PR campaigns can be measured in a whole range of ways.
The public relations industry has always struggled to find one truly effective way of measuring PR results.
There are of course independent media evaluation companies whose role is to track and evaluate PR campaigns, but of course they cost!
Here are just a few ways you can use to check if you, or your PR expert, are being successful with public relations efforts:
- The AVE or Advertising Value Equivalent will tell you how much the coverage would cost if you had paid for that space as an advert. Don’t forget it’s not just the size of the media coverage that matters, it’s also the tone and context of the piece, does the coverage contain your key messages, mention your contact details and the name of your product or brand – and how many times, etc
- There’s also the PR ’reach,’ so how many people are likely to have read, watched or listened to the media coverage
- PR measurability could include the number of press trips or journalist reviews/interviews arranged, media attendance at events, request for press packs, etc among target media
- Public relations success could also include an increase in the number of visits to your website or blog during the campaign period
- Most businesses though quite rightly judge the success of a PR campaign by the bottom-line – how many new inquiries and more importantly, how many new business leads, the public relations work generates!
