How to persuade leaders to spend more on PR

You know the value of a well-timed, surgically-precise PR campaign, but your boss wants a second opinion. Here’s how to get your top brass to stop dragging their feet.

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Whether you work in-house for an organization or with a variety of clients at an agency, your budget—along with the budget of every other department—is under continual scrutiny.

If you’re unable to quantify and justify the value of PR, you risk being on the proverbial chopping block when it comes time for your CFO or client to dole out budget dollars.

Compared with digital marketing metrics, such as click-through rate for an ad or the open rate of an email blast, public relations metrics are harder to measure because they are typically not so direct and immediate. For example, a potential customer may see an earned media piece on an influencer’s blog that doesn’t influence them to make a purchasing decision until weeks—or even months—later.

When there is an overabundance of potential metrics on the market—most of which don’t actually help in measuring the value of PR—how do you sort through the noise and determine which will help make your case for a bigger budget?

Metrics that matter

Prior to beginning any PR campaign, you must set measurable goals and objectives.

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