Reputation Without Receipts: The B2B PR Measurement Problem

So, you think PR is driving revenue for your business? That's cute. About as cute as me thinking my workout routine is responsible for my abs when we all know it's just great lighting and strategic camera angles.

Yet, according to the 2025 State of B2B Public Relations Report, which surveyed 300 B2B marketing and PR professionals, a whopping 68% believe their PR efforts make a revenue contribution. 

Plot twist: they're struggling to prove it empirically. It's like knowing your charm gets you dates, but having zero evidence when your friends demand proof.

THE ETERNAL PR MEASUREMENT PROBLEM

Let's face it, PR has always had a measurement problem. Everyone wants to narrow down success to a single action, but research shows success comes from a combination of interactions. According to the report, anywhere from 15 interactions to numerous touchpoints may be needed, depending on how they're counted.

The good news? An overwhelming 90% of respondents say their organization would see greater returns from PR if it were better integrated with sales and marketing. Growth leaders are twice more likely than growth laggards to report that their PR team is fully integrated with sales and marketing. Who would have thought having departments talk to each other might help?

PR GOALS: BEYOND JUST GETTING YOUR NAME IN LIGHTS

When asked about primary PR objectives, the top three were:

• 70% want to manage and build reputation (otherwise known as "please don't let us be the next viral disaster")
• 58% aim to drive demand and lead generation (translation: "make the sales team stop complaining")
• 46% want to support sales enablement and go-to-market strategies

Reputation building is a solid PR goal, but if that's your focus, I'd suggest moving thought leadership higher on your priority list. It's like claiming you want to be known as a great actor but refusing to learn your lines.

WHAT PR TACTICS ACTUALLY WORK?

The most effective PR tactics, according to respondents:

• 61% say brand and reputation management
• 44% say media relations
• 41% say thought leadership

Here's where it gets interesting: as media relations has gotten harder, it's perceived as more valuable. It's like how we all suddenly appreciated toilet paper when it vanished from store shelves in 2020. Scarcity creates value!

THE PR CHALLENGE: MEASURE WHAT MATTERS

What's stopping PR teams from reaching their business goals?

• 52% cite limited budgets/resources (shocking!)
• 48% struggle with measuring ROI (the eternal PR nightmare)
• 36% can't tie PR efforts to sales outcomes

It's hard to get a budget when you can't demonstrate outcomes, and it's hard to measure outcomes when you aren't aligned with business objectives. It's the corporate version of that Spider-Man pointing meme when asked who's responsible.

THE GROWTH CONNECTION: PR INTEGRATION MATTERS

High-growth companies are twice as likely to embed PR into their go-to-market strategies than lower-performing peers. A substantial 54% of growth leaders report their PR teams are fully integrated with their GTM strategy, compared to just 27% of growth laggards.

This is a fundamental shift from viewing PR merely as a supportive tactic to recognizing its strategic role in achieving business objectives.

HOW TO FIX IT: A SIMPLE ACTION PLAN

If you're looking to level up your PR game, focus on:

1. Deeper integration with marketing and sales teams (62% recommend this)
2. Greater focus on measurable outcomes (50%)
3. Stronger emphasis on digital and social media strategy (48%)
4. Thought leadership development as a core service (45%)

Want a simple measurement framework? Break it into three buckets: outputs, engagement, and results. For PR, results often come from anecdotes that customers and prospects share with sales and marketing. So alignment with those teams is crucial.

Try this approach:

1. Ask everyone you speak with: "How did you hear about us?"
2. Put this question on every registration form
3. Make it part of every initial sales call

DATA BEATS ASSUMPTIONS

B2B buying now involves multiple stakeholders and dozens of interactions, making PR's role in building reputation and driving demand more critical than ever.

PR isn't just about getting coverage anymore. It's about creating meaningful interactions that contribute to the touchpoints needed to close a deal. And the companies that understand this connection between integrated PR and revenue growth are the ones leading the pack.

So next time someone asks if your PR efforts drive revenue, you can confidently say "yes" and maybe even have the data to back it up. Unlike my claims about my workout routine.

Ready to make PR a strategic revenue driver? Contact Winsome Marketing today to turn your PR approach from faith-based to fact-driven.