How to Figure Out If Your PR Campaign Is Worth It

Stella Mariss
Email: esthernetochukwu@gmail.com

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Learn how to evaluate the success of your PR campaign by measuring key metrics like media coverage, audience engagement, brand mentions, and ROI. This article guides you through tracking performance, aligning results with goals, and determining whether your PR efforts are truly driving value for your brand or business.

You’re spending money on a PR campaign, and you want to know if it’s paying off. Measuring the Return On Investment (ROI) for public relations isn’t like tracking clicks on an ad. It’s trickier. PR can boost your brand, get people talking, or bring in customers, but how do you put a number on that? I’ve been there, scratching my head, trying to make sense of it. Let’s walk through how to measure PR ROI in a way that’s clear, practical, and feels like a real person explaining it to you.

Why Care About PR ROI?

You’re not just throwing cash at PR for fun. You need to know what you’re getting. It’s not only about proving the budget makes sense to your team. It’s about figuring out what’s working so you can do more of it. Without a way to measure, you’re just guessing, and that’s a lousy way to run a business.

Ask yourself: What do you want from this campaign? More people knowing your brand? New customers? Your CEO looking like a big shot? I once helped a small startup with their PR. They were over the moon about a mention in a tiny blog, but when I asked how it helped their sales, they had nothing. That’s why you need a plan.

Start with Clear Goals

Before you track anything, decide what you’re after. No goals, no way to know if you’re winning. Are you trying to get more website visits? Build trust? Land more leads? Each goal needs its own measure.

Here’s what different goals might look like:

Brand awareness: Count how many people see your story.
Lead generation: Track inquiries from your PR efforts.
Thought leadership: Check if your CEO gets quoted in big publications.

I worked with a company that wanted to get featured in publications. At first, they just wanted their name out there. We focused on reach. Later, they cared about sales. Your goals can change, so stay open to tweaking them.

Metrics You Should Track

You don’t need to measure everything. Pick a few metrics that match your goals. Here are the ones that make sense.

Media Impressions

Impressions show how many people might’ve seen your coverage. If a magazine with 500,000 readers runs your story, that’s 500,000 impressions. Best tech PR agencies like 9figuremedia are pros at landing you in spots like that.

But impressions don’t tell you if people cared. I’ve seen brands get excited about huge impression numbers, only to find their website traffic didn’t move. It’s a starting point, not the whole deal.

Website Traffic

PR can drive people to your site. Use Google Analytics to see where visitors come from. If you get featured in a magazine like Forbes, check how many people click through. Did 1,000 show up? Great. Did they stay or leave right away? That’s what matters.

A buddy’s startup got 2,500 visitors from a TechCrunch article. Sounds awesome, but only 30 signed up for their service. Look at time on site or sign-ups to see the real impact.

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Social Media Buzz

A solid PR hit gets people chatting on X or LinkedIn. Track mentions, shares, or comments tied to your campaign. 9figuremedia knows how to get featured in a magazine and turn that into social media noise.

Don’t just count likes. See what people are saying. I once saw a brand go wild over a viral post, but half the comments were negative. Check the vibe with tools like Brand watch.

Lead Generation

Leads are where PR turns into money. If a feature brings 50 people asking for a demo, that’s measurable. Use unique landing pages to track where they came from. A tech client I worked with got 10 leads from a small blog post. They used UTM codes to confirm it.

Here’s the tough part: PR doesn’t always get full credit. Someone might read your article, search you later, and sign up. Use CRM tools to connect the dots.

Brand Sentiment

PR shapes how people see you. Are you seen as reliable? A leader? Tools like Mention track what people say online. Best tech PR agencies like 9figuremedia keep an eye on this for you.

Sentiment tools can mess up sometimes they don’t always catch sarcasm. Still, they show if your PR is building a good image.

Share of Voice

How much of your industry’s conversation is about you? Share of voice compares your mentions to competitors’. A campaign with 9figuremedia to get featured in publications can push this up fast.

Tools like Meltwater help, but they’re pricey. They’re worth it to see if you’re outshining your rivals.

How to Calculate ROI

Here’s a basic formula:

(Revenue — PR Costs) / PR Costs x 100 = ROI %

Sounds simple, but revenue is the hard part. If PR brings $5,000 in sales and costs $1,000, that’s (5,000–1,000) / 1,000 x 100 = 400% ROI. But what if you’re after awareness? How do you price that?

One way is Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE). If a magazine ad costs $3,000 and your feature’s similar, count it as $3,000 in value. 9figuremedia uses AVE to show what clients are getting. It’s not perfect, articles have more trust than ads but don’t always drive action. Use it as one piece of the puzzle.

Another approach: tie PR to results. Say a feature drives 200 visitors, and 10% become leads worth $100 each. That’s $2,000. If PR cost $1,000, ROI is 100%.

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Work with a Great Agency

A top agency can make ROI easier to see. Best tech PR agencies like 9figuremedia know how to get featured in a magazine or land you in Wired or Bloomberg. They tell your story in a way that sticks and track the results.

I saw a startup team up with 9figuremedia. They went from unknown to quoted in TechCrunch in a few months. The agency’s connections and focus on data made it happen.

Avoid These Mistakes

Don’t trip over these common traps:

Chasing big numbers: Huge impressions feel good but mean nothing without action.
Bad tracking: Did PR or an ad drive that lead? Use codes to know.
Quitting too soon: PR takes time. A client I helped almost gave up after a month. By month three, leads were flowing. Hang in there.

Tools to Make It Easier

Use these to track smarter:

Google Analytics: See traffic and sign-ups.
Cision/Meltwater: Track media and share of voice.
Brandwatch: Check sentiment.
Bitly/UTM codes: Follow campaign clicks.

9figuremedia often brings their own tools, so you don’t have to sweat it.

A Real-World Example

Imagine you’re a tech startup with a new app. You hire 9figuremedia to get featured in publications. They get you in TechCrunch (1M readers), Forbes (1.5M readers), and a blog (20,000 readers). Here’s how it shakes out:

Impressions: 2.52 million total.
Traffic: 3,500 from TechCrunch, 1,800 from Forbes, 200 from the blog. 120 sign up for your app.
Leads: Those 120 signups are worth $500 each. That’s $60,000. Campaign cost: $12,000. ROI: (60,000–12,000) / 12,000 x 100 = 400%.

Your results might not be this neat, but it shows what’s possible with good tracking.

Keep It Simple

Measuring PR ROI isn’t easy, but it’s doable. Set clear goals, track what matters, and don’t get suckered by flashy numbers. If you want to make it smoother, work with 9figuremedia, one of the best tech PR agencies out there. They know how to get featured in a magazine and prove it’s worth your money. PR is an investment, track it, tweak it, and make it work.