The Ultimate Guide to Measuring PR Impact

Measuring the Impact of PR: How to Know If Your Strategy Is Working

Public relations (PR) is essential for building brand credibility, trust, and long-term visibility. Every brand or business needs it, but not all recognize its value. PR is unique because it’s primarily earned, not purchased, though businesses can buy media placements. Since earned media doesn’t come with a price tag, it can be harder to quantify its impact. However, understanding how to measure PR’s effectiveness can help you determine whether your strategy is delivering results and give you insight into making smarter, data-driven decisions. 

What Is PR, and Why Does It Matter?

The Public Relations Society of America defines PR as a “strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Essentially, PR shapes a brand’s reputation, strengthens credibility, and increases visibility through media coverage, thought leadership, and strategic storytelling.

Key PR Metrics to Measure Success

To gauge the success of a PR campaign, we rely on several key metrics:

• Press Clippings – The number of times your brand is mentioned in news articles, blogs, and industry publications.
• Media Impressions – The estimated reach of those press hits, showing how many people may have seen the coverage.
• Content Analysis – Assessing the sentiment and messaging in the coverage to ensure your brand is represented positively.
• Website Traffic – Tracking referral traffic from PR placements to see how they drive potential customers to your site.
• Lead Sourcing – Identifying whether new business inquiries or customer leads are coming from PR efforts.
• Share of Voice – Comparing your brand’s media presence to competitors to understand your industry influence.
• Social Media Mentions – Monitoring how PR efforts spark conversations and engagement online.

These metrics give us both a quantitative and qualitative view of how well a PR strategy is performing. Press clippings and media impressions show how far your message is spreading, while content analysis ensures that the coverage aligns with your brand values and key messages. Metrics like website traffic and lead sourcing tie PR back to tangible business results, like attracting potential customers or generating new inquiries. 

Meanwhile, share of voice helps you understand your position in the market compared to competitors, and social media mentions provide a pulse on public engagement and awareness sparked by your coverage.

Together, these metrics help move PR from being seen as a “nice to have” to a measurable, strategic investment that supports long-term business goals.

The Value of PR in Smaller Markets

In smaller markets, like Fresno, PR can have an even greater impact than in larger markets. Local journalism sources are limited and carry more weight, so securing multiple press hits in the region is an immediate success. Local audiences also tend to trust regional media more than national outlets, making this coverage particularly influential. 

Additionally, tracking the reach and exposure of media impressions helps quantify how many people have interacted with your brand’s story. By understanding and leveraging these metrics, businesses can better assess the effectiveness of their PR strategies and refine their approach to maximize impact.

Tools and Techniques for Measurement

There are a few tools and techniques we rely on to measure the impact of our PR efforts. Media monitoring tools track our clients and, when they are mentioned by the press, capture both press clippings and media impressions. Google Analytics is also a large asset when tracking website traffic post-PR efforts, especially when we use trackable links to understand where users are coming from. For social media data, we pull analytics from eClincher, a site that provides accurate data regarding social media engagement and reach. 

In addition to digital tools, market surveys and polls are also great methods to collect audience feedback and data. These surveys and polls have become even easier to run now through advertisements on social media, through email marketing, and other methods. All of this data helps us tailor our next campaigns and understand what will work best in the future to optimize brand promotion, sales, engagement, and more. 

Setting Clear PR Objectives

To measure PR’s impact it is important to establish clear, measurable goals from the start. At PREM, we set SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—so we always have a benchmark for success. Before launching any PR campaign, we define the desired outcomes, ensuring we have meaningful data to track progress.

One of our primary focuses is brand awareness because, at PREM, our motto is “Making your brand PREMemorable.” To achieve this, we implement a variety of PR strategies, including those listed below, and then set measurable goals for each strategy:

• Media Outreach & Paid Placements – Pitching stories to journalists or securing paid media spots.
• Influencer Collaborations – Partnering with key voices to amplify brand messaging.
• Thought Leadership – Positioning clients as industry experts through interviews, guest articles, and expert commentary.
• Social Media Contests & Giveaways – Driving engagement and visibility through interactive campaigns.
• Retargeting Ads – Keeping your brand top-of-mind for potential customers.
• Community Engagement – Actively participating in conversations and fostering relationships on social media.

By using strategic PR tactics and setting clear objectives for each tactic, we ensure our efforts are impactful, measurable, and aligned with our clients’ growth goals.

Case Studies and Examples

We are no strangers to successful campaigns. Clients come in asking for one goal, and we often exceed their expectations. See some of our campaigns below:

The Red Chickz

TikTok viral, Los Angeles-based restaurant, The Red Chickz, sought out PREM to launch their grand opening for a new location in Fresno. With our team’s PR efforts, we were able to spread the word of the crunchiest chicken in Fresno through PR efforts and influencer collaborations. We got them on every news outlet in the city and garnered over hundreds of thousands of likes through our social media collaborations. 

See some clips here: KS24/CBS47 | ABC30 | The Fresno Bee | GVWire | The Business Journal

The Ugly Company 

We worked with The Ugly Company to help them stand out in the sustainable fruit snacking industry. The Ugly Co.’s mission is to prevent imperfect produce from being thrown away and upcycle it into delicious, all-natural, healthy dried fruit snacks. By sharing the amazing story of their exceptional founder through PR efforts, PREM was able to generate positive media coverage, including national attention. Our collaboration led to securing them over $9 million in investor funding, over 255 million monthly viewers, and over 30 PR hits.  You can find their snacks throughout Sprouts, select REIs, and Whole Foods. One of their most recognizable investors is artist Justin Timberlake.

See some clips here: The Business Journal | FoodBev | Modern Retail | Supermarket News | AgFunder News | Bakery and Snacks | Consumer Goods | City Biz | Benzinga  

California Olive Oil Council

PREM was tasked by the California Olive Oil Council to educate home chefs around the U.S. on why California-certified extra virgin olive oil is the best oil to use. To do this, we hosted and planned exclusive events throughout California in which we invited influencers to come cook, film, and learn about the benefits of EVOO. We were able to increase website traffic by 50%, touch targeted over 400,000 people, and got over 10 PR hits. 

See some clips here: BC Post | City Biz | Muscle & Fitness | Punch | NewsBreak

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PR is an extremely valuable asset for building relationships with your audience and raising awareness for your brand. A combination of defined goals, techniques, and metrics all play into an effective PR strategy. At PREM, we’re dedicated to helping you craft a results-driven PR strategy, and equally committed to delivering transparent, easy-to-understand analytics that show you exactly how your efforts are performing. With the right insights, you won’t just see when PR is working—you’ll know how to maximize its full potential.

‍If you have any questions about public relations in the Fresno, Newport Beach, and San Diego areas, contact PREM at info@premprsocial.com.