You know by now that PR firms produce the most effective measurements after listening to their clients goals.

It’s the firm’s job to clearly identify these goals, exceed expectations and produce the proper measurement that highlight the value of the work.

One way to show that you are indispensable to clients to produce measurement reports on a monthly basis. Here’s the easiest way to impress clients with your reports.

Continue reading to learn more about the best PR measurement practices for 2017.
Steer Clear of Vanity Metrics

While many clients still value impressions, circulation, page views and AVEs, it’s worth remembering that your measurement shouldn’t rely solely on these “vanity” numbers. 

It’s impossible to quantify the full scope of your work and measure the true value of public relations efforts simply based on a cost of space or airtime on a certain outlet.

Supplement vanity metrics in reports with things like content relevancy, message performance, spikes in web traffic, customers interactions and brand sentiment among target audiences.

Did you see a 5x increase in sales after your campaign launched? Did your video get 1,000 comments in the first few hours after it published?

All of this insight is valuable to your efforts and valuable to your client.

Monthly Dashboard

It’s important to update clients regularly about your metrics and the best way to do this is though monthly reports. Include all the measurements clients ask for in each report but don’t forget to add metrics that show off the true scope of your work.  

But what should be included in a monthly dashboard?

• Activities: Outline all activities completed for the client that month. Show the client steps that go into securing coverage even if the project is still ongoing.
• Secured media coverage: All the hits in a clear and easy-to-read fashion. Include secured opportunities, even if the client could not engage. After all, you still earned it!
• Pitched stories and opportunities: A list of outlets that were contacted and angles that were pitched. The client should see that you’re exploring a range of options.
• Upcoming media coverage: Show your client that you’re thinking beyond the current month by outlining upcoming interviews or coverage. Sometimes there’s no telling exactly when your story will hit. If the date is TBD, that’s OK, too.
• Upcoming activities: Include a list of upcoming opportunities and any action items you need to finish beforehand. Perhaps you’ll be pitching around a speci­fic event or topic. This also helps the client be prepared to provide you with information.

No matter how you decide to measure your results, remember that transparency and planning is the key to maintaining a satisfied client. PR measurement should be done in a manner that is transparent and should always list the sources of the content, criteria used for collection and the reasoning behind your decisions.

Measurement is a huge part of strategy. Download our eBook to learn how to excel in other aspects of PR!