How to Measure PR Success: Why More Media Mentions Isn't Always Better
One of the things I find slightly odd about the way PR is measured is the emphasis on the number of media mentions.
Coverage matters. It is also, understandably, a contractual deliverable for many PR agencies. No one is debating its importance.
But twenty pieces of coverage in publications your audience doesn't read is not automatically a better result than two or three well-placed stories.
So if you're a founder or a brand asking how to measure PR success, or how to get the right media coverage, the first question isn't "how many?" It's "for whom, and to what end?"
Why the number of media mentions is a misleading PR metric
A mention, whether it's an article, a podcast, a keynote or a roundtable, only becomes meaningful once you know what it is supposed to be doing.
Counted in isolation, coverage tells you how much was said. Not whether the right people heard it.
How to get media coverage that matters: start with the company, not the outlet
Before we begin working with a client, we become conversationally fluent about the company. Our discovery process sets out to answer a few questions:
Which parts of this company can join existing conversations as genuine contributions to the discourse?
Which parts of its leadership, brand, growth or vision are contrarian or new?
Who is most likely to give this story their attention, naturally?
And do they match the audience we want to reach?
What if the audience you attract isn't the audience you want?
Even where there is a gap between who is naturally interested and the market you aspire to reach, the gap itself is a strategic opportunity. It shows you exactly where the positioning work needs to happen.
Different PR goals need different media
The right coverage depends on what you are trying to build.
Building credibility with investors
This is one media universe, with multiple possible targets.
Positioning a founder as a voice in their industry
This is another world of positioning options entirely.
Creating consumer desirability
This is more complex. It involves behavioural economics and context-specific buyer preferences, alongside simple but powerful factors like access and ease of purchase.
Good PR strategy works with what already exists
To shape what a story is supposed to do, communications advisors must begin with what it already is.
Strategy isn't invention from nothing. You can't make green with a palette of red and blue.
The takeaway: measure PR by whether the right people heard the right story, not by how many times it was told.
If you're weighing what your coverage is actually doing, send us a note and we'll talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
How do you measure PR success?
By whether coverage reaches the audience the business needs, whether that's investors, industry or consumers, and whether it carries the story it was meant to tell. The number of mentions only matters once that is clear.
Is more media coverage always better?
No. Two or three well-placed stories can do more than twenty in publications your audience doesn't read.
How do I get media coverage for my startup?
Start with what is genuinely worth saying: where your company adds to existing conversations, and where it is contrarian or new. Then identify who will naturally pay attention, and check that they match the audience you want.
Does PR strategy differ for investors, founders and consumers?
Yes. Investor credibility, founder positioning and consumer desirability each draw on different media, and each needs its own strategy.
