Press Release Metrics That Matter_ Measuring the Success of Your Message

A press release is an effective way of getting the word out. As an important part of public relations, its success must be accurately measured. 

Accurate measurement allows you to determine effectiveness and how to increase it. This will allow you to set your public relations budget accurately. 

How do You Measure the Success of a Press Release?  

There are many metrics you can use to measure the success of your press releases. However, these are the most recommended metrics you can use: 

1. Views 

Firstly, track the number of times your press release has been viewed. This metric shows the number of people who have consumed your news and by monitoring the number of views you can develop the writing method accordingly.   

This metric is divided into 3 categories: 

a. Country 

This information can help you determine which demographic is most interested in your release.  

b. Device 

Views by device shows whether your release is mostly viewed on a PC or a mobile phone. This allows you to adjust the multimedia size of your release. 

If your audience is mostly PC users, you can choose the large size and a more complicated design. But if your audience is mostly mobile users, you need to avoid complicated design and compress the file size into smaller ones. 

c. Hour and Day 

Views by hour and day shows you the best exact time to publish your press release.  

2. Click-throughs  

You need to place the call-to-action (CTA) link in your press release for the audience to click on it. This will allow them to visit your website and find out more about your product or service. 

You can also include a link to sign up for newsletters, download your e-book or anything else you want them to do.  

That's how important click-throughs are. So measure your click-throughs to track the success of your press release.   

3. Website Traffic  

When you publish a press release, it is normal to expect a spike in your website traffic, so keep an eye on your website statistics. However, if this is your first press release, do not expect too much.  

Instead, keep track of your website traffic every time you publish a press release. This way you will see a gradual improvement. After that, you can analyse which type of news attracts the most traffic to your website. 

4. Backlinks 

Backlinking is an important part of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) that every website aims to achieve. Backlink is the number of other sites that link to your pages. This is why you need to measure your backlinks.  

5. Social Media Mentions 

Tracking social media mentions is another way to measure the performance of your press release. 

Take a look at how your brand is being described on social media, whether it is neutral, positive or negative. You need to read the comments, not just the posted content.   

Social media platforms include Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. On Twitter, you can set up alerts to notify you when your brand is mentioned. On Instagram and TikTok, you can add your brand to the search column.    

6. Conversions   

The main objective of any public relations tool is conversion. Conversions indicate that potential customers are actively moving through your sales funnel. This metric includes the number of downloads, purchases, phone calls, etc.  

This is how you measure the success of a press release. Make sure you are using the right tool to measure these metrics so you can get accurate results on your press release performance.