Five smarter ways to measure your B2B PR campaign

Introduction to PR Measurement

Measuring the effectiveness of public relations (PR) activity is essential to understanding the impact of PR campaigns on a company’s reputation and commercial performance. PR measurement involves tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as media coverage, social media engagement, and website traffic to evaluate the success of PR efforts.

Effective PR measurement requires a strategic communication approach that aligns with business objectives and identifies mutually beneficial relationships between the organisation and its publics. PR professionals use various tools and techniques to measure the impact of their efforts, including media monitoring, social media analytics, and surveys to gauge public perception and opinion.

By measuring PR efforts, organisations can refine their PR strategy, optimise their PR campaigns, and demonstrate the value of PR to key stakeholders, including executives, investors, and customers. PR measurement is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure that PR efforts are aligned with business objectives and are contributing to the organisation’s overall success.

Ditch the vanity metrics in public relations and start measuring impact that proves real value

Let’s be honest – if you’re still measuring PR success using the mythical Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE), you’re not just behind the times, you’re misleading your board or business owner.

As a seasoned B2B tech marketing leader or PR professional, you’ve spent years knee-deep in campaign analytics – yet PR often remains the hardest thing to justify on a spreadsheet. Public relations specialists are key professionals in managing and sharing information to influence public perception, highlighting the strong communication skills needed to build relationships with various stakeholders and shape narratives through strategic communication efforts.

Measurement is where many agencies fall short. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A clear, strategic approach is essential for effective PR measurement.

Modern PR measurement, based on the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework and Barcelona Principles 3.0, brings structure, credibility and commercial relevance to your metrics.

If you’re reporting to both the CFO and CEO, read on. These five approaches go beyond trend-driven tactics and root your PR reporting in evidence-led, outcome-focused frameworks.

1. Measure business outcomes not just media hits

A piece in TechCrunch is nice. A backlink that drives qualified traffic to your product pages and gets you in front of decision-makers? Much better. As an industry, we need to connect earned media coverage with meaningful outcomes – and thanks to analytics, that’s now more achievable than ever.

How to do it:

• Track inbound leads from media placements using UTM codes and CRM tagging.
• If links are removed in publication, monitor referral traffic spikes from high-authority domains.
• Use Google Analytics to track post-click behaviour – bounce rate, conversions, journey depth.

Tailoring PR campaigns to specific audiences – based on interests, demographics and behaviours – boosts effectiveness and return on investment.

By adopting these practices, you’ll show how PR contributes to pipeline generation or shortens sales cycles – not just media visibility.

2. Prioritise quality and relevance over quantity

Sound familiar? Your PR agency delivers 10 trade press mentions, but the sites have low domain authority. Or perhaps the publications are well-regarded, but their audiences aren’t your target customers – so what’s the point?

You’re measuring the wrong thing. What you need is quality over quantity: earned backlinks from high-domain-authority publications (DA 50+), targeting the right audience, offering third-party endorsement, and featuring your key messages. That’s valuable media coverage. Traditional PR relied heavily on established media channels like print and television, while modern PR makes use of a wider range of platforms, including digital channels that offer agility and real-time engagement.

Tools to support this approach:

• Moz or Ahrefs to check domain authority
• BuzzSumo or Similarweb to gauge audience reach and engagement
• Manual message scoring against campaign goals – e.g. Were key messages present? Was positioning clear?

Tactics to consider:

• Use press releases to reach journalists and secure media interest – many still prefer them
• Explore influencer marketing to reach new audiences authentically through seeding or collaborations

This approach aligns PR with broader goals such as SEO and brand strategy – and puts a stop to chasing vanity metrics.

3. Use 'Outtakes' to measure audience response

AMEC recommends measuring not just outputs (what you did) but outtakes – how your audience reacted. Did they understand, remember, or care about what you said?

To measure this:

• Repurpose earned content on your website, then use analytics to track engagement (e.g. time spent on page).
• Monitor reactions across various social media platforms – are comments positive, negative or indifferent?
• Gather internal feedback from sales, business development or customer service teams post-publication.

