4 things that can't yet be measured in #PR. 👇
"In business, all things should be measured, yet not all things are measurable." (-Me)
Last week I had the opportunity to present at PRNEWS' "State of PR Measurement 2023" along with Natan Edelsburg, Muck Rack and Eric Slutsky, GENYOUth. The panel was moderated by the exceptional Erika Bradbury who asked the tough questions.
WHY IS PR MEASUREMENT COMPLICATED?
🗣 Complexity of Outcomes
Unlike advertising, which often aims for a direct action (like a sale), PR's objectives can be more nebulous—shaping perceptions, building trust, or influencing thought leadership. It is inherently difficult to quantify.
Areas That Cannot Yet Be Fully Measured but Matter Immensely:
(prove me wrong and I’ll be overjoyed)
👉 Trust and Credibility: While surveys can gauge trust to some extent, the deep-rooted trust and credibility a brand has in the minds of its audience is hard to quantify.
👉 Long-Term Brand Affinity: Immediate metrics can show short-term effects, but how PR shapes long-term brand loyalty and affinity is more nebulous.
👉 Impact of Storytelling: Good PR often involves powerful storytelling, and while you can measure the immediate reach and engagement of a story, the long-lasting impact on people's hearts and minds is harder to quantify.
👉 Crisis Avoidance: The value of a potential crisis that was deftly avoided or mitigated is difficult to measure but immensely valuable.
I led with the problem, and there are solutions in the works.
Two ways at Sevans PR we are working to slowly, but surely better measure efforts include proprietary metrics: Reputation+ and Quality of Attention (QOA).
More Reputation+ here and here is the QOA starter guide:
Would love to hear from you on what you're doing to better, more efficiently or even change how measurement is done.
I also happened to have the cutest “kid-tern” with me who visited NYC for an educational adventure. She’s presenting to her second grade class this week on what she learned.
Do you struggle with PR measurement? Share your thoughts, resources or tools.
In service,
Sarah