public relations goals

Check it Off! The Importance of Goal Setting in your Public Relations Campaign

September 11, 2015 by

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

PR Goal Setting 101

PR Goal Setting

When you wrote your business plan, you probably laid out a variety of marketing and sales goals.

But did you remember to set goals for your public relations campaign?

Writing a successful healthcare public relations plan starts with outlining your PR goals and objectives.

Every business has goals; PR can help your business reach some of those goals. A company may need more revenue or, for a startup brand, name recognition — PR can help with that.

Want to learn how to write PR goals for your business? Keep reading..

In this article, you will learn:

  1. Mastering PR Goal Setting for Successful Campaigns
  2. Unlocking Effective PR Campaign Strategy With Goal Setting
  3. Strategic Public Relations: Setting SMART Goals
  4. Elevate Your PR Performance: PR Goal Setting Essentials
  5. Navigating the Path to PR Success: Understanding PR Goal Setting Metrics That Matter 

PLUS

Learn what PR goal setting is and share an example of a public relations plan tied to SMART goals.

According to Public Relations Strategist Kris Ruby of Ruby Media Group, Ruby says that the best way to approach setting up your public relations campaign steps is with a PR plan that drives marketing results is to actually draft a PR plan before you start to work with any firm or execute in house.

Kris says when she works with new clients during the first two months of a new PR campaign, the agency crafts a PR plan which includes:

  • Understanding the client’s audience and business
  • Creating a fact sheet and brand story
  • Creating a new about us section on your website
  • Developing new boilerplate for press releases, including lifestyle photography, executive bios, etc.

As part of the plan, Ruby Media Group looks at your high-level PR goals. This determines whether the focus should be on trade publications, regional press, or national press.

PR GOAL SETTING 101

In Public Relations, SMART goals keep you focused and motivated to achieve an end goal and desired outcome.

Building a PR strategy that will turn you into a media magnet for thought leadership starts with identifying your public relations goals. 

PR goal setting is also critical for measuring PR effectiveness with your NYC PR agency. The specific PR goals will depend on the organization’s overall business objectives and the challenges or opportunities it is facing. Setting clear, measurable PR goals is key to developing an effective marketing communications strategy.

Effective PR can be a powerful driver to achieve critical corporate objectives. The key to PR success is aligning goals and tactics directly with the organization’s core business priorities and strategies.

What is a PR goal?

A PR goal is the desired outcome you hope to achieve from distributing key messages about your brand to the media.

PR Goals typically include desired results in different forms of traditional and digital media including placement in print publications, digital outlets, podcasts, or interviews with the press on national TV.

Staples recently released the results of their small business survey, which showed that the leaders they surveyed were focused on getting results and setting goals. Those goals included increasing revenue, driving profits and gaining more customers. To achieve those goals, 46% of those surveyed said wanted to use promotional marketing techniques to meet their goals.

PR Goal Example: Secure publicity mentions to reach corporate executives & CMOs and build trust with key stakeholders.

Write down your PR goals. What specific results do you want to happen as a result of getting booked on TV shows, podcasts and print interviews?

What is public relations planning?

Public relations planning is the process of creating a strategy, roadmap and vision for campaign success. This includes editorial calendar mapping, pitch crafting, media list building and annual reviews.

Here are some common public relations (PR) goals that organizations seek to achieve with a public relations firm:

Increased Brand Awareness: PR can help raise the profile of a company, product, or service and get it in front of the target audience. This could involve media placements, social media outreach, event sponsorships, etc.

Online Reputation Management: PR can be used to proactively shape and protect an organization’s reputation, especially during times of crisis or controversy. This may include issuing press releases, conducting media interviews, and engaging in reputation management activities.

Drive Sales/Lead Generation: Public relations can generate positive media coverage and word-of-mouth marketing that translates to increased sales, web traffic, and qualified business leads.

Establish Thought Leadership: PR can position key executives of an organization as industry experts through media interviews, bylined articles, speaking engagements, and other editorial placements.

Build Stakeholder Relationships: PR helps foster relationships with important stakeholders like customers, investors, employees, and the local community through effective communication and engagement. Public relations is ultimately about the practice of managing relationships with the public. A key component of this is managing relationships with members in the local community who can drive change, policy, or legislation.

Launch New Products: PR can play a vital role in the successful launch of new offerings by generating buzz, creating media exposure, and driving initial customer interest and demand.

Influence Public Policy: PR campaigns can be used to advocate for an organization’s interests and influence public opinion on legislative, regulatory or other policy issues.

What are examples of PR goals?

