A well-executed PR report is the crown jewel of your communications efforts – a testament to the tangible impact you’ve made. But with just 5-10 minutes to present at the quarterly board meeting, how do you capture the essence and communicate your success in a concise, impactful way?
The key is to carefully curate a strategic selection of metrics that directly align with your PR campaign’s core objectives. After all, your goal with a PR report is to demonstrate to the C-suite how your work is directly moving the needle for the business.
Start by summarizing the campaign’s goals on the first slide – for example, achieving at least 15 pieces of coverage in the top 30 publications read by your target CIO audience, and delivering a 5% quarter-over-quarter increase in branded website traffic.
Then, showcase the results. If your campaign exceeded those targets, delivering 20 pieces of coverage and a 7% boost in branded search, make sure to highlight those wins. A few carefully selected snapshots of your most impactful media placements can also help bring the story to life.
But don’t stop there. Dig deeper into the data to uncover insights that could inform and elevate future PR efforts. Perhaps your research revealed an untapped publication that your competitors have been overlooking, or highlighted a messaging angle that really resonated with your audience. These are the kinds of strategic takeaways that can give your PR program a competitive edge.
The key is to resist the urge to cram every last data point from your monitoring dashboard into the presentation. Dazzling visuals and endless metrics may look impressive, but they can quickly lose the attention of time-pressed executives. Keep it simple, focused, and impactful.
Remember, your objective isn’t to show off the sheer volume of your activities, but to succinctly demonstrate how your PR work is driving tangible business results. Approach the board presentation as you would any high-stakes pitch – with a clear narrative, compelling evidence, and a vision for how to build on your success.
Need help crafting a captivating PR report that will have the C-suite singing your praises? Contact us and let’s collaborate to ensure your communications achievements get the recognition they deserve.