By: John Bowes, Senior Account Manager
In elite sprinting, fast reaction times off the blocks are vital, as there’s so little time available to claw back a slow start. But, of course, they’re not the statistic that really counts in the end.
The reaction times for the 100m final at the Beijing Olympics are a case in point. Way down at second to last in the list is one Usain Bolt. He went on to obliterate the competition with a world-record time of 9.69 seconds.
Clearly, the reaction times stat is meaningless when it came to understanding his actual performance. In the same way, when it comes to PR metrics, measuring the wrong thing can give you a completely misleading picture of success.
PR metrics aren’t just numbers to make reports look impressive—they should tell you whether your activity is doing what you need it to do. And to know that, you first need to be clear on your strategy.
Are you trying to generate sales leads? Build brand credibility? Influence policymakers? The right metrics depend entirely on what success looks like for you.
Let’s break it down. If your goal is to drive leads, then you should focus on metrics that track conversion potential. Click-through rates (CTR) on social media posts, website traffic from PR-generated coverage, and the number of inquiries linked to media exposure are all useful indicators. A piece of coverage in a high-profile industry title might not generate thousands of clicks, but if it brings in a handful of quality leads, that’s a win.
On the other hand, if your PR activity is about reinforcing credibility and trust among decision-makers, then engagement and dwell time on your content are likely to be better measures of success. Are people reading and sharing your articles? Are they spending time on your website after arriving from a media mention? These are strong signals that your content is resonating with the right audience.
And let’s not forget share of voice. If your brand is appearing more frequently in industry conversations compared to competitors, that’s a sign your PR is making an impact.
But again, context is everything—if you’re being mentioned, but not in the right way or in the right places, then sheer volume alone is a misleading metric.
Ultimately, the metrics that matter are the ones that align with your business goals. A well-structured PR strategy will define success before the first press release goes out, or the first social post goes live, ensuring that what you measure is actually meaningful. Otherwise, you might just end up timing your reaction off the blocks while your competitors race ahead to the finish line.