Question

Give examples of the major criteria used in evaluating the preparation, implementation and impact phases of public relations programs. Then, list the most commonly used research methods used for evaluating public relations programs.

Answer 1

Evaluating Public Relations Programs

It is of crucial importance for Public Relations professionals to evaluate Public Relations programs using objective metrics. The distinction between PR-specific KPIs is that, by their very nature, they are intangible, which makes the measurement and resulting action to be taken subjective. Therefore, it is necessary to plan the evaluation of PR programs at the very inception of the program.

Provided below are examples for evaluating the various phases of a PR program:

Preparation phase: Opinion survey. An opinion survey with the target group will give the planner not only a sneak peek into the success of the program but also throw important insights as to how future programs can be shaped.

Implementation phase: Engagement, both positive and negative. Engagement metrics are a good KPI of the implementation phase. If a PR activity is being planned on Social Media, these metrics are both easily available and extremely reliable.

Impact phase: Feedback. Target group feedback is an easy to implement and reliable tool here. However, for PR campaigns aimed at a specific action (for example, PR campaign for a political party for an upcoming election), the impact can be measured by the number of times the action was completed (number of votes for the party) or percentage of target group that completed the action.

The most used research methods in PR are:

1. Closed system: Surveys/polls
2. Open system: Media analysis (TV, Radio, Social Media coverage), Engagement analysis