PR Reporting: What to Expect From Your Agency

Many Calgary businesses pay for PR and receive reports full of logos, screenshots and huge "potential reach" numbers, but still can't tell whether PR is helping the business. A good PR report answers a simpler question: what did coverage do for us? Here's what to expect.

What a good report includes

1. Coverage summary. Where you appeared, with links, dates and outlet types (local, national, trade, broadcast, podcast).

2. Quality, not just quantity. Were these outlets your buyers actually read? Was your key message included? Was a spokesperson quoted?

3. Digital impact. Referral traffic from coverage, growth in branded search and links gained.

4. Business impact. Inquiries that mention coverage, leads from PR campaigns, meetings booked and deals influenced.

5. Insights. What worked, what didn't and why.

6. Next steps. Upcoming announcements and recommendations.

Metrics that matter

Metric	Why it matters
Placements in target outlets	Reaching the right audience
Key message inclusion	Coverage tells your story
Referral traffic	People acted on coverage
Branded search growth	Awareness is rising
Links from credible sites	Search and AI visibility
Inquiries and leads	Business impact
Pipeline influenced	Revenue connection

Our existing guide to how to measure PR ROI covers each in more detail.

Metrics to be careful with

Potential reach. Often based on a publication's total audience, not people who saw your story.

Advertising value equivalency. Estimates what coverage would have cost as ads. Widely criticised and not a measure of impact.

Raw mention counts. Ten mentions on irrelevant sites may matter less than one in the right trade publication.

Connect PR to sales

The most valuable reporting connects coverage to leads and revenue. That requires:

• Tracking links or landing pages for campaigns
• Asking new leads how they heard about you
• Recording PR-influenced deals in your CRM
• Following up every inquiry promptly

See B2B marketing metrics: pipeline, CAC and win rate.

How often to report

Monthly reports for ongoing programs, plus campaign reports after major announcements. A quarterly review should look at trends and strategy.

Questions to ask your PR partner

• Which outlets do our buyers read, and how often did we appear there?
• What happened after the coverage: traffic, inquiries, meetings?
• What will we do differently next month?

See questions to ask a Calgary PR agency.

Agree on measures at the start

Before a PR program begins, agree on three to five measures that define success for your business, such as placements in named target outlets, referral traffic and qualified inquiries. Reports then show progress against those, not whatever looks impressive that month.

How Blastily reports PR

Blastily's dashboard shows every placement and link delivered through Blast Press, alongside broadcast, podcast and creator activity. Results follow the full journey: Awareness, Leads, Contacted, Conversations, Appointments, Closed and Revenue. Because our team also follows up and books appointments, you can see how coverage turns into conversations and deals, not just clippings. See marketing dashboards and reporting software.

The bottom line

Good PR reporting focuses on the right outlets, real digital impact and business outcomes. Ask for less reach-inflation and more connection to leads and revenue. For PR options, read PR services in Calgary.

Keep reading

• PR and SEO: How Calgary Companies Earn Links From Coverage
• Thought Leadership PR: Bylined Articles for Calgary Executives
• Broadcast PR: Getting Calgary Executives on TV and Radio

Get PR and marketing that turn attention into revenue

Blastily gives Calgary and Alberta businesses PR, marketing and the software to run it in one place: press placements, radio, TV, billboards, podcasts, creators, social, email, SMS and SEO, all tracked in one dashboard. Then our team follows up your leads and books the appointments. We Blast. We Book. You Bank.

Book a media rep with a Blastily media consultant, or open your free Blastily dashboard to see what's available in your market.