PR & Strategic Communications · Nottingham · Est. 2008
About
Motive.
Motive is a PR agency run by directors Steve McComish and Liz Pearson since 2008. We help ambitious brands become the obvious choice.
Built on journalism. Driven by results.
Motive PR was founded in 2008 by Steve McComish, a former national news journalist who had spent the previous six years on staff at the Daily Mirror, writing news and features. He understood what made editors pick up the phone, what made a story land — and what made it die on the desk.
That instinct for what makes a story has shaped everything about how Motive works. We’re not a production line. We don’t outsource strategy to junior teams after the pitch is signed. Every account is led by a director from day one, and the thinking that wins clients coverage is the same thinking that won us our awards.
Sixteen years on, we work with ambitious consumer and B2B brands across the UK — in food and drink, fashion, health, automotive, garden, travel, technology and financial services. We’ve also launched a dedicated PR for AI service, helping brands build the kind of authority that earns them citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI.
How we work
Three things that make us different.
Journalist informed
We think like journalists — because most of us are. We understand what makes a story and what makes it land. That instinct shapes every campaign we run and every piece of coverage we earn.
Director-led from day one
Every account at Motive is led by a director from the moment you sign. Not handed to a junior team after the pitch. Not managed by someone who wasn't in the room when the strategy was agreed.
Built for the long term
We don't do short-term campaigns that disappear when the budget runs out. We build brand authority — the kind that compounds over time, earns consistent coverage and increasingly, earns citations in AI search.
Our Awards
We’ve been winning industry awards since 2018.
From campaign awards to agency of the year recognition at national and international level.
Small Agency of the Year — Finalist
The Global Agency Awards
PR Agency of the Year — Finalist
The Global Agency Awards
PR Campaign of the Year — Winner
UK Agency Awards
Stunt of the Year — Winner
UK Digital PR Awards
Low Budget Campaign of the Year — Wnner
UK Digital PR Awards
Content Marketing Agency of the Year — Winner
European Content Awards
Digital PR Agency of the Year (Small) — Silver
UK Digital PR Awards
Not-for-profit Campaign — Gold
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards
Community Relations Campaign — Silver
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards
Small PR Consultancy of the Year — Gold
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards
Low Budget Campaign of the Year — Winner
PRCA Dare Midlands Awards
Low Budget Content Campaign of the Year — Winner
European Content Awards
Transport or Automotive Campaign — Gold
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards
Outstanding Small PR Consultancy — Silver
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards
Corporate & Business Comms Campaign — Silver
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards
Low Budget Campaign — Silver
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards
Let’s make your brand
Seen. Trusted. Chosen.
Tell us about your brand and what you want to be known for. We’ll come back with honest thinking and no hard sell.
Start a conversation See our work