Here are specific examples of how PR goals can support broader corporate business objectives:

Business Objective: Increase Revenue/Sales

PR Goals:

  • Generate positive media coverage to drive brand awareness and customer inquiries
  • Leverage influencer partnerships to reach new target audiences
  • Manage product launch PR to create initial market demand

Business Objective: Enhance Reputation/Brand Image

PR Goals:

  • Position company executives as industry thought leaders through media interviews
  • Highlight corporate social responsibility initiatives to showcase company values
  • Proactively respond to any negative publicity or crises to protect brand reputation

Business Objective: Attract and Retain Top Talent

PR Goals:

  • Promote company culture and workplace benefits through employee profiles
  • Highlight leadership team and career growth opportunities to recruit new talent
  • Manage internal communications to boost employee engagement and satisfaction

Business Objective: Expand into New Markets

PR Goals:

  • Conduct localized media outreach and community engagement in target markets
  • Partner with influential local organizations or brand ambassadors
  • Customize messaging and content to appeal to new geographic audiences

Business Objective: Influence Regulatory Environment

PR Goals:

  • Develop advocacy campaigns to sway public opinion on policy issues
  • Leverage industry associations and lobbying efforts supported by PR
  • Generate positive media coverage highlighting the company’s compliance and leadership

Increasing Sales and lead generation: Notoriety in national media can support a business goal of increasing sales because sales is ultimately based on trust. Trust equals revenue. Public relations is a direct path to increased trust, which will ultimately lead to move revenue over time. If your business goal is to increase sales, media coverage can lead to new sales because more people will trust who they are buying from. Brand recognition can support business objectives by building trust with prospective customers. This shortens the sales cycle and warms up cold leads.

Achieve Your Business Objectives with Strategic PR Goal-Setting

At Ruby Media Group, we know that setting the right PR goals is crucial for driving real results. Our seasoned Westchester County, New York PR strategists will work hand-in-hand with you to identify your core business objectives and translate them into a targeted, measurable PR plan.

From boosting brand awareness to managing your online reputation, we’ll help you define the PR goals that will move the needle for your organization. Our goal-oriented approach ensures that every PR tactic is aligned with your overarching priorities.

Goals & Objectives in PR Campaigns

How to Set PR Goals for 2025

How can businesses track and measure the effectiveness of their PR efforts?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Businesses can define specific KPIs that align with their PR goals and objectives. KPIs can include metrics such as brand mentions, reach or impressions, engagement rates, website conversions, lead generation, or sentiment. By regularly tracking and analyzing KPIs, businesses can evaluate the impact and effectiveness of campaign PR effectiveness.

 Media Mentions and Coverage: Public relations firms track the number and quality of media mentions and press coverage secured for clients. This includes monitoring print coverage, online publicity, and broadcast media placements to measure impressions, clicks, and traffic. Public Relations agencies like Ruby Media Group use media monitoring tools to track analytics, coverage, and sentiment analysis.

Website Traffic and Referrals: By analyzing website traffic and referral sources, our public relations agency can assess the impact of PR on driving new visitors to a client’s website. Using tools like Google Analytics or UserMaven, we track the volume of website visitors, the sources of traffic (such as direct visits, referrals from media outlets, or social media platforms), and engagement metrics like page views and time spent on the website. Remember, quality traffic matters more than the quantity of traffic. High volume traffic does not equate with quality leads that can turn into customers.

How to set annual PR goals and OKRs 

If you are planning your annual marketing budget, you are most likely reviewing your PR spend. However, one area that is often overlooked is that PR planning is directly tied to campaign performance. Before you cut PR out of your marketing budget for 2025, review your OKRs and PR goals. Chances are, if you did not have clear alignment on the PR campaign goals, you set your agency up for failure.

Do not write off an entire industry or line item until you have had clarity on your public relations goals and OKRs. Additionally, it is not enough to write out PR OKRs and store them in a hidden folder on your desktop. For PR goal setting to be effective, they have to be shared with your agency and internal stakeholders.

When you are clear on your digital public relations goals, you can avoid costly B2B PR and marketing mistakes.

How to Write PR Goals

Before you can write your PR goals, you first need to spend some time understanding what they are.

At Ruby Media Group, every proposal starts with outlining a prospect’s PR goals and objectives for the campaign.

Goals and objectives are not the same things.

Business goals + PR goals: Make sure they are connected

Should you cast a wider net with your PR efforts?  Or should your approach be more targeted? The answer ultimately depends on your business goals. The best campaign goals and objectives must be connected to your corporate priorities. For example, if you want to drive business growth in Q4 by 25 percent, how can public relations be utilized to move the lever and help the company achieve that goal? 

