Miami, Nov. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly half (45%) of PR pros’ budgets could be impacted by their ability to reach their goals, but they are split on whether one of their top reporting metrics, reach and impressions, is even reliable. The fourth annual State of Measurement in PR report released today from Muck Rack, the leading provider of award-winning PR software built for how brands and agencies work, highlights how and why PR pros track and report their efforts. Nearly 400 individuals were surveyed to offer insight on topics including the importance of measurement, which metrics they trust, how they coordinate reporting, and what challenges they face.
Measurement directly impacts bottom line for half
An overwhelming majority (82%) of PR pros find it useful to track their efforts, and 86% report measuring their efforts is very important or extremely important.
For 40% of those surveyed, reporting is a major part of their job, with measurement listed among the top five most time-consuming parts of one’s role. While media relations remains by far the most common task, measurement and reporting is nearly tied in importance with content creation and thought leadership.
Eighty-nine percent of respondents track and report their efforts in order to demonstrate their impact to stakeholders and show the value of PR, and nearly half (45%) report their budget could be impacted by their ability to reach their goals. Half say they are only somewhat confident in their metrics and another 38% are very or extremely confident in them. With budgets and resources at stake, PR professionals need to prioritize metrics that are clear, reliable and prove their value.
Most popular metrics also among least trusted
Despite tracking an average of five metrics, PR pros believe three top metrics can accurately measure their efforts: stories placed, reach/impressions and key message pull-through.
While reach and impressions is one of the most popular metrics (about three quarters of PR pros use it), respondents are split on whether it's reliable. Just under half say it's trustworthy, while about a quarter outright say it isn’t. Additionally, about one third of PR pros don’t trust pitch performance as an accurate measure of their efforts, and some also question sentiment and revenue impact.
Challenges in proving value
More than half of PR pros say their biggest challenges are managing stakeholder expectations and linking their efforts to business goals. “Other” responses indicate concern about issues like data quality, access to resources and maintaining consistent measures year-over-year.
Most PR pros are only somewhat confident in the metrics they report to stakeholders and more than a third find it difficult to track their efforts. Eighty-eight percent of respondents spend less than four hours a week on measuring and reporting, and around one in ten spend more than half a work day per week on the task.
Lack of consistent coordination between marketing and PR
Measuring and reporting efforts are handled by many levels of employees–about one third of PR pros say reporting and measuring is a team effort. For others, the task could be assigned to people either high or low in the team hierarchy, although it is rarely done by executive leadership.
“Other” responses included using a third party, having a dedicated team for measurement, or solo entrepreneurs doing it all themselves.
Coordinating reporting with marketing happens (or doesn’t) in a variety of ways. About one third of those surveyed say there’s no coordination between marketing and PR. A similar number share reports across teams for alignment. And only 13% hold joint meetings to discuss combining metrics.
How often PR pros report on their efforts varies. While monthly updates to stakeholders are the most common for more than one third of PR pros, 24% report every quarter and 22% report on an as-needed basis.
Methodology
The goal of this survey is to better understand how and why PR pros track their work efforts. The self-administered online survey collected responses from 472 PR professionals from October 11 to 21, 2024. Survey responses were sought primarily through email and most respondents came from outreach to Muck Rack’s database and email contacts.
Data was cleaned to remove spam responses, major outliers, identifiable mistakes, and low-effort responses. This left a total of 397 respondents. The conservative estimate of the margin or error is about +/- 5%.
Download the full report to learn more about PR professionals and their reporting habits. Are you interested in exploring Muck Rack? Request a demo!
About Muck Rack
Muck Rack is the leading provider of award-winning PR software built for how brands and agencies work. The only public relations software powered by intuitive technology and the most accurate, comprehensive data provided by journalists themselves, Muck Rack combines media database, monitoring and reporting for seamless team collaboration, pitching and measurement. Purpose-built for communications and public relations, Muck Rack helps more than 5,000 companies worldwide analyze and report on the impact of their media relations. Thousands of journalists use Muck Rack’s free tools to showcase their portfolios, analyze news about any topic and measure the impact of their stories. Learn more at muckrack.com.
