How to Boost PR ROI: Recycle Coverage

A client recently asked the best way to track return on investment in public relations. The answer is, simply put, not black and white. But there are workarounds that can make this measurement clear and direct.

There’s a common scenario in public relations: resources are spent devising and executing a campaign to generate media coverage, and once that coverage is published, it’s rounded up, reviewed, and then forgotten. This cycle exacerbates PR’s notorious measurement problem.

If you’ve embarked on a PR campaign before, you’ve likely encountered a variety of tactics to measure media coverage. There’s the idea of comparing earned media to ad placements — but that’s akin to comparing apples to oranges. Then there’s the thought of referring to “reach” or audience size, but that can also be misleading based on who you are targeting (1 million people may do nothing for you if none fit your target persona, but a 10,000 circulation publication focused on your vertical could move the needle).

A simple way to measure the impact of media coverage, and ultimately boost any investment in PR, is to recycle an article or segment once it is published.

This tactic establishes a direct line between a placement and ROI, which could come in a variety of forms: increased website visits, more subscribers, increased social media engagement or even a sale. It also extends the shelf life of an article, meaning one piece of coverage generated months ago can provide meaningful points of engagement today.

While there are a number of ways to create such measurable campaigns, the one I’ll focus on here is simple: using great coverage to fuel an advertising campaign.

It’s a classic strategy — think of movie trailers, or the back cover of novels. How many times have you seen quotes pulled from media reviewers to hype a new film? “Four stars…,” “The best comedy of the year…”

These quotes bring a sense of authenticity to an advertisement, which is already clouded in self-promotion. We all know that advertising is a paid placement. But media coverage is traditionally not for sale. This builds both trust and legitimacy. Merging media coverage and an advertisement increases ROI of a placement. The bonus is it creates engaging ad content.

This strategy can be applied almost universally. I have been served a number of ads on social media, for example, that use this approach.

Take this ad from Lulu & Georgia, a home furnishing company:

The ad pulls a quote from a Forbes article, which describes its site as a “treasure trove.” Had that come from just an ad, it wouldn’t have the same impact. If Lulu & Georgia, a brand you have never heard of, served you an ad with copy that read “We are a treasure trove,” would you believe them?

There’s also this ad from The Citizenry, which recycles a quote from coverage in Refinery29 as the copy of its ad:

Likewise, this ad relies on someone else’s words — specifically a media review — as its copy. To certain audiences, Refinery29 is an authority on fashion and lifestyle, making this endorsement worth something. If Citizenry is specifically looking to engage with millenials, for example, this was a perfectly-picked review to include in their ad.

This approach — recycling press coverage in advertisements — is quite easily replicated, no matter the industry. It all starts with securing stellar opportunities for media coverage.