1. How to measure digital
PR coverage
Fran Griffin /
SLIDESHARE.NET/FranGriffin
@FrannGriffin

2. I love cakes. Cake analogies feature
heavily in this presentation!
Quick DISCLAIMER

3. LET’S TALK ABOUT
MEASURING DIGITAL PR
@FrannGriffin

4. What I learnt in my journey from
traditional to digital PR…
@FrannGriffin

5. I’d sit in big marketing meetings at tables like
this with international and global clients
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6. FRAUD!
FRAUD!
FRAUD!
@FrannGriffin

7. I wasn’t doing a bad job. I had
launched loads of campaigns that
worked, with a lots of press coverage
@FrannGriffin

8. But I couldn’t really tell clients
what being in the newspaper or
magazine meant for their brand
@FrannGriffin

9. Proving ROI on
traditional PR is
almost impossible…
…it’s like telling someone about the
best piece of cake you’ve ever had
without them being able to taste it!@FrannGriffin

10. @FrannGriffin
Everything online
is trackable

11. And that’s why digital PR is so great!
@FrannGriffin

12. But there are a lot of metrics..
..A LOT!@FrannGriffin

13. If you’re really
lucky, you’ll have
a client that
understands
digital PR
But 9 times out of 10 you’re probably
fighting an uphill battle in every exchange…@FrannGriffin

14. That time when you had some tier
one media coverage for a client
A better time when the coverage
included a follow link and full
credit to your client
Think about….
@FrannGriffin

15. The time it didn’t though…
No link
Citation only
No brand name
@FrannGriffin

16. GOES ONE OF TWO WAYS WITH A CLIENT
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17. SCENARIO ONE
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18. Scenario one
“It’s good placement for us, but it doesn’t have a link…”
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19. @FrannGriffin

20. @FrannGriffin

21. SCENARIO TWO
@FrannGriffin

22. Scenario two
“Not even bothered about a link, it’s the effing BBC -
thank you and well done!…”
@FrannGriffin

23. @FrannGriffin

24. @FrannGriffin

25. So what’s my point?
@FrannGriffin

26. Tastes as good.
Looks as good.
Serves the same purpose.
@FrannGriffin

27. Cake is Cake.
Coverage is coverage.
@FrannGriffin

28. MeasuringDigitalPR
We all know that coverage with a no-follow link is
NOT bad.
We also know that citations DO hold weight in SEO.
We need to remember the wider awareness that
coverage can achieve BEYOND SEO.
Points to consider
@FrannGriffin

29.
If you take anything away from what I
babble about for the next 15 minutes, it’s
this:
Good PR isn’t always ideal SEO.
@FrannGriffin

30. Metrics that matter
The purpose of PR
Serving results to a client
My suggested approach to measuring
This talk is going to cover:
@FrannGriffin

31. Note: there is no set, correct
answer to measuring PR.
Just like there is no perfect
cake recipe - each is bespoke
to an individual client’s taste.
@FrannGriffin

32. A fresh outlook on digital PR’s purpose
Confidence to go back to the office ready to
improve your PR reporting
Insights into my own formula for measuring
my clients’ coverage
@FrannGriffin
My promise to you today:

33. The purpose of PR
???
@FrannGriffin

34. PR by definition…
“Public Relations is about reputation - the result of what
you do, what you say and what others say about you.”
- CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations)
Nothing about website
traffic or engagement
Nothing about
SERPs
@FrannGriffin
Nothing about links

35. There are a lot of points I can make here…
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36. But there’s one I want to
make clear when we talk
about measurement…
SEO is a technical tactic.
PR is a creative tactic.
@FrannGriffin

37. It’s impossible to measure two tactics
in the same way, with the same KPIs.
@FrannGriffin

38. Digital PR is a phrase coined by the
SEO world where PR helps SEO efforts…
@FrannGriffin
A good PR story
is infinitely more
effective than a
front page ad.
- Richard Branson

39. It might sound basic, but we need to
constantly remind ourselves of the
purpose of PR in this industry.
Otherwise we fall into the trap of
calling ourselves…
@FrannGriffin

40. LINK BUILDERS
@FrannGriffin

41. IT’S TIME TO STOP
CALLING DIGITAL
PRs LINK
BUILDERS !!!
@FrannGriffin

42. Why? Because we do so much more
than just build links!
…therefore there is more to measure
than just the impact of links!
@FrannGriffin

43. PR exists to build a conversation about your brand or client
Successful PR isn’t just a link - so it cant be measured solely on links
What’s tasty cake to a PR isn’t necessarily tasty to a SEO
Good PR isn’t always ideal SEO.
Takeaways from this section:
@FrannGriffin

44. Metrics that matter
@FrannGriffin

45. Remember: It’s impossible to measure
two very different tactics in the same
way, with the same KPIs.
…so we need to prioritise.
@FrannGriffin

46. Metrics to care less about
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47. PR is not advertising so can’t be compared
It’s impossible to track how circulation figures
leads to a “maybe” spike in conversions or traffic
It’s literally made up half the time!
@FrannGriffin
AVE or opportunity to see

