How to Create a Data-Driven Digital PR Strategy

For years, Traditional PR relied on trial and error.

You’d pitch to journalists, hope they liked your idea, or launch a campaign and wait to see if it gained traction.

Digital PR transformed the game by introducing data-driven strategies. Analytics now allow marketers to refine their approach with precision.

Key metrics identify the right media outlets, communication channels, and influencers to amplify your message effectively.

Additionally, PR specialists can create standout campaigns by leveraging company data they already have. Packaging these insights creatively turns numbers into stories that resonate.

Understanding the data is the first step toward building a Digital PR strategy that delivers exceptional results.

Why Data Matters in Digital PR 

When you make data the backbone of your Digital PR strategy, it’s not long before you reap the benefits:

• Enhanced decision-making: Analysing trends, audience behaviour, and past campaign performance helps you develop effective strategies that boost Digital PR ROI.
• Improved targeting and personalisation: You can pour over demographics and interests to target media contacts or consumers with precision, as well as create messages that resonate.
• Measurable results: While Traditional PR turned to vague metrics like circulation or potential reach, Digital PR empowers you to measure outcomes in detail to see what works best and demonstrate the tangible impact of your efforts.

Collecting Data for PR Campaigns 

To tap into the power of data, you first need to determine how to collect it. Thankfully, the right tools and resources are often at your fingerprints.

Internal Data Sources

You can extract valuable data directly from your company’s systems:

• Website analytics and user behaviour: Look into traffic sources, user demographics, time spent on pages, and any navigation patterns that point you to what your audience likes most.
• CRM data and customer insights: Customer relationship management (CRM) systems store tonnes of detailed information like purchase history, preferences, and feedback, which can be helpful with targeting and personalisation.
• Sales and conversion data: Analyse sales reports and conversion metrics to identify trends in consumer behaviour and past campaign performance.

External Data Sources

Broaden your perspective by checking external data sources:

• Social media and sentiment analysis: Use platform insights or third-party apps to monitor audience engagement, keep up with trends, and assess brand sentiment. 
• Industry reports and market research: Access reports from reputable organisations to look into market trends and consumer behaviour.  
• Competitor analysis: Use digital tools to stay on top of your competitor’s strategies and find opportunities for differentiation.

Primary Research Methods

If you have the resources, conducting your own research allows you to address specific objectives: 

• Surveys and questionnaires: Gather feedback directly from your target audience. 
• Focus groups and interviews: Get deeper insights into audience perception and motivation. 
• A/B testing for content and messaging: Test content variations on a smaller audience to find the best approach.

Tools for Collecting PR Data 

About 50% of PR specialists spend a quarter of their time monitoring data. If you’re just getting started, collecting insight will take you even longer. Luckily, the right tools can help. 

Utilising Data in Digital PR Strategies

Once you’ve gathered relevant insight, use it to its full potential. From creating compelling content to polishing strategies, there are several ways to make data work in your favour. 

Crafting Data-Driven Stories

According to a Cision survey, 68% of journalists want more pitches that rely on original research and trends data. In other words, a quick way to grab their attention is to use some of the insight you’ve gathered to tell a story.

Internal data on customer behaviour or industry statistics, for example, can reveal exciting angles for your media releases. Running surveys can also uncover fascinating observations on how consumers behave. 

Incorporating this information into your content doesn’t just sway journalists - it improves your credibility. If you leverage company knowledge, you establish your brand as an authority in your field. 

Look at Spotify. The music streaming service regularly analyses internal user data for its wildly successful Wrapped campaign. 

Besides showing users their stats at the end of every year, the company shares interesting statistics based on listeners’ music habits and choices. 

These are often picked up by the media, with remarkable results. The company amasses millions of social media shares across the world, and interest in Spotify spikes during the time the campaign goes live. 

Reference: Mentions of “Spotify” on Google During Wrapped Campaign

Remember that journalists aren’t particularly interested in boosting your sales numbers. They want to inform or entertain their audience. See if your data can help them do just that.

