Why PR Measurement Must Evolve

The changing media landscape demands that PR change too. Public relations is more critical than ever,  leaders are still struggle to measure its value.

PR ROI needs to be changed to reflect the strategic value it brings to a company and its bottom line. There’s a need to integrate digital PR beyond impressions and links. To prove PR’s true value, CMOs and CCOs must push beyond vanity metrics and align PR measurement with strategic outcomes.

The Limitations on Traditional PR Metrics

Why Vanity Metrics Fall Short

Impressions, reach and media hits are metrics that are easy to track against. And while we ALSO track these items, we recognize these are surface-level indicators. The problem with these metrics is they don’t get to the heart of the intentions or effects of a PR campaign. What’s missing from these measurements are PR’s impact on revenue, brand equity, and customer behavior.

This disconnect is best illustrated by a 2024 PwC survey that says 90% of executives think their highly customers trust them, while 30% of customers said they highly trust companies. This, by the way, is in contrast to the 2020 Edelman Trust Survey when business trust was at an all-time high, surpassing NGOs and the government. Notably, during this time companies in both B2B and B2C sectors were investing heavily in reputation reinforcement and PR, yet struggling to link that investment to measurable trust.

What the C-Suite Cares About

Studies show CEOs recognize the power of PR, but 54% of CMOs still struggle to define PR ROI, and only 10% of CEOs come from marketing or communications backgrounds. PR ROI for consumer products or e-comm websites will differ from PR ROI for B2B or tech brands, but what they have in common in this framework is a need to show impact to the bottom line.

CEOs are focused on business outcomes such as year-over-year revenue growth and margin improvements while CMOs often report operational metrics such as awareness and recognition – McKinsey

In order to get to the heart of the matter, CMOs and PR experts must insist on cross-functional evaluations and insight into the most valuable business objectives that impact the bottom line:

• • Financial goals like PE , M/A, or VC, or company valuations and IPO
  • Cost centers like: recruitment, training,
  • Growth goals like: cost to acquire new customers, referral customers, ROAS

Without understanding the C-Suite’s actual goals, PR can only be a branding and awareness tool, and possibly only a cost center. But with insights, PR is the backbone that improves every department’s effectiveness and is therefore considered a business imperative; suddenly it’s not PR ROI, it’s business ROI.

PR measurements should match that 5-year roadmap, and consider year one with baseline metrics. Remember that while PR can have an immediate result, it’s more frequently something that takes time.

Remember, reputation takes awhile to build up, like a steamer gaining momentum, so 6 months before an IPO leaves your PR campaign very little room for maximum impact. Your reputation wasn’t built overnight, and neither will the company’s.

Implementing a Modern PR Measurement Strategy

Step 1: Establish Executive Buy-in

Start by securing C-suite alignment to revamp PR metrics in a way that more closely aligns with the business’ goals. You may find yourself at the table with executives who are discussing 5-year plans. It is your job to create the roadmap for how PR will support these goals, and the start of that road map must be an audit of the organization’s reputation from the most relevant stakeholders. This clarity will give you so much to work with. Suddenly, hiring an agency makes sense, as does the strategy you articulate to them.

Step 2: Measure Cross-Functioality

Modern PR doesn’t operate in isolation. Cross-functional alignment with marketing, HR, and finance ensures shared accountability.

Familiarize yourself with KPI goals in marketing, human resource and finance, and understand how they report on those goals so you can recommend joint KPIs. Adding these to your media and social monitoring and Google Analytics will provide you with a more well-rounded view of how you can make PR valuable to the C-Suite. Expect to integrate AI to your metrics as well.

Step 3: Build an Internal Attribution Model

Build an internal calculator or attribution model that everyone can agree to. We offer PR ROI calculation services, or you can use our PR ROI calculator to inspire your own tracking. Work with your department peers to determine what potential impact a PR campaign can have on their initiatives and to determine where PR campaigns should spend the most time and effort.

 From Vanity to Value: The Future of PR Measurement

You may find it takes time to work through these KPIs with your team, but you will also find doing so makes you and the C-suite so much more alert to your contributions.

If you’re looking for more inspiration about cross functional KPIs that PR can measure, download our PR ROI-How CMOs and CCO Can Measure What Matters to CEOs. If you’d like to discuss PR KPIs in greater detail, contact Avaans Media to review your current KPIs, your goals and what PR measurements could be more beneficial to company goals.