Katie Paine.
The Measurement Queen.
The Queen of Metrics.
Seshat the Goddess.
And, her most noble title…*sound the trumpets*…contributor to the Agility PR Solutions blog.
Since March 2017, the measurement pioneer has been writing a monthly article for us. Here, in one handy place, are her first five.
Fair warning: exposure to these might result in learning a lot about the importance of PR and media measurement.
Bonus: Katie Paine’s April webinar, Stop Doing Stupid Stuff:
Using PR Measurement to Make Better Decisions
PR is in a death spiral…and bad metrics are to blame
“For years, PR people have focused on activities, not outcomes. The problem with this is that you become what you measure. If what you report on is column inches or impressions or placements, you’ll spend most of your time trying to get more of them. In justifying one’s existence by using activity metrics like these, PR has come to be defined by what it produces, rather than the business value it delivers.”
Measure your relationships, not just your coverage
“Relationships with clients, vendors, and employees are continuously tested by change, and unless you continuously measure the health and strength of those relationships and know what might weaken them, chances are there’s a breakup in your future. The good news is that relationship measurement is a science that’s been around for years.”
Could it finally be the end of AVEs?
“In terms of valid measurement today, AVEs are the equivalent of a Russian spammer. They are made-up numbers based on a myth that PR and Advertising accomplish the same thing, and that the numbers reflect stories someone would have been willing to pay money to place. They are intended to deceive bosses and clients into thinking that a program is successful when in fact the quality and substance of the placement is not taken into account – and may actually be damaging the business.”
The data revolution has arrived
“PR has lived in a windowless room for decades. Whether I’m working with an agency or a corporation, I’ve heard the words ‘We can’t get access to that data’ far too often. In a few cases, it may be true, but in most, if you explain that you need that data to improve your efficiency, sooner or later someone further up the chain of command will say ‘Yes’. My advice to budding PR professionals: get a degree in data analytics first.”
AVE alternatives: There is life after ad value equivalency
“I sense a creeping panic setting in at many PR agencies and in-house PR teams. Their favorite fictitious metric, known as Ad Value Equivalency (AVE), is slowly but surely disappearing from measurement tool boxes around the world. But no need to panic. To save everyone a lot of Valium, we offer some AVE alternatives that many of the world’s most successful companies have been using for years.”
Bonus: Katie Paine’s April webinar, Stop Doing Stupid Stuff:
Using PR Measurement to Make Better Decisions