Optimising Content Distribution

On top of helping you shape your content, data pinpoints the best distribution channels. 

PR specialists frequently rely on audience behaviour information to figure out the best time to send out their message and identify which platforms generate maximum engagement. 

For example, you can analyse metrics on when your audience is most active to time social media posts right. 

Additionally, audience segmentation and analytics tools reveal which mediums are best suited to get your message out. 

Look into how social media users engage with content. A press release might create buzz on LinkedIn, but Instagram users would likely find a short snippet or a fun graphic more appealing.  

Data can also inform your media outreach. Based on past performance, when are journalists more likely to open your email? Zoom in on a window and send out your pitches then. 

If you’re willing to go the extra mile, your stories will reach their target efficiently, and visibility will soar. 

Influencer and Media Outreach

On the same topic of media outreach, data lets you discover the journalists and influencers most likely to amplify your message. 

You can use platforms like Muck Rack to find media contacts that align closely with your brand and mission. 

Research their past work, peruse their audience, and look up their social media profiles to double-check accuracy. 

Then, tailor your pitches so they pique curiosity. 

Popular journalists and influencers receive hundreds of PR messages each week. When yours is closely related to their beat and interests, it breaks through the noise.

Otherwise put, using data to personalise your approach increases your chances of catching their attention. 

Real-Time Campaign Adjustments

Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) like engagement and click-through rates (CTR) lets you determine how your campaign is performing. As a result, you can make adjustments on the go. 

If your CTR on a landing page is high, for instance, but your conversation rate low, it could suggest that visitors don’t like the design or can’t find the information they’re looking for. 

Based on this data, you can adjust design elements, simplify the copy, or add a more obvious call-to-action. 

Similarly, if you notice that a social media post is doing numbers, you can boost it to reach an even bigger audience. 

Assessing KPIs leads to data-informed adjustments that impact your PR efforts for the better.

Case Studies: Successful Data-Driven PR Campaigns

Harnessing data brings long-term success. These companies are a testament to that. 

Fountain’s On-Demand Jobs Report

Fountain’s On-Demand Jobs Report is a great example of how internal data can steer your Digital PR strategy. 

Wanting to reach new industries, the brand created a comprehensive report analysing trends in the gig economy. 

According to marketing expert Brian Dema, they already had access to relevant data on job applications and hires via their software. 

Furthermore, they realised that the metrics they tracked allowed them to provide unique industry insights. 

The tactic worked. Fountain’s report gained significant media attention, with coverage on platforms like Fortune and Yahoo Finance. 

Leveraging internal data allowed them to go from a small start-up to an authoritative voice in their field. 

SurePayroll’s Small Business Scorecard

SurePayroll used a similar technique to secure excellent media coverage.

Dema reveals that the company faced stiff competition but came out ahead by using the data it gathered on small businesses to provide statistics about market challenges.

Since no one else was doing it, the Small Business Scorecard quickly gained notoriety. Updated regularly, it included information on metrics like hiring trends and salary changes. 

As for results? The Scorecard ran for years, securing extensive media coverage. Plus, SurePayroll saw over 1500% revenue growth.

Diamonds Factory’s Consumer Spending Survey

If you don’t have thought-provoking internal data, surveys work, too. 

Take jeweller Diamonds Factory, who ran a survey assessing the spending habits of British consumers. 

The results showed that the sum Brits spend on eating out in a year is higher than the cost of an engagement ring. It’s the kind of stat that has the potential to generate clicks, so the media ran with it. 

Diamonds Factory increased its authority, and all it took was an angle that grabbed a journalist’s eye.  

Final Word

By relying on insight to guide your Digital PR approach, you create captivating content and optimise your campaigns in real-time. 

Numbers don’t lie.

Research says that 91.9% of organisations see gains when they use data to tweak their strategies. It’s the perfect time to follow in their footsteps.