How do you analyze your PR project?

Writing SMART objectives can be a bit daunting at first. While not wishing to be an advocate for AI in PR, generative AI such as ChatGPT will rework an objective into a SMART objective in seconds. You will soon learn how to write SMART objectives yourself.

The first and foremost step to a successful PR campaign is to define objective. Without clearly defined, measurable goals, you won’t be able to assess your PR campaign and improve your communications and business goals. Once you know what you want to achieve, you could prepare a PR strategy to achieve your goals.

Once your objectives are clearly defined, the next step is to establish KPIs that will help you measure progress. These KPIs should be directly linked to your objectives and provide quantifiable data, such as media impressions, social media engagement, or website traffic. It's also important to identify the tools and methods you'll use to collect this data, whether through media monitoring services, surveys, or analytics software. Regularly review your progress against these KPIs to ensure you're on track and make adjustments as needed. Finally, analyze the results in the context of your broader PR strategy, considering both quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback to assess overall impact and inform future projects.

To analyze a PR project, I review key metrics, assess media coverage, and gather feedback. I measure the impact against set objectives, identify areas for improvement, and refine strategies. It's all about continuous learning and optimizing. "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

In my experience, choosing the right methods for data collection is crucial. One time at work, I found that combining qualitative and quantitative approaches provided a more complete picture of our PR efforts. For example, interviews helped us understand audience sentiment, while surveys quantified the impact. Timing is also key; I regularly use formative assessments to make adjustments during a project and rely on summative methods at the end to evaluate overall success. This balanced approach has consistently led to better insights and outcomes.

Remember to set up all the tools you’re going to use in advance, even if that’s just an Excel spreadsheet. First of all, you will minimise the risk of failure. Imagine coming up with a great PR campaign that won’t be measured because the tool wasn’t working. Even so reliable tools as Google Analytics can fail you. Ouch. The second thing you have to take into account is that not all tools provide historical data at a reasonable price. From my experience, it’s better to have everything tested before the start of a campaign. The “better safe than sorry” rule applies to measuring PR campaigns as well.

In my experience, designing effective instruments is key to successful data collection. One time at work, I developed a questionnaire that wasn't yielding consistent results, and I realized the importance of testing for reliability early on. One thing I've found helpful is to pilot your instruments first to ensure they're both valid and reliable. For example, a content analysis grid should accurately capture the nuances of media coverage. It's also crucial to consider ethics—always get informed consent and protect participant privacy. By ensuring your instruments are well-designed, you can gather data that's both trustworthy and respectful of all involved.

Designing effective data collection instruments is crucial for successful PR analysis. - Utilize digital tools like online surveys to enhance response rates and data accuracy. - Incorporate visual elements in questionnaires to engage participants and improve comprehension. - Ensure your sampling methods reflect diverse community perspectives, especially in wastewater initiatives. - Regularly review and update your instruments to adapt to emerging trends and technologies in the industry. By prioritizing innovative techniques, you can gather richer insights that drive impactful PR strategies. Remember, in the world of PR, your data is as valuable as the stories you tell.

One of the most important rules for every analyst states, you can’t improve any action, if you don’t analyze the results. Analysis of a PR campaign will reveal what’s working and what’s not. You can adjust your campaign communications, so it will bring the desired goals. No matter how hard you try, there will always be a part of your campaign you could improve. Analysing the results of a PR campaign will help you identify the weak spots and will prevent you from making the same mistake in the future.

It is so important to communicate results from PR campaign or launch in a simple, straightforward way. For a single moment in time (like an announcement or product launch) we report earned media results in a super digestible format - recapping the number of placements, impressions, key takeaways/insights, top quotes, and top social posts. If we have year-over-year numbers to compare, we always include to show if a new strategy or tactic helped to drive more coverage. And remember that the person ultimately reading the report may not understand PR/comms - so write for your audience.

PR campaigns are not only focused on spreading the message to the wide audience. Sometimes, to achieve your goals, you have to reach a precisely targeted audience. That’s where email marketing comes to the rescue! You’ve probably spend some time and a lot of effort on building the perfect media relations list. Now, you have to check the metrics connected to your PR email database! How many e-mails with your message were open? How many responses did you receive? Can you track how many times your email has been forwarded? To properly assess the results of your PR campaign, you have to take into account these metrics.