NEW YORK: Muck Rack's second annual State of PR Measurement Survey is here, with insight into the types of metrics PR pros are using.
According to responses from more than 800 PR pros worldwide, they're using multiple metrics to measure the impact of their work. On average, respondents said they're using five success metrics. The most popular is coverage or stories placed (96%), followed by audience reach (56%), social media shares or mentions (52%), social media engagement (51%) and website traffic (48%).
When it comes to reporting these results, most continue to use spreadsheets, including Excel or Google Sheets (82%). This is down from last year, when 93% of respondents said they use spreadsheets. Other popular methods include Powerpoint (46%) and PDFs (43%).
Email continues to be the most popular way to disseminate results with teammates and across departments (87%), although a growing percentage use a chat service like Slack or Microsoft Teams (51%), up 4% from last year.
The most crucial medium to measure for PR pros is digital, at 73%. This is trailed by print (12%) and broadcast or TV (8%). Just 1% of respondents reported that podcasts were their top priority.
PR pros continue to be challenged to tie earned media to business outcomes. More than two-thirds of respondents (67%) say they are challenged by connecting PR metrics to business outcomes, while 59% say it's difficult to prove the value of metrics used and 41% say it's hard to measure results accurately.