By Angela Dwyer, APR, VP of Insights at Fullintel, and Katie Paine, Founder of Paine Publishing (aka the Measurement Queen)
If you can’t show how your work changed behavior, did it really make an impact?
Public relations measurement is at a turning point. While many organizations still report impressions and media volume, leaders increasingly expect communications teams to demonstrate influence on real-world outcomes—awareness, trust, and behavior.
In a recent PRSA Yankee Chapter panel, we joined fellow experts Anthony DeBery, COO and Partner at Garrand Moehlenkamp, and Tricia Brooks, Research Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, to explore how PR professionals can move beyond outputs and better measure behavioral outcomes.
The discussion reinforced what frameworks like the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework and research from the Institute for Public Relations have long emphasized: measurement must connect activity to impact.
Build a Clear Bridge from Outputs to Outcomes
One of the most persistent challenges in PR measurement is not a lack of data—but a lack of connection.
As Angela Dwyer, VP of Insights at Fullintel, explained during the panel:
“If [an output] has nothing to do with the outcome, then it really doesn’t mean anything.”
Outputs (e.g., media coverage) only matter if they help drive outcomes (e.g., awareness, perception, or behavior). The solution is to make outputs more predictive, not just descriptive.
In practice, this means evaluating coverage based on:
- Whether it reaches the right audience
- Whether it is memorable
- Whether it shapes perception
- Whether it drives behavior or increases engagement
This approach aligns with industry best practices that prioritize quality and relevance over volume.
Don’t Report Outcomes You Can’t Explain
Many communications reports include business metrics—like revenue or sales—without demonstrating how communications contributed to those outcomes.
As Dwyer noted:
“You’re not showing me anything that impacted this… it’s just a nice chart.”
Because business results are influenced by many factors, PR measurement should focus on credible contribution, not perfect attribution.
A practical approach is triangulation:
- Media signals (quality and relevance of coverage)
- Perception data (trust, awareness, reputation)
- Behavioral outcomes (actions taken)
When these align, they provide a stronger, evidence-based narrative of impact.
Redefine What Behavioral Outcomes Look Like
Behavioral outcomes are not limited to sales—and often look very different depending on the sector.
Tricia Brooks, Research Professor at Georgetown University, shared an example from healthcare:
“We didn’t want vanity metrics… we wanted to know: are people actually enrolling? Are they accessing care?”
Her work evaluating Medicaid expansion campaigns found that:
- High impressions did not necessarily drive enrollment
- Targeted, community-based outreach—often with little to no media coverage—drove meaningful behavior change
This reinforces a key principle from the Barcelona Principles 4.0: outcomes—not outputs—should define success.
Measure Trust Through Behavior
Trust is often treated as an abstract goal, but it can—and should—be measured through observable actions.
Anthony DeBery, COO and Partner at Garrand Moehlenkamp, emphasized the complexity of trust:
“There is no one silver bullet… there’s no one metric. There are so many factors that come into play.”
Rather than relying solely on surveys, organizations can track behaviors that indicate trust, such as:
- Content downloads
- Event participation
- Social sharing
- Repeat engagement
These actions serve as practical proxies for credibility and align with research from the Institute for Public Relations showing trust as a key driver of stakeholder decision-making.
Adapt to a Changing Information Ecosystem
The way audiences consume information has fundamentally shifted.
According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of U.S. adults now get news from digital and social platforms. At the same time, “zero-click” search behavior means audiences increasingly consume information without visiting original sources.
This shift has two implications for PR measurement:
- Visibility alone is not enough—influence matters more than reach
- Credible content plays a larger role in shaping AI-generated and curated information environments
As a result, earned media remains critical—but for its role in shaping trusted information, not just generating impressions.
Use AI to Accelerate Insight—Not Replace It
AI is transforming how communications teams analyze data and generate insights.
As DeBery noted:
“AI helps us get from broad to focused much more quickly… but it still requires human insight.”
At the same time, Brooks cautioned against over-reliance:
“You have to look not only at what you’re getting out of AI, but what you’re missing as well.”
AI can improve efficiency in:
- Data analysis
- Pattern identification
- Audience insights
But human expertise remains essential to ensure context, accuracy, and ethical application.
Five Actions to Strengthen Your Measurement Approach
To move from outputs to outcomes, start with these steps:
- Define success as behavior
Identify the specific action you want stakeholders to take.
- Evaluate outputs for quality
Focus on audience relevance, recall, and perception—not just volume.
- Connect metrics across the funnel
Link media exposure to perception and behavior.
- Measure trust through actions
Track engagement signals that indicate credibility.
- Use AI thoughtfully
Combine data efficiency with human insight.
What This Means for PR Leaders
Measuring outcomes isn’t a new idea—but today, it’s a business expectation.
What’s changed is the environment: AI, social platforms, and shifting audience behaviors are raising the bar for how we demonstrate impact.
If you want to show value, start simple:
Define one desired behavior.
Measure what drives it.
Connect your work to that outcome.
Because the future of PR measurement isn’t about more data—it’s about demonstrating impact in ways leaders understand and trust.
Angela Dwyer, APR, is VP of Insights at Fullintel, where she helps organizations translate media intelligence into actionable, business-driven insights. An award-winning measurement expert and contributor to the Institute for Public Relations Measurement Commission, her research focuses on what drives recall, engagement, and trust in today’s media landscape.
Katie Paine, founder of Paine Publishing and widely known as the “Measurement Queen,” is a pioneer in communications research and measurement and a driving force behind industry standards, including the Barcelona Principles. A Jack Felton Medal for Lifetime Achievement recipient, she has spent more than three decades helping organizations build effective, data-driven measurement programs.