48. Tier one journalists are not obliged to link out
Citations and implied links carry weight on their
own and Google will still recognise these - N.B
Google announced it is evolving no-follow with two
new link attributes in March 2020 - we might see
no-follow links start to become recognised more!
Dilutes the purpose of PR (general awareness) to
rely solely on links
Links
@FrannGriffin

49. PR isn’t just a quick fix. The most solid and successful
campaigns will be mentioned time and time again.
For maximum impact, digital PRs should be looking at
longevity:
Ways to re-launch around an upcoming key date
Using a campaign reactively to respond to current
news
Repeating a study seasonally or year-on-year
Reporting on campaign lifetime
@FrannGriffin

50. TF, DA and CF
@FrannGriffin
Big tier one media sites sit well on these metrics
naturally
These provide guidelines for key media targets
and focus, but should not restrict or limit outreach
The aim of a good PR campaign is to go viral;
avoid being prescriptive

51. Metrics to care More about
@FrannGriffin

52. A really good digital PR campaign will get people
talking and searching for you or your client directly.
This is just as valuable and testament to a
campaign as ranking changes or traffic from a link.
Brand searches
@FrannGriffin

53. Naturally, the more noise you make, the more you’ll
be heard
DO record and report on print coverage - even as a
digital PR - as it is still a positive result that counts
Look at syndications and shares too - as these can
all improve SEO efforts
Quantity of coverage
@FrannGriffin

54. Marketing rule of seven
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55. Supposedly, a prospective
customer needs to hear
about your brand at least
seven times before they will
engage or take action.
In 2019, with all the digital
advances and different
trusted platforms around, I
would argue that it is more
like seventeen!
Making an impact seven times
@FrannGriffin
Paid ad on Google
Press coverage
Social media
Organic search
Word-of-mouth
Advertising
Email campaigns

56. We need to look at the conversation beyond the coverage -
what engagement, shares and activity has your campaign
generated?
Tip: Buzzsumo is a great tool for tracking keywords and
campaign names
Tip: Brand 24 is a great free tool for monitoring hashtag volumes
Social media engagement
@FrannGriffin

57. Age UK and Cadbury have both done this well with their
recent “Donate Your Words” campaign.
Age UK interacted with a lot of tweets,
adding a “human” element
All press coverage on the story was
shared, boosting reach
@FrannGriffin

58. AVE
Links, particularly if
they are follows
TF, DA or CF
Brand searches
Social media engagement
and online conversation
Quantity of coverage
Takeaways from this section:
@FrannGriffin
Care less about: Care more about:

59. Suggested approach to
measuring coverage
@FrannGriffin

60. The perfect formula to
measure a PR campaign…
…doesn’t exist!
@FrannGriffin

61. A scoring system that works for me
@FrannGriffin

62. I did the maths and analysed all tier one coverage we’ve achieved in three
different recent campaigns. On average:
68% of the coverage contained a link
31% of the time was it a follow
* Calculate your own averages - these vary by luck, policies, industry or media
sector and campaign seasonality - and give this guidance to clients
beforehand
* This can help you plan around SEO expectations and target other media
tiers
@FrannGriffin
Set link expectations

63. I believe a great piece of digital PR coverage contains the
following nine elements that we can immediately measure:
1. Client name in article headline
2. Client name citation or link within the piece
3. Specific name drop of your campaign name
4. Use of client image / video / creative collateral
5. Social media amplification - it’s being talked about
6. Complete article ownership and SOV (Share of Voice)
7. Length of coverage
8. Key quote or message included from the campaign
9. Good site reach
@FrannGriffin
Ingredients for good coverage

64. A simple tick against each element from the checklist
will give each piece of coverage a score out of nine.
Tip: set expectations and targets for both clients and
team goals by using these as targets before launch.
@FrannGriffin
Bronze
1 - 3
Silver
4 - 6
Gold
7 - 9

65. Example: Renault ZOE’s Santa Goes Electric Campaign
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3
4
6
(SOV)

66. Example: Renault ZOE’s Santa Goes Electric Campaign
@FrannGriffin
2
8
Score: 5

67. Use your own campaign data to set benchmarks
Find a measuring system that works for you and
shows your coverage in the best light
Report these alongside traditional SEO and shared
goals such as: traffic increase to a site or landing
page, ranking improvements and SERP visibility
Takeaways from this section:
@FrannGriffin

68. Serving results to clients
@FrannGriffin

69. SEO impact from
coverage is only half
of the picture or
benefits from digital
PR, so report on more
than SEO metrics.
@FrannGriffin

70. …don’t be afraid to introduce new
ways to measure and track results.
Reports should be tailored to each
client’s overall marketing objectives…
@FrannGriffin

71. Digital PR is still changing and evolving. It’s up to
us how we positively report it as the professionals.
Final note: never apologise for not getting a link!
@FrannGriffin

72. (…and a quick favour to ask!)
Thank you!
@FrannGriffin #BrightonSEO