How to (and how we) report on public relations activities, metrics, and results
By Katie BoylesAugust 24, 2018
Our PR firm’s process for reporting public relations campaigns
Strategic communication requires consistent evaluation. In order to evaluate, you must have reporting methods, so you know if your audiences are consuming your messages and how your messages have affected your audiences over time. PR professionals frequently use real-time reporting methods, such as dashboards or live monitors, so teams can listen and immediately react, acknowledge, or adapt to their audiences.
Most PR firms and PR departments report as frequently as quarterly. Some report as frequently as monthly. Axia Public Relations reports progress each week, month, quarter, and year, because we know that regular communication assures our clients that we’re actively developing results for them.
Here’s how Axia reports progress to clients.
Weekly
Activities
Report: Weekly PR Activities Report
Audience:
Agency point of contact (and potentially his or her manager too)
Overview:
- Presented every Friday
- Typically via email
- Lists the completed activities for the week
- Shares the anticipated activities for the following week
- Activities: Things we do to plan and produce communication
(Examples include researching, planning, designing, writing, copy editing, reviewing, ideation sessions, and other actions to prepare and complete communication)
Monthly
Metrics
Report: Monthly PR Metrics Report
Audience:
PR and marketing department leaders
Overview:
- Presented at the end of each month
- Typically via a screen-share session, phone call, or in-person meeting
- Sent as a PDF, so it’s shareable with other team members
- Typically includes activities and outputs
- Outputs: The content, materials, and messages that we distributed publicly, and the extent to which your target audiences received those messages
Quarterly
Results
Report: Quarterly PR Results Report
Audience:
Head of communications, CMO, and potentially the CEO
Overview:
- Delivered at the end of each business quarter
- Presented in person or via video conference by Axia PR team
- Presented as PDF, so it’s shareable
- Includes: outputs, outtakes, and outcomes
- Outtakes: What audiences do with and gain from your communication
- Outcomes: Effect that your communication has on audiences
Annual
Executive
Report: Annual PR Executive Report
Audience:
CMO, CEO, board, investors
Overview:
- Delivered at the end of each year or program end date
- Presented in person or via video conference by Axia PR team
- Presented as PDF, so it’s shareable
- Includes: outputs, outtakes, outcomes, and impacts
- Impacts: The business results that stem from communication
Campaign
or Project
Report: Campaign and Projects Reports
Audience:
Marketing manager, CMO, CEO, board, and investors, depending on campaign’s scope and investment
Overview:
- Delivered at the end of the PR campaign
- Presented in person or via video conference by Axia PR team
- Sent as PDF, so it’s shareable
- What’s included is dependent on the campaign’s specific objectives. It may include:
- Outputs
- Outtakes
- Outcomes
- Impacts
Are your PR firm’s reports impressive? If not, maybe it’s time to cut ties. Download Axia Public Relations’ complimentary e-book “How to Fire Your PR Firm” and stop yawning while reading worthless AVEs and vanity reports. Find a PR firm that reports, measures, and evaluates on numbers that matter to you and your organization consistently.
Clients love Katie’s energy and enthusiasm. She works with regional and national clients, strategizing their PR campaigns. Katie has worked with Axia Public Relations since September 2015. Learn more about Katie.
Featured image credit: 123rf.com
Topics: measurement
Comment on This Article