In PR, it’s easy to get lost in the glitz of media mentions, headline counts, and how many times your press release gets a thumbs up. But are these the true marks of success? Spoiler alert: probably not. I remember how the CMO of my former employer and myself were knocking our brains out in creating measurable KPIs for PR and we were going beyond the well known vanity metrics. Did we succeed? Not entirely at that moment. But let’s see what we came up with on what truly matters—because there’s more to PR than a shiny press clip.
1. Share of Voice (SOV)
Instead of obsessing over how many mentions you get, check up how the competition is doing and compare your results to theirs. Are you owning the conversation, or is your competitor stealing the spotlight?
Tool Tip: Try Meltwater or Mention to keep tabs on how much space you’re taking up in the PR universe.
2. Sentiment Analysis
Not all press is good press (sorry, Oscar Wilde). Knowing whether people are talking about you with admiration or, well, disdain is key. Track the tone of the conversation—are they clapping for you or politely booing.
Tool Tip: Hootsuite Insights and Brandwatch both offer sentiment analysis, so you can see if your brand is getting high-fives or side-eye.
3. Message Penetration
Are your carefully crafted key messages actually sinking in, or are reporters going rogue with your narrative? Make sure the themes and values you push out are the ones being reflected in the media.
Tool Tip: Free tools like Google Alerts and BuzzSumo can help you check if your core messages are landing or if you need to tweak your talking points.
4. Audience Engagement
Are you still counting the “likes” on your posts? Plenty of thumbs-up doesn’t necessarily speak about meaningful engagement. Are they leaving thoughtful comments, asking questions, or sharing your content because they actually care? Engagement beats passive likes every time.
Tool Tip: HubSpot and Google Analytics can help you track real engagement—so you know when you’re actually sparking conversations, not just collecting vanity metrics.
5. Media Quality, Not Quantity
A mention in The Wall Street Journal > 50 mentions in a blog no one reads. Focus on quality over quantity—are your hits in places your audience actually hangs out? (And no, your cousin’s personal blog doesn’t count.)
Tool Tip: Moz has a free Domain Authority checker to help you gauge the credibility of media outlets where you’re being featured.
6. Lead Generation and Conversion
Spoiler: PR isn’t just about getting attention; it’s about getting results. Track whether your efforts are actually driving leads and conversions. After all, “buzz” is nice, but revenue is nicer.
Tool Tip: Google Analytics and HubSpot are your best friends here. Track referral traffic from media coverage and see if it’s converting into leads or sales.
7. Long-Term Brand Awareness
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is brand awareness. Take a step back and check out the bigger picture: is your brand recognised today by more people than it was a year ago? It’s a marathon, not a sprint (unless you’re a startup, then…maybe sprint a little).
Tool Tip: Tools like Google Trends can help you see if your brand is on an upward trend in search interest post-PR campaigns.
8. Impact on Relationships
Attention grabbing headlines are good,but PR efforts should target more than just that. Creating and/or strengthening relations with key players like investors, employees, and partners are the Everest peak to strive to. Ask for feedback and track sentiment within these groups post-campaign.
Tool Tip: A simple SurveyMonkey or Google Forms survey can help you gather internal and external feedback on how your communications are being perceived.
9. Crisis Avoidance/Management
If a PR team manages to avoid a crisis, does anyone give them credit? Probably not. But you should track when you dodge a PR disaster—prevention is better than putting out fires.
Tool Tip: Set up Google Alerts for potential crisis keywords around your brand. Also, tools like Cision can help you spot trouble before it becomes a full-on storm.
10. Return on Investment (ROI)
At the end of the day, founders, CEOs and stakeholders expect from PR to help move the needle for the business. No pressure, huh? Track the dollars and sense (pun intended) by calculating the ROI of your PR efforts. Is your PR budget bringing in leads, sales, or brand growth?
Tool Tip: Use Google Analytics and HubSpot to track conversions and calculate ROI on your PR campaigns—because even the best PR needs to show it’s making an impact.
By moving beyond vanity metrics and focusing on the deeper, more meaningful measures of success, you’ll get a much clearer view of your PR’s true value. So, stop counting those “likes” and start tracking what actually matters—because PR success is more than just a numbers game!