How do you evaluate the impact of your PR activities?

1 Set SMART objectives

Before you launch any PR campaign or activity, you need to have clear and specific objectives that align with your overall strategy and vision. These objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. SMART objectives help you to define what you want to accomplish, how you will measure your progress, and when you will achieve your results. For example, a SMART objective for a PR activity could be: increase brand awareness by 10% among our target audience within six months.

2 Choose relevant metrics

Once you have your SMART objectives, you need to choose the appropriate metrics that will help you to track and evaluate your PR performance. Metrics are the indicators that measure the outputs, outcomes, and impacts of your PR activities. Outputs are the tangible results of your PR actions, such as media coverage, social media posts, or events. Outcomes are the changes in attitudes, opinions, or behaviors of your stakeholders as a result of your PR activities, such as awareness, perception, or engagement. Impacts are the long-term effects of your PR activities on your organization's goals, such as sales, reputation, or loyalty. Depending on your objectives, you may use different metrics to measure your outputs, outcomes, and impacts. For example, some common metrics for PR are: reach, impressions, share of voice, sentiment, conversions, or return on investment.

3 Use reliable tools and methods

To collect and analyze your PR metrics, you need to use reliable and valid tools and methods that can provide you with accurate and meaningful data. There are various tools and methods available for PR evaluation, such as media monitoring, surveys, focus groups, web analytics, or social media analytics. You should choose the tools and methods that best suit your objectives, budget, and resources. You should also use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to get a comprehensive and balanced view of your PR impact. For example, you may use media monitoring to measure the quantity and quality of your media coverage, surveys to measure the awareness and perception of your brand among your target audience, and web analytics to measure the conversions and ROI of your PR activities.

4 Compare and benchmark

To assess the impact of your PR activities, you need to compare and benchmark your results against your objectives, your previous performance, and your competitors. Comparing and benchmarking help you to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and to determine if you are meeting or exceeding your expectations. You should compare and benchmark your results at regular intervals, such as monthly, quarterly, or annually, and use consistent criteria and standards. For example, you may compare and benchmark your PR results by using the SMART framework, by using industry benchmarks or best practices, or by using competitive analysis.

5 Report and communicate

The final step in evaluating your PR impact is to report and communicate your findings and insights to your stakeholders, such as your management, clients, or partners. Reporting and communicating your PR impact help you to demonstrate the value and contribution of your PR activities to your organization's goals, to showcase your achievements and successes, and to solicit feedback and suggestions for improvement. You should report and communicate your PR impact in a clear, concise, and compelling way, using visuals, stories, and case studies to illustrate your points. You should also tailor your report and communication to the needs and interests of your stakeholders, and use the appropriate channels and formats to deliver your message. For example, you may report and communicate your PR impact by using dashboards, infographics, newsletters, presentations, or videos.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?