Good PR goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Bad PR goals are vanity metrics like “more coverage” or “increase brand awareness” without measurement. The best PR goals tie to specific commercial outcomes: sales pipeline impact, hiring conversion, fundraising support, or branded search lift.
Examples of strong PR goals and objectives
- Secure 12 tier-1 editorial placements in target publications within 90 days.
- Increase branded search volume by 30% over 6 months measured in GSC.
- Generate 50 inbound sales enquiries attributable to PR campaigns within 120 days.
- Shorten average enterprise sales cycle from 9 months to 6 months through PR-supported buyer education.
- Close Series A fundraise within 4 months supported by 3-5 founder profile features.
- Fill 3 senior engineering roles within 6 months using PR-generated employer brand lift.
Examples of weak PR goals to avoid
- “More press coverage.”
- “Increase brand awareness.”
- “Build reputation.”
- “Get our story out there.”
- “Reach as many people as possible.”
How to structure your PR objectives
For each PR goal, document: specific metric, target value, measurement method, timeline, who owns it, and what you will do differently if you miss it.