User-generated content can also enhance this process. A successful PR campaign can spark community content, extending your reach and authenticity.

Measuring audience response helps you understand what’s resonating – and what isn’t. This insight is gold for brand repositioning or product storytelling.

4. Benchmark your share of voice (SOV) against key competitors

Forget inflated reach figures from one-off announcements. PR isn’t about being the loudest – it’s about building credibility and trust with your audience, while avoiding negative PR tactics that can damage your reputation.

If you’re aiming for market leadership, then:

• Track your brand mentions versus competitors in top-tier media outlets to get your brand messages in front of a broader audience.
• Analyse how often your brand appears in headlines.
• Use Google Trends to link spikes in branded search to key campaign moments.
• Apply sentiment analysis and message penetration using tools like Meltwater, Agility PR or Cision.

Influencer endorsements can help you connect with key groups, offering third-party validation that builds trust and strengthens brand recognition.

Benchmarking your share of voice (SOV) helps you evaluate your media presence and spot gaps or areas where competitors are leading. But remember: compare apples with apples. Don’t benchmark against tech giants if you’re a scale-up – start with realistic peers.

As the saying goes, win the Championship before you enter the Premier League.

5. Align PR measurement with business objectives

It’s staggering how many PR campaigns look great on paper but have no link to the company’s actual strategic goals. Collaborating with marketing teams is essential for maintaining brand consistency and aligning communications with organisational values.

The AMEC Interactive Evaluation Framework (IEF) helps you set SMART objectives at the start – and gain alignment across your leadership team.

The framework includes:

• Business objectives
• Communication objectives
• Inputs (e.g. budget, messaging, internal support)
• Outputs (e.g. placements, backlinks)
• Outtakes (e.g. sentiment, understanding, engagement)
• Outcomes (e.g. website visits, leads, pipeline progress)
• Business impact (e.g. attributable revenue)

Building a simple measurement matrix from these stages doesn’t just improve reporting – it gives you credibility with your board.

If you can’t show how PR is helping hit the company’s big targets, you’ll struggle to justify continued investment.

Setting PR Goals and Objectives 

Setting clear and measurable public relations (PR) goals and objectives is critical to the success of any PR campaign or initiative. PR goals and objectives should align with business objectives and support the overall mission and vision of the organisation.

Effective PR goals and objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART), and are used to guide the development and implementation of PR strategies and tactics. PR professionals use a range of tools and techniques to set PR goals and objectives, including conducting research, analysing data, and consulting with stakeholders.

Common PR goals and objectives include increasing brand awareness, building thought leadership, driving website traffic, generating leads, and establishing a favourable public image. By setting clear and measurable PR goals and objectives, organisations can ensure that their PR efforts are focused, effective, and aligned with business objectives.

If You Can't Measure It Don't Do It

At ITPR, we don’t just chase coverage. We help clients track and prove the impact of their campaigns. Our news-driven PR efforts can deliver 30+ tier-one placements in six months – but more importantly, we benchmark success by whether 80% of those include backlinks that drive SEO and lead generation.

A B2B PR firm plays a crucial role in managing client relationships and ensuring transparent communication throughout the process. PR and performance marketing are no longer separate. Analytics bridges the gap – and finally gives PR the seat at the boardroom table it deserves.

Ask yourself: “Does my current PR partner show you real ROI – or just a spreadsheet of mentions?” If it’s the latter, it’s time to make measurement your competitive edge.

Conclusion

PR is a vital part of business strategy. In B2B, it requires deep knowledge of your audience and how to influence them. Outsourcing PR to a specialist agency helps businesses build lasting relationships, manage reputation, and position themselves as industry leaders. A crucial aspect of PR is relationship management, which builds trust among target customers and nurtures a positive brand reputation.

Strategic, consistent PR creates commercial impact – whether through traditional media or digital channels. The key is aligning comms with business goals and proving value with metrics that matter.

The link for when you’re ready.