It’s one of the most common questions we get asked when talking about PR campaigns: How do you measure PR impact? It might feel like a complex question, but the art of PR measurement and evaluation can be simpler than it might appear.
Data, data and more data
To understand how to measure PR value, first we need to answer the question ‘what is PR coverage?’. Put simply, it’s content you gain editorial coverage for – be that online, print, TV, podcast or social media – without paying for it.
For years, the only real measurement assigned to PR coverage was advertising value equivalency, or AVE PR measurement.
So, what is advertising value equivalency?
In old money, it’s as simple as taking the cost of placing a similarly-sized advert in a print publication and multiplying that value by 2.5. This is because earned PR coverage always has a greater value than advertising as it represents third-party endorsement.
However, this form of PR measurement and evaluation is shrinking into the distance as fast as the print medium it relates to. Using AVE PR measurement for your campaigns is unlikely to impress anyone – so much so that the Chartered Institute of Public Relations now disqualifies any award entries which mention AVE.
Fortunately, PR measurement tools have moved on in line with the growing expectations of clients to understand exactly what ROI they are getting.
PR measurement tools we like
This might read like product placement, but it’s not. At R&Co we simply love CoverageBook. Why? When budgets for PR are becoming ever-more scrutinised, it’s vital for agencies to answer the question of how to measure PR impact. Tools like CoverageBook do this very well.
The volume or quality of the coverage achieved is no longer a strong enough argument on its own to justify PR spend. However, if you can demonstrate the following to a client, then you can have a very different conversation:
- How many organic backlinks that coverage has earned
- How many people are estimated to have viewed it
- How much traction it’s gained on social media
- The quality of the websites it’s appeared on
As we were writing this blog, another valuable tool called CoverageImpact landed, helping with the question of how to measure PR impact. It can visualise the impact of coverage on Google search trends and website traffic, showing another direct correlation between the coverage you earn and people’s real-world reaction to it.
Let’s talk money
How to measure PR is a discussion which needs to be had ‘in the round’ and not in isolation.
By their nature, PR agencies will often work as an extension of marketing teams rather than being integrated in-house. This means it’s even more important to forge excellent working relationships with your clients so you can compare your activity alongside theirs.
Why measure PR?
If you’re using PR measurement tools which gives you estimated views for a piece of coverage, you will benefit from this CPM calculator, which shows you a spend per 1,000 views generated based on the total cost of your PR activity.
The benefit of measuring your PR efforts in this way is they can sit alongside other spends such as marketing campaigns, advertising, paid social and PPC and you can see the cost per 1,000 views for all activity.
As a communications agency, you’d expect us to say this, of course, but PR can compare very favourably here!
What should I do next?
How you choose to measure your PR campaigns depends very much on what success looks like for your clients.
But whatever that is, it always pays to be proactive. If your clients are only interested in appearing in print titles, why not explain to them why online coverage, backlinks and social shares may work harder for them anyway?
If you’re running an SEO campaign, you’ll measure impact on search results. If you’re running a paid social or PPC campaign, you’ll measure reach, engagements and leads generated. If you’re running a newsletter campaign, you’ll analyse opens, click-throughs and purchases.
PR campaigns shouldn’t be any different. If you’re taking the time to earn outstanding coverage for your clients, showing them the value of that coverage across multiple metrics and platforms should always be front of mind.
Our results speak for themselves. Take a look at our case studies to find out more about our PR campaigns or learn more about our digital marketing services.
