Here's how you can effectively evaluate and measure project success in Public Relations.

Set. Clear. Goals. Every initiative should be backed into by what you want to achieve. Getting into The New York Times isn't a goal - it's a tactic. Driving leads from your target audience as a result of a New York Times article is a goal. People often get tripped up by shiny objects during campaigns. Understanding your ideal outcome and backing into your strategy will yield much more impactful results.

For every successful project, goal setting is a must and so it is for Public Relations. Ask yourself what exactly is the issue you are trying to solve? Check and assess the need of the organisation, product or project you are trying to support and be sure you can measure those goals before you begin. In defining your goals, if you realise that the first action towards supporting the brand is not PR, you have every right to inform your superiors, head of department or client. Not all problems have PR as the first action. Some may need product redesign, customer feedback or quality improvement.

Outline the steps needed to achieve your goals, including key tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities. This ensures everyone knows what needs to be done and when, promoting accountability and efficiency.

If you're working on increasing brand awareness, your goal could be to boost social media engagement by 20% over the next quarter. Setting SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—helps create a clear framework for success. It ensures that everyone on the team is on the same page and working towards the same targets, making it easier to track progress and make adjustments as needed.

Setting goals are important, but you need to set the correct goals - measurable goals that also align to your company's strategic objectives. That way you not only measure specific goals for a Comms or PR project but that data can ladder up to the overall objective for the business.

KPIs are absolutely crucial for measuring the success of any PR project. They provide tangible metrics that align with your goals, like media impressions or social media engagement. For example, if your goal is to enhance brand visibility, tracking media impressions and social shares gives you clear, quantifiable data on your progress. Regularly monitoring these indicators allows you to make informed, data-driven decisions, ensuring your campaign stays on track. In essence, KPIs not only gauge success but also guide your strategic adjustments throughout the project.

Schedule periodic check-ins to evaluate your KPIs and discuss any necessary adjustments. This keeps the team informed and ensures your PR strategy remains on track.

Relevant KPIs have always been a source of lifelong feuds, because each and every single agency has a different approach on what metrics are the most relevant to assess their performance. Let's not forget, there are still people out there for whom ad value is still the golden standard of KPIs. Yes, they are a dying breed, but they still post in here. ;) Clients each have their favorite KPIs and you need to make sure you are equipped to meet their needs, from simple clipping volume to share of voice. My own favorite is key message pull-through rate. It can be heavily polluted by copy-paste/AI media, but this data shows clearly the impact of your PR acumen, whilst giving you insights on what you might need to adjust for your next outreach.

To effectively evaluate and measure project success in Public Relations using analytics, start by setting clear, measurable goals aligned with your PR objectives. Track metrics like media coverage, social media engagement, website traffic, and sentiment analysis. Use tools such as Google Analytics and social media analytics platforms to gather data. Analyze the results against your goals, adjusting strategies as needed. Regular reporting helps to assess progress and demonstrate ROI to stakeholders.

My first answer was oscillating between "Duh!" or "You don't say". That is the core of your job as a PR or communications manager. If you don't check for coverage, or do not work with solid tools doing it for you, how can you report on your successes? However, I will underline that media monitoring should NEVER be limited to your products or your clients. Always be on the lookout for what your competitors are doing in order not to be taken aback and not to miss even their sneakiest moves. There are few things speaking more favorably for your commitment to your client than being the first one to bring to their attention a fresh clipping covering a competitor's hot topic.

Measurement depends on goals set. One has to be clear about what one is trying to achieve, outline what does success look like, how are we going to achieve and a clear path to how it can be achieved. And success can be both qualitative or/and quantitative. For eg. Number of positive media articles achieved or can I make an influencer reel viral to make sure it reaches the widest audience.

Design. Execute. Assess (or Adjust). Learn. This DEAL mnemonic technique can help you keep an eye on the four simplest steps you need to take with every communication project. We have the chance to work in an ever-evolving field. The people we address, journalists, influencers, business partners or end consumers can change their mind overnight. What worked one day might be totally irrelevant just a fortnight later. We need to keep a finger on that pulse and be ready to adapt and adjust a few elements or a whole strategy if wenotice something isn't working, or working much better than initially expected. Never take anyhting for granted in PR. There's always a big slap in your face waiting around the next corner.