Public relations: how to truly measure the ROI of a media strategy

For many executives, public relations remains a difficult lever to evaluate.

A PR campaign generates articles, visibility, and sometimes a lot of media buzz… but one question always comes up:

What is the real business impact?

Unlike advertising or paid media, public relations does not always generate immediate and perfectly traceable conversions. However, when executed well, it strongly influences a company's credibility, market positioning, and commercial opportunities.

The right approach is therefore to measure several levels of impact : media, strategic, and business.

In this article, we will look at how to concretely measure the ROI of public relations, which indicators to track, and how startup and tech company leaders can maximize the impact of their campaigns.

Need a clear and measurable PR strategy?
At Linker, we support startups and tech companies in the design, management, and measurement of their media campaigns.
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Why measuring PR ROI has become essential

For a long time, a PR campaign was limited to a press clipping report listing the articles secured.

Today, that is no longer enough.

Executives want to understand:

• whether public relations truly strengthen their credibility
• whether they influence prospects or investors
• whether they generate business opportunities

Public relations are now considered a strategic growth lever, just like marketing or SEO.

Measuring their ROI allows you to:

• identify the media outlets that are truly influential for your market
• refine the editorial angles that work
• prove the value of PR efforts to leadership teams or investors

But to do that, you must understand one essential thing.

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Why PR ROI is more complex to measure

Public relations almost never act as a direct conversion lever.

They influence perception and trust, often months before a decision is made.

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A concrete example

A SaaS startup is featured in TechCrunch or Les Échos during a funding round.

Three months later:

• a prospect discovers the company on Google
• they notice several press articles
• they subconsciously associate the brand with a credible industry player

This prospect will likely never say:

"I signed because of that article."

But that article will have reduced friction and built trust.

This is why public relations often play a key role early in the buying cycle.

It is also why experienced PR agencies, such as Linker, analyze the impact of a campaign across the entire decision-making journey, rather than just direct conversions.

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The classic ROI formula

ROI is generally calculated as follows:

ROI (%) = [(Gain generated – campaign cost) / campaign cost] × 100

The problem is that in public relations, gains are not solely financial.

A campaign can generate:

• credibility
• market authority
• lasting visibility
• indirect opportunities

This is why PR ROI analysis always relies on several complementary indicators.

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Key metrics for measuring PR ROI

1. Media coverage volume

This is the primary metric to track.

It includes:

• published articles
• interviews
• expert quotes
• brand mentions

However, be careful: volume alone means nothing.

A single article in a strategic media outlet can have more impact than 20 secondary mentions.

For a B2B SaaS startup:

• an article in Maddyness or FrenchWeb
• an op-ed in Les Échos
• an interview on BFM Business

will often be far more valuable than several features in general-interest media.

The question to ask yourself is therefore:

Is this media outlet actually read by my prospects or my ecosystem?

That is precisely the job of a PR agency specializing in identifying these strategic media outlets. At Linker, a large part of the work consists of analyzing which journalists and media outlets truly influence a startup's ecosystem.

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2. Reach and actual audience

It is also important to analyze potential visibility:

• media audience
• estimated circulation
• social shares
• pick-ups by other publications

Even then, leaders must remain clear-sighted.

A media outlet with a massive audience but the wrong target may have limited impact.

Conversely, a specialized media outlet can reach exactly the right people.

Example

An article in a niche media outlet like Bpifrance Le Hub can be extremely powerful for a startup raising funds, because it is read by:

• investors
• entrepreneurs
• tech executives

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3. The quality of press coverage

Not all articles are created equal.

A good article should ideally:

• convey your key messages
• include a quote from an executive
• showcase your expertise
• position your company as a benchmark

A simple paragraph mentioning your startup in a list will have far less impact.

Use case

A cybersecurity startup regularly publishes expert opinion pieces in trade publications.

Result:

• journalists start reaching out directly to their CEO to comment on current events
• the company gradually becomes a credible source in its field

This is exactly the type of impact that public relations should generate.

Do you want to appear in the media outlets that truly matter for your sector?
The PR agency Linker identifies relevant journalists and crafts editorial angles that capture their attention.
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4. The impact on SEO and digital visibility

Public relations also has a direct effect on online visibility.

Media coverage can generate:

• backlinks to your site
• improved organic search rankings
• qualified traffic

Links from reputable media outlets strengthen a site's SEO authority.

For a tech startup, this can significantly improve positioning for strategic search queries.

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5. The impact of PR in the age of AI search engines

Since the arrival of AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini, media presence has become even more strategic.

These engines rely heavily on reliable editorial sources to build their responses.

In other words:

companies frequently cited in the media are more likely to be mentioned in AI-generated responses.

Public relations is therefore also becoming a lever for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

To learn more about this topic:
PR and GEO: the impact of public relations on AI search engines

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6. The impact on business opportunities

This is often the most important metric for executives.

Good media coverage can generate:

• qualified leads
• business opportunities
• partnership inquiries
• recruitment opportunities
• investor interest

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Real-world example observed in several startups

Following a series of articles in the tech press during a fundraising round:

• increase in inbound leads
• rise in qualified job applications
• outreach from investors or partners

The impact is rarely immediate, but it is often very real in the medium term.

As our consultants at Linkerregularly observe, the business impact of public relations often appears in the weeks or months following significant media exposure.

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AVE: an outdated calculation method

For a long time, some companies usedAdvertising Value Equivalency (AVE).

This method involves comparing a press article to the cost of equivalent advertising space.

For example:

If a full-page ad costs €5,000, an article occupying that same space would be valued at €5,000.

The problem is obvious.

An editorial article is not an advertisement.

It benefits from much greater credibility, and its impact is not limited to the space it occupies.

This is why this method has been largely abandoned by public relations professionals today.

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How to maximize the ROI of your PR efforts

Measuring ROI is useful.

But the main goal remains increasing the real impact of your campaigns.

Here are a few key principles.

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Define strategic objectives

Public relations should always serve a clear purpose:

• supporting a fundraising round
• launching a product
• positioning an executive as an expert
• accelerating startup brand awareness

Without a precise goal, it becomes very difficult to evaluate results.

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Target the right journalists

The success of a PR campaign often depends on targeting.

It is essential to identify:

• journalists who specialize in your sector
• the media outlets that truly influence your market
• the editorial angles that will capture their interest

A sound PR strategy often involves building long-term relationships with a few key journalists.

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Building a long-term media presence

Public relations is not a one-off tactic.

Companies with the highest media visibility generally follow a continuous strategy:

• regular speaking engagements
• expert opinion pieces
• commentary on industry news
• strategic announcements

It is this repetition that gradually builds a company's media authority.

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Conclusion

The ROI of public relations cannot be reduced to a simple financial calculation.

When executed well, public relations can:

• strengthen company credibility
• improve search engine visibility
• position executives as experts
• generate new business opportunities

In an environment where trust and authority are paramount, public relations remain one of the most powerful levers for building a company's reputation.

And when driven by a clear, measurable strategy, their impact can be significant.

Want to appear in the media outlets that influence your market?
Discover how the PR agency Linker supports startups and tech companies with their media campaigns.‍

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