PR Campaign Objectives include: 

  • Attracting media attention.
  • Generating media exposure.
  • Informing the public about the latest company news.
  • Enhancing brand reputation.
  • Building stakeholder relations.
  • Improving investor relations with favorable press coverage. 

PR, content marketing, branding, and SEO are communications tactics. You must fundamentally understand what the business strategy is and how those tactics tie into the larger strategy before deploying a PR campaign. You cannot optimize around a goal that you don’t understand.

ALL PR IS GOOD PR. FALSE.

How does PR acceleration align with business goals and outcomes?

A strategic publicist will help you determine what ideas and topics should be amplified. A publicist who is not strategic will tell you all ideas should be amplified. Strategic PR is about the management of movement and acceleration. But to have a true impact on the organization, you need to understand what you are moving towards.

What are you accelerating towards? What is the movement you are pulling users into? Acceleration in and of itself is a useless metric if you are accelerating towards something no one on the board cares about. Acceleration must line up with leadership’s goals. Are you accelerating towards press converge which will, in turn, lead to investor interest and funding?

PR Goal Setting 101: Goals and Objectives in Public Relations Campaigns

How do you set PR goals?

The best way to set PR goals is to know what the objective of the campaign is and how it ties into your business goals. Are you looking to get media to increase referral relationships with other physicians? Are you looking to get media to increase sales volume? Do you need media to secure VC interest?

Start with the big picture. Why are you hiring a PR agency? What is the outcome you are looking to achieve, and how can they help you get there? Tie business intelligence to PR performance.

Revive. Innovate. Rinse. Repeat.

Idea generation. Creativity. New angles.

A public relations consultant will create digital PR ideas that are relevant, interesting, and have timely news angles.

The PR angle should drive press interest and generate new publicity mentions with the ultimate goal of driving brand awareness and name recognition.

What are some examples of PR goals?

  • Generate product and brand awareness
  • Drive interest to sell subscriptions/ software as a result of earned media.
  • Create consumer awareness.

Don’t have a new product to launch? A PR consultants’ job is to come up with new ways to reinvent what you already do have. What is old becomes new again.

The general formula should be:

  • Get X to achieve Y.
  • Media (X) will help our business achieve (Y).

Unfortunately, most people stop at X and do not fill in the Y. Media is a conduit to the larger business goal you want. Without understanding the Y factor, you are stopping too short at only getting the placement. For maximum impact, the placement must be leveraged to achieve a marketing or business goal.

For example, one C-suite client hired us to promote their book with a book publicity campaign. The end goal of the author’s publicity campaign was not getting placements to increase book sales, but rather, it was to secure press coverage for notoriety in executive business groups like YPO.

The press and media coverage helped the author to achieve his high-level goal of personal branding, executive introductions, and more business. It also led to new speaking engagements and a new role as a CMO at a global company. The press in and of itself wasn’t the end goal: the end goal was utilizing the press for career advancement. If you understand how someone wants to leverage the press you get them, you can help them go where they need to go.

How to Set Your PR Goals

How do you set PR goals? Setting Goals For Your Digital PR Campaign starts with knowing the desired end state before you kick off the execution. 

PR goals should be timely, themed, and relevant.

When it comes to public relations goal setting, it’s not the what, it’s the why.

You have to be able to justify the reason you pitched a media outlet. For example, I went after these publications because I know a mention in this outlet will help you achieve your business goal of reaching the big-time real estate players you are trying to reach.

PR goal setting without a high-level strategy is disjointed, disconnected, and useless.

“If we close these deals as a result of a PR interview, there is value for everybody.”

A strategic public relations consultant’s core role is to help the client solve large business problems. PR is more than doing press releases. PR is an integral part of a B2B marketing growth strategy and partner development.

What are the PR goals that you have always wanted to achieve?

  • Do you want to be on the cover of Time Magazine?
  • Do you dream of being a guest on The Doctors?
  • Do you want your practice to be mentioned on Dr. Oz? 

Write down what you want to accomplish in your healthcare public relations campaign.

What are your PR goals over the next 6 months?

For example, the goal of your healthcare PR strategy could be to increase your media exposure in the top 10 medical trade publications in dermatology over the next 12 months.

PR Pro tip: Getting featured in healthcare trade publications is a huge win for medical doctors and healthcare professionals if you are looking to build your brand as a doctor! You will often get way more ink in trade outlets than you will in consumer-facing outlets.

If you aren’t able to hire a healthcare PR firm, you can also Google Industry name + trade outlets to find relevant trade publications in your industry. For example, Google “plastic surgery trade outlets” or “plastic surgery podcasts” to see what comes up on page 1 of Google.

