Stop wasting money on PR that doesn’t move the needle

PR for PR's sake isn't worth doing. In fact, what may be even worse is PR that simply looks busy. Over the years, we've seen plenty of campaigns generate coverage, awards, social spikes and flattering headlines, but without creating any real business impact. Those things can all have value, but on their own they can also create the illusion of success. Activity isn't always the same as progress. Real impact means commercial growth and earning trust, not just making noise.

To be clear, we’re not saying that spending money on PR is a waste but investing in it without a clear decision-making pathway is. Before any campaign begins, we always encourage clients to ask a few simple questions: who needs to believe what, to do what, and by when?

Historically, PR was often evaluated like a creative exercise, monitoring what looked good rather than how it performed. Nowadays, though, leadership teams are looking for clear objectives, well-defined audiences and measurement that showcases its true impact.

If your PR can’t answer the simple question, "What did this change?", it’s probably not moving the needle. In our experience, the biggest opportunity comes from building PR programmes that can be traced back to tangible outcomes.

That’s why at Whistle, we treat reputation as an asset, not an accessory. We believe good PR doesn’t just create awareness, it creates belief.

Why traditional and digital PR need to co-exist

Comms decision makers often find themselves at a crossroads, feeling they have to make what we see as a false choice. Do you focus on clicks, numbers and demand, or credibility, narrative and reputation? In our experience, the strongest programmes don't separate the two. They treat traditional and digital PR as parts of the same system, with traditional PR building authority and digital PR turning that authority into action.

Co-existence is no longer a compromise or something that's out of reach. More often than not, it's how sustainable growth is built.

Traditional PR offers something that's still incredibly difficult to replicate elsewhere: trusted third-party endorsement through the media. This matters most in high-consideration decisions, where stakeholders need reassurance just as much as they need product features. When done consistently, it builds credibility over time and helps position your business as an authority in its space.

On the other hand, digital PR adds a layer of measurable discovery that's much easier to track end-to-end. Think referral traffic, increases in brand searches and conversions where PR has played an active role. Because it's built for iteration, campaigns can be tested, refined and improved quickly, creating a valuable feedback loop that traditional channels can't always offer at the same pace.

So how do they work together?

Working smarter, not harder, has always been our ethos, and it starts with a strategic narrative that translates across both disciplines. Traditional PR places that narrative where trust is highest, whether that's trade media, industry titles or influential voices. Digital PR then reinforces the same message where people are most likely to engage and take action, across social channels, newsletters and your website.

Getting the balance right helps ensure every piece of PR works harder, increasing the likelihood of achieving your objectives while delivering measurable results.

What does PR evaluation look like now?

The focus has shifted from simply getting coverage to getting meaningful coverage. Success is increasingly judged by outcomes, with evaluation looking at awareness, perception, behaviour and ultimately business impact. While no PR campaign can ever be guaranteed, we've found this approach makes it much easier to measure success in a clear and consistent way.

At Whistle, we like to evaluate our work across three metric tiers: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Impact. It's a straightforward framework that helps demonstrate the value of PR, even to the most commercially minded stakeholders.

1.     Efficiency.

Efficiency measures how well you execute. That includes things like cost per meaningful placement, speed to publish and message pull-through in the coverage you earn. Ultimately, it answers the question: Are we delivering PR efficiently and without unnecessary waste?

2.     Effectiveness.

Effectiveness looks at whether PR is changing what people think and do. Are you increasing awareness? Is perception shifting? Are the right audiences becoming more likely to consider your business? It answers the question: Are we making the market more likely to choose us?

3.     Impact.

Impact focuses on business contribution. That might include PR-influenced pipeline, conversion uplift, customer retention, recruitment or other commercial outcomes. At its simplest, it asks: Did this work contribute to meaningful business results or reduce risk?

There are plenty of different metrics that can help evaluate the success of a PR campaign, including:

• Message penetration – the percentage of coverage containing your key messages and proof points.

• Share of voice – and, just as importantly, whether that share is in the conversations that matter.

• Audience quality – ensuring your message reaches the people who can genuinely influence outcomes, rather than simply reaching everyone.

• Search signals – increases in branded searches, referral traffic and engaged website sessions.

• Commercial influence – whether PR has contributed to demo requests, inbound enquiries or requests for further information.

One thing we've learned is that it's always easier to work backwards. Define the goal first, then build the campaign around it, almost like an experiment. Think about what you expect to change and how you'll measure it. Planning in this way not only makes evaluation much simpler, but it also helps build resilience if things don't go exactly as expected along the way.

The takeaway

"We want coverage" is understandable, but it isn't a strategy. The goal isn't simply to do more PR; it's to do better PR. That means PR that's strategically aligned, measurable and commercially useful.

When evaluation is built into a campaign from the very beginning, PR becomes accountable without losing the creativity that makes it so valuable. And when it's clearly linked to wider business objectives, it earns its place at the growth table.

Rather than investing in activity for activity's sake, invest in PR that builds trust, drives progress and delivers real impact. That's where we've seen the biggest difference for our clients, and it's where we believe PR delivers its greatest value.