How to measure PR: Indicators of quality
Keeping tabs on the quantity of impressions and readers you have isn’t a bad thing, but you’ve got to add some qualitative measures to the mix.
Seasoned folks still followed “tried and true” methods, but warmed up to new ideas, emerging technologies, and, generally, the nontraditional. A few years later, they’d call it the “digital disruption,” but back then—it was an unnamed, but profound, change in business.
It influenced PR strategy, tactics, goals, and objectives—but to me, the biggest impact was its effect on PR measurement. We moved away from the old metrics (ad value equivalencies, impressions, circulation numbers) and explored new ones, better ones—we embraced a barometer that paired indicators of quality with metrics of quantity.
The old metrics aren’t archaic and useless, but they’re only half the equation. Enhance quality with quantity, and you’ve got measurement that matters.
Performance indicators include:
Branding significance: How many times (and in what ways) do your results feature branding? Does media coverage include the full name of the brand? The logo? The website?
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