How do you measure your media coverage?

The best kept secret in PR is that impressions are meaningless. The number of people who visit a site does not equate with how many people actually read the story about your company. Impression based milestones will also drive publicists to pitch smaller sites that don't move the needle only to add those impressions to the overall pie. Instead it is better to focus on the quality of the publication, the quantity of them you secure coverage in, and the amount of message replay. You do need to have some benchmarks in place which you can set based on similar campaigns in the past. Oh, and if you have the sad task of aggregating impressions, just use hypestat since it's free.

Media monitoring services track mentions of your brand, organization, or keywords across various media channels, including print, online news, social media, broadcast, and blogs. These services provide real-time or periodic reports, highlighting the volume and sentiment of media mentions. They can also help identify key influencers and trends in your coverage.

Authenticity is always important in PR. We should start taking note of the ever-evolving audience intelligence of our readers. It is always the stories with the human touch that resonate with our audiences. It was mentioned here that the quantity of pick-ups should not be the sole basis, which I agree with. The quality of those pick-ups, especially those from major stakeholders, matters. We should always consider the stories that we put up, as people are also asking, 'What's in it for them?' And we give them just that when we remain authentic in our approach.

Media Impressions: Media impressions represent the estimated number of people who may have been exposed to your media coverage. It's a quantitative measure of the potential reach of your message. Impressions can be calculated by multiplying the circulation or viewership figures of a media outlet by the number of times your mention appeared.

Share of Voice (SOV): SOV compares your media coverage to that of your competitors in a specific industry or market. It helps you understand your relative presence in the media landscape. SOV is calculated by dividing your total media mentions by the total media mentions of all your competitors and expressing it as a percentage.

A successful PR campaign strikes a balance between showcasing the brand's essence and resonating with the audience. We tailor our approach to each client, analyzing verticals that best align with their values and vision. In the film, we focus on understanding the pulse of the audience and creating media campaigns that go beyond mere coverage. We embrace an engaging and approachable approach, steering away from the traditional stiff and formal tone. This invites dialogue and forges a stronger bond between the brand and its audience. Our campaigns generate brand loyalty, drive audience engagement, and promote the overall reputation of the brand and its clients.

In today's rapidly advancing technological landscape, I believe that PR and communications can no longer rely only on media coverage as the sole measure of success. We must broaden our perspective and consider additional variables when evaluating our impact. These considerations should encompass conversation impressions, engagement metrics, audience growth, and lead generation, among others. This conversation represents an ongoing dialogue within our industry that we must collectively embrace. By expanding our evaluation criteria, we can better demonstrate the multifaceted value of PR and communications. This evolution is essential for our profession to maintain its significance and relevance among cross-functional stakeholders.