PR Strategy

  • Where do you want your business to be featured?
  • Who would your story resonate with?
  • In what media outlets?

Then, break down your press coverage goals into tactical steps such as:

Now, it’s time to break down those PR goals even further into PR tactics.

PR Tactics Examples:

  1. Pitching local bloggers & increasing social media buzz on roundtable discussion.
  2. Creating a targeted list of CEOs to offer comped membership of new digital platform to.
  3. Securing speaking engagements for key personnel at Company X to establish role as a thought leader in the aging services field.
  4. Drafting monthly press releases with new developments in the aging services field/news and distribute to trade publications and local media. 
  5. Approaching regional media outlets targeting health & lifestyle to secure press placements.
  6. After defining your business goals, outline your PR campaign tactics to achieve those goals.

PR PLAN TEMPLATE EXAMPLE:  

Target Audience

  • Target commuter audience in Scarsdale, NY

PR Goals

  • Market and promote a new medical practice
  • Increase exposure/ get my name out there so people know my new practice is open
  • Secure local press and influencer reviews
  • Generate PR-worthy ideas to build buzz for a new practice

PR Tactics

  • Soft opening
  • Craft press release
  • Pitch media to attend

PR Goal Examples:

What are examples of public relations goals?

PR goals are not only limited to traditional publicity campaigns. You can also create PR goals for digital PR campaigns that include social audio, too.

PR Goals for community club launch:

Public Relations, SEO & Content Marketing Club

What are the goals of the activation? What do you hope to get out of it?

  • Create an educational community for content marketing, PR, and SEO professionals
  • Expand promotion of the events to other platforms beyond Clubhouse
  • Monetize the club with branded merchandise
  • Interview B2B thought leaders who are key opinion leaders
  • Transcribe the interviews and leverage the transcript to create new blog content

Mission:

What is the mission of the club? Why did you create it?

  • Host cutting-edge panel discussions and debates about new technology in all things AI-related.
  • Be positioned as the leader in digital PR. Convert leads to clients.
  • Establish market authority in the vertical.
  • Brand host as a leader beyond moderator/ traffic cop of discussions.

Target Audience:

Who are you hoping to reach with the launch?

  • Potential clients who could utilize the PR and content marketing services of Ruby Media Group.

PR Goals for Brands

How to Set Effective PR Goals: A Step-by-Step Guide

Promoting a Launch

The promotion of a new product launch.

STEP 1:

  • Identify the goal

STEP 2:

  • Develop a PR strategy.
  • Audience/ message/ narrative building.
  • Communication channel identification.

STEP 3: Identify the tactics.

  • Timing & timeline.
  • Choose target media outlets.
  • Media list creation.
  • Identify the media outlets you want to pitch.
  • Create pitch angles.

How to set media goals for your business

PR Goal Setting: How to Create SMART Objectives for Your Business

SMART Objectives for PR Campaigns

Your public relations campaign should have clearly defined goals attached to expected business results. Executing a PR campaign can be overwhelming, but breaking it up into smaller tactics makes it more manageable. Most importantly, these PR goals should be SMART.

What does SMART stand for in PR?

  • Specific.
  • Measurable.
  • Action-oriented.
  • Realistic.
  • Time-specific.

How to create SMART objectives for PR campaigns

For example, in one year, you may want to double your profits, open a second location or triple your client or patient list. To achieve these SMART PR goals for your business or medical practice, you need to reverse engineer a PR strategy that will help you achieve each of these areas of business growth.

If you want to open a second location or increase clients, earned media can help to achieve these goals. Contact us today to learn how we can get you major press, fast!

PR Pro Tip: Your Business Goals Must Tie Into Your PR Goals. Media placements in trade magazines do serve a purpose. But if that purpose does not align with your business goals, then it will be irrelevant to what you want to do long term. 

Public Relations SMART Campaign Planning Example

Let’s say that you are a doctor and your healthcare PR goal is to double the size of your practice and appear on the cover of your local newspaper for a new procedure.

Your SMART public relations goals for this month could include the following PR ideas:

  1. Create a Contest: Give away a healthcare makeover to a community member. Entrants will submit essays telling their stories and what they would do if they achieved optimal health.
  2. Contact the Media: The media loves feel-good stories. Write a press release and announce your contest. Offer the media a chance to follow the winner from before to the ‘after’.
  3. Organize a Big Reveal: Create an event to announce the winner and invite the media to attend. Create another event for the big reveal.
  4. Network: Attend a local Chamber event each month where you offer to speak, provide tips, or be a guest on a local radio show.
  5. Tweet, Instagram, or Facebook: Get active on social media and let people know about your practice. Give out tips, share links to healthcare advice and post before and after pictures of the makeover contest winner (with consent of course). If you can’t do all of this yourself, your goal this month should be to hire a healthcare social media consultant who can.

