How do you calculate the value of earned media? Say hello to Impact.
Measuring the value of earned media - the coverage gained through PR on external broadcast, media and online channels - matters now more than ever, helping to prove PR’s ROI and gather the clear evidence that brands need to justify investment.
The impact of broadcast PR can be profoundly powerful, but without a rational means of understanding that impact, PRs can struggle to prove the value of their efforts to the board and secure much-needed funding for future campaigns. What’s more, the lack of proper evaluation can make it difficult to plan campaigns and make reactive changes for the best results.
Too often, PRs have to rely on outdated evaluation methods or unhelpful vanity metrics. When evaluation is based on incomplete monitoring, rough estimates and unverified assumptions, it becomes extremely difficult to make evidence-based decisions, test and learn, and understand the true performance of a campaign.
This is something Broadcast Revolution wanted to change.
We’ve created a new planning and measurement service, called Impact, that is integrated into our custom-built CRM. It calculates predicted benchmarks for all campaigns based on data from 200+ completed projects. With its mix of input tracking, multivariate modelling and outcome benchmarking, it transforms objectives into strategic decision-making.
Put simply, it allows us to understand what to expect, what influences results, and how to improve outcomes. Not just a reporting function, Impact is a strategic planning tool.
What Is ‘Value’ in Terms of Earned Media?
When we talk about value in earned media, we’re really talking about understanding the impact and effectiveness of what has been achieved by coverage, not just how much of it there was. The broadcast landscape is changing, with many programmes now operating across multiple channels, and the opportunities for success proliferating and diversifying. In this context, value in earned media isn’t about volume; it’s about meaningful outcomes.
‘Value’ in earned media means understanding not just what coverage you gained, but the impact of that coverage, why it worked, and how to replicate that success in future campaigns.
How Does Calculating the Value of Earned Media Help Plan for Success?
Calculating the value of earned media is vital in reporting. It answers questions like; did your campaign deliver the right message, reach the right audience, and make a measurable difference? But more powerfully, understanding the factors that drive effective broadcast PR (things like spokesperson quality, story strength, timing, and audience targeting) and how they influence results helps PRs to plan for the future.
By analysing key inputs against a growing dataset of 200+ previous campaigns, our Impact service generates a tailored expected benchmark – a data-led prediction of what success should look like for that campaign.
The benchmark does two things: it sets clear, evidence-based expectations for clients, and it empowers our consultants to deliver sharper advice and make smarter decisions upfront – boosting the chances of success.
Measurement is tailored to each campaign goal, incorporating select qualitative and quantitative metrics: e.g. tone, message delivery, branding, audience impact (via TV Ratings Points), calls to action etc. The same platform captures results and compares them against the benchmark to identify what worked and why.
This strategic approach enables teams to plan on evidence-based data, establish benchmarks and predict expected performance results collaboratively, moving conversations away from activity and outputs towards outcomes and effectiveness.
Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics
When Broadcast Revolution was founded by Phil Caplin six years ago, he was driven by the motivation to do things differently and drive tangible improvements in the broadcast PR industry. Moving beyond vanity metrics – relying as they do on activity, not effectiveness – to truly measure the value of earned media in this space has been a key step in achieving his goals.
That’s why Impact has moved away from outdated, one-dimensional models towards a system that connects every stage of a campaign: from planning and inputs to delivery and outcome. It brings together both quantitative and qualitative measures to create a much clearer picture of performance and a more meaningful understanding of success.
This approach aligns with international best practice, following the logic of AMEC’s Integrated Evaluation Framework and the Barcelona Principles. In practice, this means planning based on evidence, setting realistic expectations, and using every campaign as an opportunity to learn, refine and improve. With Impact, measurement becomes a tool for better decision-making – not a box-ticking exercise at the end of a project.
We’ve seen time and again just how powerful broadcast PR can be. It can create globe-spanning viral moments, get issues debated in Parliament, it can even change the law. As PRs, we are all storytellers, and with Impact, we add depth to the stories of our success, showing not just where they were heard, but what difference it made.
Impact allows us to demonstrate the true influence of broadcast, how it shapes opinion, drives action, and builds trust. It turns great coverage into measurable outcomes, giving every campaign the evidence and credibility it deserves.
Want to see it in action? Drop Charlotte or Richard a quick email at charlotte@broadcastrevolution.co.uk or richard@broadcastrevolution.co.uk and let’s book in a meeting.
