The End of "Maybe" | How to Prove Your PR is Working
Picture this: You’ve just landed a huge feature for your company in a major publication. The team is celebrating, you’re thrilled.
Then, your CEO walks over, looks at the article, and asks the dreaded question:
"This is great, but what's the ROI?"
For years, the answer was a frustrating mix of abstract words like "awareness," "visibility," and "brand building." We knew in our gut that our work had value, but we struggled to prove it. This isn't just a feeling; it's a major shift in business expectations. It's why reports like the 2025 Global Comms Report from Cision show that leaders now expect Public Relations to be a primary driver of growth.
The good news? Those days of vague answers are over. The myth that PR is a mysterious art form immune to measurement is finally dead. Today, we can draw a straight line from a news story to a business result. Here’s how that journey works.
Chapter 1:
The First Step – Seeing Beyond the Mention
The first and most important shift is to stop just counting articles. The old way was to collect clippings, the new way is to understand what those clippings actually did. This is how we make PR tangible.
Did we get noticed? We look at Share of Voice (SOV). In simple terms, in the entire conversation about your industry, how much of that conversation is about you versus your competitors?
Was the conversation good? We use Sentiment Analysis to see if the tone is positive. This builds brand trust, which has very real value. For instance, reports from Kantar BrandZ have shown that strong brands (can) command a significant price premium.
Did anyone do anything? A backlink in a major publication is one of the most powerful tools for boosting your Google ranking. SEO authorities like Moz have consistently demonstrated this link between quality backlinks and higher search rankings, bringing qualified visitors directly to you.
It's the difference between knowing people are talking about you, and knowing what they're saying and if they're walking towards your store because of it.
Chapter 2:
Following the Clues – Connecting Coverage to Sales
Okay, so we've guided people to our website, now comes the biggest challenge - proving we influenced a sale - the pure detective work.
The Direct Clue: Did a wave of people Google your brand name right after a big TV interview? We track these branded search spikes as direct evidence of impact.
The Simplest Clue: We add one simple question to your contact form: "How did you hear about us?" When customers consistently select "News/Magazine Article," you have undeniable proof.
The Clever Clue: We can tie a unique promo code to a specific podcast interview or article, creating a direct line from that piece of content to a sale.
We're no longer just hoping our work has an impact, we're actively looking for the fingerprints it leaves on the customer's journey.
Chapter 3:
The Rulebook – Playing the Game Like a Pro
Now that we have the tools for our detective work, we need a professional standard to ensure we're measuring correctly. This is where we bust the final myths that there are "no standards" and that old metrics are good enough.
The global standard for our profession is the newly updated Barcelona Principles 4.0. This framework moves us away from vanity metrics to focus on what truly counts. One of its core principles is "Outcomes over Outputs."
In business terms, this simply means we stop celebrating the activity (how many articles we published) and start measuring the achievement (what those articles actually accomplished for the business).
This professional standard also requires us to abandon outdated metrics like Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE). The global industry body, AMEC, has a definitive stance on this, making it clear why trying to value an article by its ad cost is nonsensical. It’s like valuing a lovely home-cooked meal based on the price of the raw ingredients - it completely misses the skill, trust, effort, and value of the final creation.
The Myth is Dead. Long Live the Measurement.
The old conversation about PR is over. We've moved beyond justifying our existence with clippings and started demonstrating our value with data. The focus is no longer on making headlines, but on making an impact.
So, the next time someone asks you about the ROI of your PR, you won't just have an answer. You'll have proof.
And that changes everything.