PR Measurement Tips & Best Practices

Here are the latest tips and trends in PR measurement. You’ll find news, article links, studies and reports to help you be more knowledgeable about public relations measurement. These are best practice resources you can use to prove your PR ROI. Don’t be shy. Your numbers are waiting.

Other PR Research resources you may like:  Communication Audits, Media Monitoring Tips, News Content Analysis and PR Research Tools.  Sites with  W are PR Coach “winners.” Note, some links are pdf or other larger documents, so patience may be needed to view them.

5 Things You Should Do With the 7 Barcelona Principles of Public Relations Measurement
Katie Paine looks at the seven principles and suggests practical steps to act on them in your PR measurement.

10 Questions for Social Media Measurement Success
Here are 10 key questions you should ask about social media measurement.

10 Ways to Measure the Impact of Your Communications
Fenton Communications produced this useful PR measurement guide for public interest communicators. The 10 tips are superb.   W

100 Tips and Tools to Research the Social Web
An excellent set of tips and tools from Select Courses to enhance your research on the social web. Valuable resource.   W W

30,000-Foot View of Social Media Measurement
A look at social media metrics by Don Bartholomew.

A Guide for Measuring Event Sponsorships
What did we get for sponsoring that event? Bruce Jeffries-Fox’s paper provides insight into measurement. Very useful.

A New Paradigm for Media Analysis: Weighted Media Cost
New IPR study discounts Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) and looks at the potential methods and use for a new system of measurement through four case studies.   W

An Analysis of the Increasing Impact of Social and Other New Media on Public Relations Practice
Traditional media still rank higher than new media in key areas like accuracy, credibility, telling the truth and ethics. But this 2009 IPR paper shows the numbers are changing rapidly as new media take hold.   W

Appeasing the Google Gods
Will this be the death of news by SEO asks Howard Kurtz?

Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation Guide
This extensive guide will help you plan and carry out effective evaluations of your comms programs. See the Evaluation Strategy Worksheet.   W

“AVE” is Not a Proxy for Measuring the ROI of Public Relations
Experts conclude AVE’s don’t measure up.

Avoiding Social Media’s Own “Ad Equivalency Value”
A thoughtful look by Dave Fleet at attempts to put a value on social media along with good discussion threads.

B-M Gap Analysis Offers Valuable PR Insight
Excellent PR research study offers insight for PR pros.

Basic Tools for DIY: How to Conduct a Social Media Audit
Here are the basic tools to do your own social media audit.

Best Practices in Public Relations Research
Dr Don Stacks’ IPR primer and practical advice on PR research.   W

Beyond Sentiment: 27 Things Customers Say About You on Social Networks
Here’s a look at KD Paine’s classifications for conversations.

Bring History Online, One Newspaper at a Time
Google’s news archive project is outlined.

Burson-Marsteller Study: Message Gap Analysis
Valuable reading for those looking to measure public relations results.

Commonsense Social Media Measurement: Setting SMART Objectives
Interesting social media measurement approach.

Community Relations and OPR: In Search of a New Approach to Local Corporate Community Initiatives
How can companies best create authentic community relationships? This study’s findings point to some new strategies in OPR and CSR.

Considering Impressions: Do They Count?
Rich Becker debates whether impressions count. What do you think?

Counting Impressions: Twitter Follower Nonsense
Great social media ROI view.

Dispelling the Myth of PR Multipliers and Other Inflationary Audience Measures
Multipliers are often used in calculating PR impact and value. This IPR study suggests there is no proof for use of multipliers.

Don’t Let the Tool Tail Wag the Measurement Dog
Don Bartholomew muses on social media listening and measurement tools.  W

Everything You Need to Know About the Barcelona Summit 2010
Reviews, links and analysis of the summit achievements on PR measurement.  W

Exploring the Link Between Share of Media Coverage and Business Outcomes
Using four case studies, this IPR study looks at the effects of competitive media coverage on business results.

“Good” Polls/ “Bad” Polls: How Can You Tell?
Here are ten really good tips for consumers of research studies.

Guidelines for Evaluating Nonprofit Communications Efforts
Realistic guidelines to help you evaluate communications from the Communications Consortium Media Center.

Guidelines for Measuring Relationships in Public Relations
How can PR document the value of PR to senior management? This IPR Gold Standard paper provides the six key measures of relationships as a guide.   W

How Much Should You Spend on Media Evaluation?
Not sure what to spend on media evaluation? Forrest Anderson helps you find the mark and what to measure.   W

How PR Became Key to Google Ranking
When “news” started to factor into Google search ranking, PR’s role suddenly became more important.

How to Determine Which Influencers Matter to Your Business
Katie Paine shares a useful 2-step process to identify influencers.  W

How to Evaluate Events and Sponsorship
Six basic steps, five final lessons and four more resources from KD Paine.

How to Make the Most of Your Sponsorships
Pick the right opportunity, leverage your exposure and aim for an 8-to-1 return on investment writes Rodger Roeser.

How to Measure PR’s Contribution to Corporate Objectives
Donna Coletti’s IPR presentation is a measurement primer based on an approach used at Texas Instruments. Worth viewing.

How Top PR Professionals Handle Hot Air: Types of Corporate Rumors, Their Effects and How to Manage Them
An older IPR study that has four key implications for PR and offers action plans to help manage rumors.

Incorporating New Metrics into PR measurement
Here are some insights into balancing engagement and measurement.

Institute for Public Relations – Research Resources
IPR has rich PR research and measurement resources, available at no cost.   W W

Jack O’Dwyer is Measurement Menace of the Month
Katie Paine drops the gloves and aims one at O’Dwyer.

