When mapping out your PR plans, it's best to start at the end—with a clear vision of where you're headed. That comes from defining your business goals, like getting more customers, recruiting the best talent, or closing a new round of funding. (They don't, by the way, include things like “getting a lot of likes” or “going viral.”) And PR's real purpose is creating the awareness that pushes you toward those business goals.
Most traditional PR metrics are intuitive and clearly showcase how well efforts are transforming into purposeful coverage. And there are three key metrics PR professionals constantly monitor to assess the value of their efforts are mentions, share of voice, and advertising value equivalency.
Mentions reflect the number of times your company has been prominently cited in the press throughout a set time frame. Share of voice measures these mentions and compares them to competitors. Finally, advertising value equivalency is a metric used to assign a dollar amount for each mention. This is calculated by comparing it to how much the same space would cost as a paid ad.
Newer metrics have emerged recently and are equipped to provide a more comprehensive view of PR’s effectiveness. Beyond mere mentions, these tools can now track how audiences interact with your brand across platforms using metrics ranging from sentiment to likes, shares and comments. Specifically, sentiment provides deeper insights into an audience’s perception. Some of these tools are also infusing their offerings with advanced AI capabilities. Combined with AI, newer metrics allow us to gauge the emotional tone of coverage, providing a nuanced understanding of how your brand is perceived.
Managing the Funnel
Those metrics don’t have a lot of impact, though, unless you can connect them directly to your business goals. Does placement in a particular publication lead to a quality sales lead? How much do inbound requests increase after a company executive is interviewed for a story?
Consider your sales funnel. There are two key areas where PR plays an important role—at the top and in the middle. At the top of the marketing funnel, consistent coverage can populate search engine results with your company's key messages. Those results increase brand awareness and bring in new leads.
At the mid-funnel stage, strategic PR coverage can accelerate the deal pipeline and deliver assets your sales team can share with prospects to validate your key messages and solutions. This mid-funnel PR coverage is more about quality (full feature stories and key vertical stories are better than passing mentions).
SEO in 2024: Beyond Keywords
Search Engine Optimization, commonly called ‘SEO,’ is a crucial PR metric to incorporate into any successful strategy. Measuring the effectiveness of a PR campaign goes hand-in-hand with search engine optimization. A story or blog post placed on a high-traffic, high-quality site that links back to a company’s landing page is one way to boost SEO and a chance to capture visitors who are more likely to buy or convert.
While keywords remain important, Google's algorithm in 2024 places significant emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). For PR, this means:
- Focusing on securing coverage in highly authoritative publications
- Highlighting author expertise in by-lined articles and thought leadership pieces
- Ensuring consistent, accurate information across all digital touchpoints
It doesn't always have to be a big push that sets everything in motion. If your business is starting with zero media coverage, gaining attention from smaller, niche publications can get the ball rolling and help pave the way for more prominent coverage and features down the line. Reporters at more prominent outlets will look to those other publications as they do their research, and you've got immediate credibility.
Taking Your PR to the Next Level
Tying the traditional PR measures of mentions to online business metrics of revenue generated, website traffic, social engagement and quality leads pushes us closer to that magic combination of media metrics and business success. That's our sweet spot at Treble. We specialize in creating PR strategies that generate impressive metrics and contribute directly to your bottom line. By focusing on the metrics that matter to your business, our goals align with yours.
Elevating PR efforts in 2024 with metrics that drive real growth demands more from companies. Contact Treble to learn how we can tailor a custom, data-driven PR strategy for your growing enterprise. You’ll walk with us in lockstep as we evolve your PR efforts into an engine for continued success.