The facts: your brain can’t process creativity and logic at the same time.
Left-brain thinking is focused on the facts and analytical reasoning, while right-brain thinking is more emotional and intuitive. The left side of the brain likes the tiny, granular details that make up the equation, while the right side of the brain likes to ponder the big picture. Each way of thinking brings a unique perspective to a blank canvas – it’s just how we’re wired.
In many instances, you need both creative and logical thinking to work together in seamless motion to tell a story. This is true in the world of PR – in order to execute a successful campaign, you must have the perfect amount of human interest and just the right amount of data. This is where the magic happens. It’s essential to have data backing up a PR campaign to truly turn lofty ideas into a concrete strategy.
Instead of a bingo card of unknowns, a PR strategy backed by data sets a campaign up for success from the very start. The question is, what metrics are crucial for PR? Here are a few of the big players:
Media Impressions:
While the number of impressions per media hit depends on the outlet and its scope (national, regional, local or trade), it is important to track this metric with every campaign. That way when the next campaign comes around, we have metrics to reference when determining how to target new-to-the-brand media outlets to capture new audiences and ultimately grow impressions.
Simply put, if one campaign catches more national consumer media attention versus smaller local newspapers, it’s worth taking a step back and asking why. This strategic thinking allows PR teams to continue to innovate strategies based on prior campaign performance.
Website Traffic:
Using a tool like Google Analytics to track website traffic opens up valuable consumer insights. Being able to monitor how many people visited your website in a specific timeframe while a campaign is running allows you to see how the ups and downs of website traffic match up to PR metrics.
For example, let’s say a limited-edition product launch results in a feature in Forbes. The same day the story goes live, website traffic skyrockets and therefore, more eyes are on the brand (over 78 million to be exact). With Forbes’ high reach, many people who would never come across the brand are exposed to its story. Out of all readers, a portion will visit the company’s website as well, giving them another touchpoint with the brand. With this in mind, PR teams can then build a campaign strategy around what knocked it out of the park the first time.
Conversions:
Positive PR about a brand can result in more clicks, and therefore more sales, whether it’s bottles of a newly launched whiskey or tickets to a just-announced local art exhibit. Similar to other metrics, tracking the direct connection between media hits and sales allows PR teams to think on their toes, continuously shifting strategy based on what performed well previously.
Campaign to campaign, there are many additional key performance indicators (KPIs) that seal the deal of PR’s power. This could be advertising value equivalency, domain authority, how many backlinks or images media used in their coverage, or how many affiliate PR transactions occurred stemming from outreach efforts. The list goes on. Ultimately, these metrics show what PR can do to move the needle.
The numbers that back a campaign not only inform strategy but also drive brand storytelling forward. From execution to evaluation, with continued trial and error along the way, data-driven PR is the key that unlocks an impactful, powerful campaign and further proves that creativity and logic are both needed in the recipe of a campaign’s success.
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