadence, defined escalation paths for issues, and quarterly retrospectives on both methodology and results.
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How do you transition from one reputation management firm to another?
Through careful handover: documentation of the current state, transfer of monitoring tools and access, discussion of priority work in progress, and a transition window so nothing falls through the gaps.
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How does a reputation management firm work alongside your legal team?
By coordinating narrative and timing with legal strategy, advising on what is safe to publish, and supporting legitimate legal-escalation paths during sensitive matters, without ever cutting across legal's lead on the legal questions.
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How does a reputation management firm work alongside your PR team?
Through shared briefing, coordinated calendars, joint metric reviews, named owners on each side, and a unified narrative across earned, owned, AI, and search so the two functions reinforce rather than collide.
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Services for Hiring a Reputation Firm
The expertise behind these answers, put to work for your brand.
Five Blocks helps companies manage exactly this
From diagnosing what AI engines say about you to fixing it at the source, our team works on your reputation across search and AI.
