PR reporting methodology
How the reporting funnel is derived from underlying data
OpenReporting
Earned media reporting should be read as a flow, not isolated numbers
Earned media reporting should not collapse into one AVE figure or open-rate line. It needs to show which message created which response and whether that response turned into publication or relationship movement.
Citable summary
Earned media reporting should not collapse into one AVE figure or open-rate line. It needs to show which message created which response and whether that response turned into publication or relationship movement.
Core questions
What funnel should earned media reporting follow?
It should connect send, delivery, open, reply, follow-up conversation, publication, and AVE in one operating flow.
Why are open rate and AVE alone not enough?
Because each metric reflects different causes, and they need to be read together with reply quality, follow-up coverage, and relationship movement.
What should reporting be read alongside?
Reporting becomes more actionable when it is read together with message-space review, journalist-fit signals, and follow-up send operations.
1. Base funnel
The base report should connect send, delivery, open, reply, follow-up conversation, publication, and AVE in one flow.
Once funnel stages break apart, teams tend to optimize only send volume instead of the actual bottleneck.
2. How to interpret it operationally
Open rate usually reflects subject line and sender trust, reply rate reflects pitch relevance, and publication depends heavily on timing and supporting material quality.
The number matters less than the stage-level explanation behind it.
3. Pages to read with it
Reporting becomes more useful when it is read together with message-space review, journalist-fit signals, and follow-up send operations.