17 KPIs to Measure the Impact of Public Relations Efforts Part #1
(Part 1 of 4)
Public relations is a key driver of brand visibility, reputation and engagement, but PR effectiveness is notoriously difficult to gauge. To measure the true impact of these efforts, setting relevant KPIs or key performance indicators can help identify and highlight which strategies and tactics are most effective for a brand or client.
- Brand Visibility
The brand visibility that comes with a solid track record of earned media coverage from continuous PR efforts is invaluable. Such visibility brings leads and referrals directly to your site by word-of-mouth and through potential partners or investors emailing you to chat after they see the latest piece about you. These scenarios are the best indicators that your PR efforts are working.
- Media Coverage
The most important KPI for assessing PR impact is media coverage—specifically, the number of media hits. This metric reflects visibility and reach, with each hit generating valuable backlinks. Backlinks improve SEO, drive organic traffic and enhance brand credibility. Therefore, tracking media hits is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of PR efforts and their impact on online presence.
- SEO And DA
The reality is that validating PR success with impressions or other soft KPIs quickly leads to client attrition. It starts with thinking about how PR can be tied to measurable SEO and domain authority increases, thus driving prospective customers to the website and social channels. Also the use of PR-generated third-party content in the sales funnel such as article reprints.
- Backlinks
Direct links back to your company’s website are a great performance indicator. Tracking users from media placements your PR team secures is critical from a lead generation perspective, empowering your team to see how many readers are clicking to learn more about your company or products. Set specific KPIs for a percentage of media placements with backlinks included, conversions and downloads from backlink clicks and more.
Continued in part II
