Measuring Public Relations: Quantifiable Picture

"1, 2, 3, say cheese."

In a public relations plan, goals must be measurable. There are plenty of things to measure that cannot specifically be quantified by a number such as the tone of a story (positive or negative), accuracy of the story (yes or no ;- ) and timing (pushed out by a pitch or release). The best way to get a picture of any long-term public relation effort is to assign quantifiable numbers to each story, reporter and media outlet.

By monitoring news clips and identifying measurables, efforts can be measured over the long-haul. The numbers can then be translated into charts or graphs to visually measure goals.

Measurement identifies trends and helps target specific tactics with reporters or outlets. The function ensures tactics meet goals. As well, trends in the report may flag a need for a change in messaging and tactics without waiting to the end of the year or the campaign to see if goals will be met.

Measuring is fairly easy though it takes commitment to monitor the media if a service is not contracted. So how do you do it?

• It can be as simple as creating an excel spreadsheet and setting benchmarks from 1-10 with 1 being low and 10 being high (or 1-5 or 1-100);
• Identify what the numbers mean as a teacher would when grading a test;
• Just as different teachers might assign grades a bit differently, for consistency, it is best for one person or team members to assign the quantifiable numbers;
• The spreadsheet should list the media outlets and the reporters and align them with the story, pitch or product; and
• As clips come in, assign quantifiable numbers to the different categories of measurement.

Even monitoring the length of a story, over time, you can see if a reporter or media outlet increases or decreases the length and which news releases resulted in what lenght of story. By monitoring and measuring, the reasearch accumulated can identify whether you are on target to meet goals, as well as serve as a flag if there is a need to alter the plan.

Yep, this is all a bit of a science. And, an art too. For sure though, numbers don't lie! Quantifiable measurements can certainly prove to be very valuable.

If you need someone to help set up a clip service, monitor or measure media, contact me at mmonte@hotmail.com or at 407-964-1667!