# Insurance for PR agencies, press offices and communications consultants in Germany

> A press release with the wrong figures, an embargo broken too early, a photo without rights in the online newsroom: in PR the expensive damage happens at the client, not in your office. If you run an agency or work as a communications consultant in Germany, German liability law applies. This page explains how PR agencies, press offices and consultants protect themselves and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-pr-agency.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## We only send texts the client has approved. Why do we need liability cover?

Because approval does not shift every mistake to the client. If you copied a figure wrongly, missed an embargo or put an image without rights in the newsroom, the client can hold you liable, and third parties can come to you directly. Professional indemnity with a media extension checks the claim, defends unjustified demands and pays justified ones.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No insurance is required by law, but framework contracts with large clients often demand professional indemnity with a minimum limit
- **Biggest risk:** Financial loss at the client caused by wrong, late or infringing communication
- **Basic cover from:** about €223 a year including insurance premium tax for €100,000 of financial loss cover for a sole trader
- **Crisis:** In crisis communication minutes count, and a mistake there hits the client's reputation and sometimes its share price
- **Often forgotten:** Personality rights and copyright in press texts and images, which not every professional indemnity policy includes

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Wrong figures:** A release states the wrong revenue or date. The client has to correct it and asks you to pay for the consequences.
- **Embargo broken:** A story goes out too early, a launch is spoiled and a partner is upset.
- **Third party rights:** A photo in the newsroom, a journalist's quote, a name in a case study: rights holders and the people named send warning letters.
- **Data breaches:** A media list sent with open addresses or a hacked mailbox with client data leads to data protection reports and claims.
- **Press events:** A guest trips over a cable at a press conference, or the venue's equipment gets damaged.
- **Crisis work:** A failed statement makes the client's crisis worse, and the client blames the agency.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 2, Theft 2, Cyber 4, Downtime 2, Health 2

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): Professional indemnity covers financial loss at the client from advice and communication errors; a media extension adds personality rights, copyright and unfair competition. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): For injury and property damage at press conferences, events and client meetings; often combined with professional indemnity. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): For hacked mailboxes, ransomware and data breaches involving media lists and client data, including crisis support. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For laptops, cameras and conference equipment against theft, breakage and power surges. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with clients over fees, with staff and with landlords. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **D&O insurance** (Depends on the business): For managing directors of a GmbH who are personally liable for breaches of duty. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-directors-and-officers.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): For office furniture and equipment after fire, water damage and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php

## What it costs: example prices

Turnover, clients and subjects decide the price. Agencies doing financial or crisis communication for listed companies need much higher limits than a press office for culture and tourism.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Sole trader, €100,000 financial loss, €500 excess | from about €223 a year including tax |
| Professional indemnity | Sole trader, €70,000 turnover, €250,000 financial loss and €2 million injury and property damage | from about €355 a year including tax |
| Professional indemnity | PR agency with eight staff, financial and crisis communication, €1 million cover | about €1,500 to €4,000 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Agency with up to €1 million turnover, €250,000 cover | about €500 to €1,200 a year |
| Electronic equipment | Laptops, camera and conference equipment worth €20,000 | about €250 to €600 a year |

For comparison: Professional indemnity for a small press office costs about as much a year as two hours of consulting at agency rates.

_The first two examples are publicly quoted tariff examples on a German comparison site for advertising and media professions (checked October 2026), converted from monthly premiums. The other values are guide figures from our quoting practice, excluding German insurance premium tax._

- [German business insurance comparison site: tariff examples for advertising agencies](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/werbeagentur)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Press office** (Freelance PR consultants and press offices without staff): Professional indemnity, Business liability. Together: about €250 to €600 a year
- **Agency** (PR agency with three to fifteen staff and events): Professional indemnity, Business liability, Cyber insurance, Electronic equipment. Together: about €1,200 to €3,500 a year
- **Finance and crisis** (Agencies for investor relations, financial and crisis communication): Professional indemnity, Business liability, Cyber insurance, D&O insurance, Business legal expenses. Together: individual, usually from about €4,000 a year

## The worst day in a PR agency

Six things PR agencies really go through, all on one launch day. Tap through and see who pays.

- 07:00: The launch release goes to 800 newsrooms with the wrong price. The client has to correct it and claims compensation. (€18,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 09:30: A picture agency demands a licence fee and damages for a photo in the client's newsroom. (€2,500, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 11:15: A staff member clicks a fake invoice, and the mailbox with client data is compromised. (€14,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 14:00: At the press conference a journalist trips over a cable and breaks her wrist. (€7,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 16:40: The venue's projector falls off its stand while your technician moves it. (€2,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 21:00: The laptop with the presentation is left in a taxi and never turns up. (€1,800, Paid by: Electronic equipment)

**Damage so far:** €46,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have personality rights, copyright and unfair competition written expressly into your professional indemnity.
- Match your limit to the framework contracts of your clients before you sign them.
- Keep approvals in writing; it helps in a dispute but does not replace insurance.
- Check whether your policy excludes claims from embargoes and late publication.
- Freelancers should be included in your policy or show their own.
- Send media lists only with blind copies or a mailing system to avoid data breaches.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read the media clauses:** Professional indemnity policies differ most on personality rights and copyright. As brokers we compare exactly those clauses for you.
- **Matched to your client contracts:** We set limits to fit your clients' framework contracts, so your certificate is ready for the next pitch.
- **Agency and private in one place:** Liability, cyber, equipment and your own provision all sit with us, with one contact who speaks English.
- **Family run, brokering since 1989:** Norman Nammert arranges your cover as an insurance broker. It is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Is liability insurance compulsory for PR agencies in Germany?

Not by law. Many clients, however, require professional indemnity with a minimum limit in their framework contracts.

### What does professional indemnity cost for a press office?

Publicly quoted examples start at about €223 a year including tax for €100,000 cover. Agencies doing financial communication pay considerably more.

### Is public liability enough?

No. It covers injury and property damage, not pure financial loss at the client, which is the main risk in PR.

### Are warning letters over image rights covered?

If copyright is included in your professional indemnity, yes: the insurer checks the claim, defends it or pays it.

### What does cyber insurance cover for agencies?

Forensics, restoring systems, data protection reports and third party claims after an attack, often with a crisis hotline.

### Are freelance PR consultants covered by our policy?

Only if the policy includes them. Otherwise they should show their own cover.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-pr-agency.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.