The Public Relations Blog

Advertising Value Equivalency is an outdated PR measurement

Earned media coverage is a terrific way to get your organization in front of audiences that may want to purchase your products and services. Unlike advertising, earned media is an unpaid, third-party mention – that may be a quote, an endorsement or interview. How do you measure earned media coverage and prove its value to executives? Make sure you discuss measurement with your public relations agency early in the relationship so you have shared objectives for communication efforts.

5 questions to ask your PR firm to initiate a measurement conversation

When you bring on a public relations firm, one of your first conversations should be about measurement. This helps both parties identify the need for a PR campaign and the overall goal for your organization. In order to establish collaborative goals and a shared vision for your campaign, you need measurable objectives in your communication plan.

Axia Public Relations covers 15 mistakes companies make when hiring a PR firm, and not having a measurement conversation is mistake #14. It’s important to have the measurement conversation with your PR firm in the initial steps of planning your PR campaign.

Creating specific and measurable goals is vital to establishing a foundation for successful integration of data analysis to business strategy. Without a goal, the time, energy and money you spend on acquiring and aggregating data will leave you directionless. So, which analytics matter most in public relations?

Typical key performance indicators (KPIs) include marketing campaign ROI; profits analyzed for variables, such as product, region, salesperson, etc.; and monthly projections/reality and month/month change amounts. Those are hopefully all numbers already in your data toolbox. You also must include metrics particular to PR.

Which analytics matter most in PR? How do I know what to measure?

Within the business world, the volume and velocity of data continues to command attention. In the public relations sphere, knowing what to focus on, given the data analysis capabilities available in the crowd of business software applications, can be overwhelming.

Begin your PR campaign the right way: Allow resources for measurement.

Most likely, your company measures sales, employee retention, and NPS scores. It’s also important to measure your marketing department's work along with your public relations agency of record.

Measurement must be a consistent process once you identify your key performance indicators. That’s easy if what you’re measuring is in-house and completely accessible. Hopefully, you already have the spreadsheets in place, so all you have to do is pull the sum at the bottom each week.

Companies should set aside resources for measuring their vendors' outputs, including their public relations agency. Being unwilling to spend the time and money upfront for proper PR measurement is one of the 15 mistakes companies make when hiring a PR firm. Read on to find out why you should include measurement in your PR budget.

One of the top questions in public relations is, “How do I measure PR?” You can easily measure PR when you have a strong plan in place before your campaign begins. Researching what you want to accomplish and crafting a PR plan allows you to see if you’ve met your PR goals.

The content of your PR plan will vary depending on your organization's goals. We’ve outlined exactly what kind of objectives you can work toward using the power of PR.

How to tell if your content is performing well or lagging behind 

Your organization’s blog is up and running! You’re generating topics that are valuable to your audience and planning ahead with a long-term content strategy. Now what?

Measure and analyze your content marketing efforts every quarter or biannually to make sure you’re on the right track. Start by looking back at your S.M.A.R.T. objectives, which you should have listed in your content marketing plan.

How to measure your PR campaign effectiveness without losing trust in your PR firm

Measuring your public relations campaign results is exciting and also tricky. Being on the same page with your PR firm about your campaign expectations and measurement metrics will help you with your PR efforts and guarantee your success in the future.

Track and understand your media coverage to determine impact and grow your brand

Do you wish there was a better way to monitor and track your company’s media hits and mentions? Well, you’re in luck, because now there is. Axia Public Relations offers MediaSignal, a service that clips your media citations and measures your share of voice in the media.

Understanding what didn't work in your public relations campaigns is just as important as understanding what did work. Measuring your outcomes will help you to understand which goals were not met, which aspects of your campaign were on target and which efforts did not result in the type of coverage you planned for. Here are six tips and tricks you can use to measure your PR campaign results to achieve your business objectives.