Gone are the days when an agency could send off a bunch of flowers to a journo and call it a job well done.

Now, more is being asked of us as PR professionals. We need to prove our value to the brands we work with, particularly in a time with shrinking budgets, teams and sales forecasts.

One of the best ways to demonstrate the true impact of PR is by leveraging data – turning raw numbers into insights that can make a real difference to your clients.

Why Data?

Traditionally, PR was measured by the number of column centimetres in a newspaper - an approach we all know is particularly old school. But even a more modern analysis of likes and shares undersells the insights you have access to in your role as the conduit between brands, media, and the buying public.

PR data isn’t just reporting the number of emails you send out to journalists in a week, or tracking the number of shares on an influencer instagram post - as a profession, we need to get smarter about the way we’re leveraging the unique insights we can provide that ultimately improve the bottom lines of our brands.

Not sure what data you’ve got access to that can help you position yourself as a true asset to your clients? Here’s some of the insights you’re probably missing in your business right now that could be making a considerable difference to your relationships, performance and client experience:

Your ‘Most Engaged’, Beyond Social Media

Understanding which journalists love your stuff is PR gold. With this insight, you can:

Surprise and delight the journalists who regularly support you. Send them something special in the mail, offer them an exclusive, or invite them to a private showing to say thanks. It’s a similar approach to loyalty programs offered by big brands where the more you spend, the more you’re rewarded. Think of your media relationships in the same way you think of your customers and give a little extra love to those who love you back.
Save time, money and resources by tailoring your media kit distribution based on where you’re most likely to get traction.
Identify gaps in your media list - if you’re getting a ton of traction from one sector but trailing in another, use this insight to improve your pitch.

Access your ‘Most Engaged’ media list on Flaunter to find a full list, including names, roles and email addresses.

Not on Flaunter? Track this information manually through read receipts on emails, monitor how specific journalists engage with your content on social media and keep a log of journalists most likely to request samples.

What’s On Trend (apart from that pasta on TikTok...)

Understanding what’s on trend will give you a leg up when it comes to pitching to the media, and when positioning yourself as a vital asset to your clients. Understanding what journalists are responding to across clients, industries and sectors can help you proactively position yourself as an expert, providing clients with expertise they can’t access elsewhere.

Learn what’s really trending by accessing your ‘most downloaded’ assets on Flaunter and sorting by most and least popular to find out what journalists are loving and loathing. With this insight, you can:

Gain a deeper understanding of what’s in demand, resulting in more opportunities to pitch stories that journalists will respond to and more traction on the stories you pitch.
Leverage unique insights into what’s not popular, which is particularly valuable when compared to other verticals - it’s not just that one green dress that’s not doing it for journos, green as a whole isn’t getting coverage.
Provide unique and actionable insights to your clients that really set you apart from the competition.

Not on Flaunter? Track this information manually by AB testing images in journalist outreach emails, keeping a log of what images journalists are requesting, sorting products into themes in dropbox and seeing what links people request access to most.

What’s Really Getting Cut-Through

It will come as no surprise that the amount of content being produced is at an all time high. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches a day, and unless the stories we craft are wildly compelling, we will get lost in the noise. Using data to drive your outreach can transform a good story into a great one - but PR is just one part of the marketing mix, and for us to make the biggest impact, all parts of the marketing machine need to be working together:

Help your marketing team tailor their campaigns to support your PR activities by tracking what samples journalists are requesting access to.
Support PR with multi-channel activity across social media, website and influencers - providing additional social proof to journalists and customers alike that what we’re selling is a must-have.

Not on Flaunter? Manually review your sample tracking to see what products journalists are requesting and share a spreadsheet with your marketing team with recommendations for social content.

Are you making the most of data as a PR professional? How are you leveraging your insights to make yourself indispensable to your clients and brands?

The Data You’re Probably Missing In Your Business Right Now