In the ever-evolving world of public relations, measuring the effectiveness of your campaigns is no longer optional—it’s essential. Many PR professionals may shy away from analytics. However, tracking key metrics is critical. It helps to understand how your efforts contribute to business growth and revenue. By focusing on the right data, you can refine your strategies, demonstrate ROI, and prove the value of your work.

Here are seven metrics every PR pro should be tracking:

Media Impressions

Media impressions measure how many people have potentially seen your coverage. While it doesn’t account for engagement, it provides a broad sense of your campaign’s reach. Track impressions across earned, owned, and shared media to understand how far your message is spreading.

Share of Voice (SOV)

Share of Voice compares your brand’s media presence to that of your competitors. By analyzing SOV, you can gauge how much of the conversation in your industry is dominated by your brand. This metric helps you understand your competitive positioning and find opportunities to stand out.

Website Traffic

PR efforts often aim to drive traffic to your website. Use tools like Google Analytics to track referral traffic from media coverage, press releases, and social media. Look for spikes in visits after specific campaigns to determine which efforts are most effective at driving audience engagement.

Social Media Engagement

Social media is a powerful extension of PR campaigns. Track metrics like likes, shares, comments, and mentions to measure how your audience is interacting with your content. High engagement rates indicate that your message is resonating with your target audience.

Lead Generation

One of the ultimate goals of PR is to generate leads that can convert into customers. Track how many leads are generated from PR activities, such as media coverage, events, or content campaigns. This metric directly ties your efforts to business growth.

Sentiment Analysis

Understanding how people feel about your brand is crucial. Sentiment analysis evaluates whether media coverage and social mentions are positive, negative, or neutral. This metric helps you gauge public perception and identify areas for improvement.

Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI is the ultimate measure of success. Calculate the financial return generated from your PR campaigns compared to the costs involved. This metric demonstrates the tangible value of your efforts and helps justify your PR budget to stakeholders.

Why These Metrics Matter

Tracking these seven metrics provides a comprehensive view of your PR campaign’s performance. It helps you find what’s working. You can adjust strategies as needed. It showcases the impact of your work on the organization’s bottom line.

In today’s data-driven world, PR professionals must embrace analytics to stay competitive. By focusing on these key metrics, you can elevate your campaigns. You can prove your value and drive meaningful results for your brand.

Here’s a table summarizing the 7 Metrics PR Pros Should Be Tracking for easy reference:

Metric	What It Measures	Why It Matters
Media Impressions	The potential number of people who have seen your coverage.	Provides a broad understanding of your campaign’s reach and visibility.
Share of Voice (SOV)	Your brand’s media presence compared to competitors.	Helps gauge competitive positioning and identify opportunities to dominate the conversation.
Website Traffic	Referral traffic to your website from PR efforts (e.g., media coverage, press releases).	Ties PR activities to audience engagement and helps identify which campaigns drive the most traffic.
Social Media Engagement	Likes, shares, comments, and mentions on social media platforms.	Indicates how well your message resonates with your audience and amplifies your reach.
Lead Generation	The number of leads generated from PR campaigns.	Directly links PR efforts to business growth and revenue potential.
Sentiment Analysis	The tone of media coverage and social mentions (positive, negative, or neutral).	Provides insight into public perception and helps identify areas for improvement.
Return on Investment (ROI)	The financial return generated from PR campaigns compared to costs.	Demonstrates the tangible value of PR efforts and justifies budget allocation.

This table provides a quick, at-a-glance overview of the key metrics, their purpose, and their importance for PR professionals. It’s a handy tool for planning, measuring, and optimizing PR campaigns.

This article originally appeared on PR Daily in July 2017.