By Jessica Garcia, Executive Vice President
It’s a common but fair question for your public relations team: what are we getting back from our PR investment? The honest answer is that if you’re looking for an easily-packaged statistic, you probably won’t find it. That doesn’t mean that PR doesn’t deliver real, measurable value, though. It just means you’re looking at the wrong measurement.
PR Isn’t a Sales Channel, and That’s a Good Thing
Let’s start with the biggest misconception: PR should not be the primary driver of sales or ROI for your company. It is a powerful tool that contributes to ROI, but expecting a single piece of coverage to generate direct revenue is setting yourself up for frustration.
Think about what earned media actually does. When your CEO is quoted in a story about industry trends, or your company is featured in a national publication, you’re building something that paid advertising simply can’t buy: trusted credibility. That’s earned and validated coverage, which signals to customers, investors, and partners that your company is making an impact. However, that credibility only translates to ROI if your team does something with it. Securing the coverage is the first step, but it’s the follow through that counts.
Getting Big Impact from Smaller Publications
And speaking of touchpoints for audiences to encounter, a common misconception is that you need to aim for the very top. Once you land, say, a story in The New York Times, all you’ll have to do is wait for the leads to pour in. While getting a story in the Times is well and good, the reality is more nuanced. A well reported story with a splashy logo from a top-tier outlet is great for credibility, but if your buyers are niche HR professionals who are never going to pick up the Times, then there are other outlets that are better suited to drive meaningful results.
The most strategic PR professionals think carefully about where the right audience is actually reading, and then pitch accordingly. That’s why we take care to learn our clients’ companies inside and out so we can identify the outlets with the right eyes on them. A well-placed feature in an industry trade can have just as much impact as national coverage, and sometimes even more.
PR isn’t like running a paid ad where you can track every click to a purchase. A better way to look at it is like building a reputation. The returns compound over time, and the brands that invest consistently are the ones that earn trust at scale. With that in mind, the ROI of PR is clear, you just have to expand what you count as a return.