Setting Measurable Public Relations Objectives

Goal Setting for PR: How to Create a Roadmap for Success

If you’ve accomplished your PR campaign goals to increase earned media exposure for your medical practice, the community should begin to chatter about the contest and entries should come pouring in. The media will hopefully contact you for an article and you may even land a feature interview in the local newspaper.

Finally, after seeing the transformation in the winner, potential patients will call to book a consultation with you- showing a direct lead conversion. Make sure that your monthly efforts continue to push you towards accomplishing your PR goals.

Examples of PR Campaign Objectives:

High-level PR objective: Ruby Media Group will manage all outbound relations with the press, create a targeted media list, secure post-event coverage/ media placements and devise a strategic community relations plan to get the word out about the new digital membership platform with the goal of increasing membership. 

  • Create a Public Relations campaign to launch new digital properties & business membership.
  • Manage all social media content and promotion for the brand.
  • Secure editorial placements to keep Company X in the local media.
  • Pitch Company X to the media to secure placements and position Company X as a thought leader in the aging services field.

Goals & Objectives in PR Campaigns Key Takeaways:

  • Setting goals is vital to achieving success in business and in PR.
  • What can’t be measured, can’t be managed!

Timeless PR goals.

What are timeless PR goals?

Timeless PR goals include driving earned media results for brand exposure, awareness, name recognition and authority.

Non-measurable PR goals are just as critical as measurable PR goals.

Traditional measurable PR goals include number of press mentions, the AVE equivalency and increased backlinks and traffic.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTING | NYC

Need help building a PR strategy to achieve your brand goals through targeted earned media outreach?

Ready to Get Your PR Strategy Back On Track?

If you’re looking for help getting your PR strategy on track, look no further than Ruby Media Group.

Our public relations consultants have years of experience helping companies achieve their PR strategic PR goals and corporate initiatives. We’ll work with you to develop a strategic plan that considers your unique challenges around digital transformation.

A PR Strategy Planned For You By Industry Experts

At Ruby Media Group, we take the guesswork out of planning your PR strategy. Our experienced public relations consultants will work with you to develop goals that are tailored to your specific needs and help you execute a plan to achieve them.

Ready to build a PR strategy that will turn your personal brand into a media magnet?

If you have set measurable public relations objectives and you still aren’t seeing results from your campaign execution, it may be time to call a New York City public relations firm for a PR strategy audit. Contact us today for a strategy consultation to realign your PR campaign and get it moving in the right direction for maximum results.

Did you enjoy this article?

READ: How Social Media Can Drive Your PR Goals and Strategy

ABOUT RUBY MEDIA GROUP

Ruby Media Group is a Public Relations and media relations agency founded by television commentator Kris Ruby.

The award-winning Public Relations agency is based in New York City and specializes in social media. RMG clients regularly appear on TV, radio, and in leading magazines and publications. The top NY public relations agency specializes in legal, health, SaaS and medical PR.

Are you ready to catapult your brand’s visibility to new heights? Boost your brand’s presence like never before! 

Get Featured in Top Media Outlets 

Our comprehensive PR services are designed to maximize your brand’s exposure, increase your visibility, and drive your publicity success.

At Ruby Media Group, we understand the importance of making your business publicity dreams come true. Our dedicated team of public relations experts will work tirelessly to ensure your brand’s media relations success and help you reach new heights. With our strategic PR solutions, your brand will shine, and you’ll experience the benefits of a well-crafted PR campaign.

Elevate Your Brand with Purposeful PR

As a results-driven PR agency, Ruby Media Group knows that effective public relations starts with setting the right goals. Our strategic experts work closely with you to understand your business objectives and develop tailored PR initiatives that move the needle.

Whether you’re looking to boost brand awareness, enhance your reputation, or drive sales – we’ll craft a comprehensive PR plan anchored in measurable goals to ensure maximum impact.

Don’t leave your PR to chance. Partner with Ruby Media Group and unlock the power of purposeful and profitable public relations.

Take the First Step Towards PR Success – Contact Us Today

Stop settling for generic PR campaigns. Partner with Ruby Media Group and let us help you unlock the true power of strategic public relations. Looking to take your business to the next level with PR? Look no further than Ruby Media Group. Our experienced public relations consultants will work with you to develop strategic PR goals that will take your business to new heights.

Take the First Step Towards Impactful PR – Contact Us Now

Get Started

Date last updated: May 2024