Katie Paine and the Measurement Toolbox [Video 3:18]
Paine talks about measurement as a tool for better management decisions.   W

Katie Paine’s Dirty Dozen Public Relations Measurement Mistakes
Valuable PR measurement lessons.  W

Katie Paine’s Education Checklist for Public Relations Measurement
Paine’s list is excellent for PR measurement beginners and pros.  W

Making Employee Surveys Useful
David Zatz shares tips on making good surveys and how to make them a valuable change tool.

Measuring Communication: Five Steps to Action
Five simple steps to measurement from Richard Becker.

Measuring Communication: Cost, Part 2
Accounting for all costs, including the time to market, helps measure better.
To get the best measure of ROC, measure outcomes, as well as output, writes Richard Becker. He presents several formulas to consider.

Measuring Company A: A Case Study and Critique of a News Media and Content Analysis Program
Sean Williams’ IPR studies a financial company in crisis, and how news content analysis played a critical strategic role. Valuable learning.   W

Measuring Communication Without Crying
Sean Williams provides five steps for measurement without math.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Employee Communications
This case study examines GM’s measurement of its internal communication.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Speakers Programs
Ever been asked to prove your speakers program works? These tips will help you respond.

Measuring the ROI of Online Public Relations
Lee Odden looks at measurement metrics and suggests ways to measure online PR.

Measuring the Strength of Relationships
Learn six critical factors to help you measure the strength of relationships. A powerful PR measurement tool.   W

Media Prominence: A Leading Indicator of Brand Value
What are the drivers of brand value? Media prominence plays an important role, contributing to 25% or more of brand value according to this research study by Text 100.   W

MetricsMan
Don Bartholomew blogs about the fast-changing world of social media and PR research and measurement.

Monitoring and Evaluation
Civicus provides this toolkit to help project managers monitor and evaluate results. Detailed guidelines and useful tips.   W

National School Public Relations Association – Research Resources
Though NSPRA is aimed at the education sector, some of its research resources are helpful.

New Media, New Influencers and Implications for Public Relations
Who are the influencers? How are they impacting PR? This study, by the Society for New Communications Research, looks at the growing influence of social media and strategies for responding through a number excellent case studies.   W

Online Engagement and How to Measure It: Excerpt from “Measure What Matters”
Great excerpt worth  reading!  W

PR Evaluation – A Practical Approach
Ainsworth Macguire has 10 tips to help you evaluate your PR program and five things to avoid.

Press Release Measurement [Video 3:35]
Greg Jarboe explores press release measurement and important metrics.   W

Proctor & Gamble Proves PR Produces Strong Consumer Brand ROI
P&G case study shows how PR works better than other forms of marketing at a fraction of the cost.   W

Public Relations Measurement 2010: Five Things to Forget and Five Things to Learn
Don Bartholomew looks at PR measurement and his five things to learn are excellent!  W

SearchWiki: Six Implications for Public Relations Professionals
Dave Fleet reviews Google SearchWiki and six reasons PR should take note.

Selling PR Research Internally: Changing the Mindset About Communications
Can you prove PR return on investment? Here’s how to sell PR research internally and how PR should position itself as a valuable partner.

Setting Best Practices in Public Relations Research
David Michaelson describes best practices in research methods and the quality and substance of findings.

Setting Measurable Public Relations Objectives
This Gold Standard IPR paper looks at how to set PR objectives that are measurable and valuable to the business.   W

Social Media Benchmarks, Metrics and Data That Count
Excellent PR measurement insight from Barry Hurd.

Super Six Steps to PR Measurement [Video 2:42]
Want to measure PR results? KD Paine outlines six steps to measurement success.   W

Ten Deadly Sins of Surveying
Rod Gray shares ten things to avoid when surveying employees.

The All-Purpose, One-Size-Fits-All Public Relations Measurement Program Checklist
KD Paine provides a terrific PR research primer best reviewed before you start measuring. Don’t leave home without it!   W W

The Barcelona Principles Checklist
Seven principles of public relations research are analyzed by Katie Paine.  W

The Difference Between Paid Media, Earned Media and Word of Mouth
Yes there’s still earned and paid media but John Bell says the real challenge is word of mouth and social media.

The Digitization of Research and Measurement in Public Relations
Jason Falls looks at different PR measurement metrics as used by Fleishman-Hillard.

The Five Senses of Online Measurement
Interesting view of online measurement from Jay Krall at Cision Blog.

The Fork in the Road of Media and Communication Theory and Practice
Jim Macnamara academic paper for IPR analyzes key factors showing the lack of PR research and suggests some “roadside assistance” for the industry.

The Knowledge Graph explained: a guide for PR professionals
Helpful explanation for Google’s new tool.

The Measurement Standard
This is research guru KD Paine’s blog about public relations measurement, evaluation, and research. Always topical, useful and informative.   W

The Value of Investor Relations: A Delphi Panel Investigation
Does IR add value to the bottom line? This panel study identifies the impact.

The Waterline in Research & Measurement
Alan Chumley says measurement of results is as important as ever, but there are many PR measure to choose from.

Using Google Alerts in Public Relations
Quick tips for easy media monitoring.

Using Electronic Surveys
Tips to help you avoid mistakes in electronic surveys from David Zatz.

Using Public Relations Research to Drive Business Results
This IPR study suggests how to set measurable goals and objectives with six case studies to illustrate best practices.   W

What Happens When Public Relations Measurement Provides Unwanted Results?
You can run but you can’t hide from bad results. The key is to measure more effectively.

What You Need to Know to Measure Investor Relations
This IPR study looks at the IR role, its communication channels and ways to measure success.

Why Reputation Management Matters for Small Businesses
One negative review or blog post can impact hugely. Some great tips on how to monitor effectively, big and small.   W

Your Followers Are No Measure of Your Influence
Excellent read on popularity vs PR and marketing clout vs Klout.

Photo credit: William A Clark