Emily Payne

How Digital PR Measures What Really Matters

Every day, brands create content hoping people will see it, engage with it, and remember it. However, in digital PR, success is not just about getting attention online. A post receiving thousands of likes may look successful, but it does not always mean the campaign is helping the organization reach its goals. Digital PR professionals use measurement and research to understand their audiences, make better decisions, and determine whether their strategies are creating real results (PRSC 3315, Module 3, Module 7).

Social media has changed the way organizations communicate because consumers now have more opportunities to share their opinions and participate in conversations with brands. Because of this, PR professionals must understand their publics and create communication that is meaningful and relevant (PRSC 3315, Module 2). Measurement helps professionals look beyond simple engagement and understand how digital efforts connect to larger business goals.

A SMART objective is a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. SMART objectives help PR professionals create clear goals by explaining what they want to accomplish, how success will be measured, and the timeline for achieving the goal (PRSC 3315, Module 5). Having a clear objective makes it easier to determine whether a campaign was successful.

A vanity metric is a measurement that may look impressive but does not always provide useful information about whether a campaign is helping an organization succeed (PRSC 3315, Module 3). Examples of vanity metrics include followers, likes, views, and shares. These numbers can show awareness and engagement, but they do not always connect to important outcomes like gaining customers or increasing sales.

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a measurement that is directly connected to an organization’s business goals (PRSC 3315, Module 3). The most important step in choosing a KPI is understanding how the organization makes money. As my professor explained, the goal is not to simply be good at social media, but it is to be good at business because of social media.

For my digital PR campaign, my client is Airbnb, a company that allows travellers to find and book short-term rentals. Airbnb’s main business goal is increasing completed rentals because rentals are how the company generates revenue. My campaign uses social media storytelling to connect with travelers and encourage them to choose Airbnb for their next trip.

My SMART objective is to increase completed Airbnb bookings generated from social media traffic among travelers through a social media campaign, measured from June 21, 2026, to July 4, 2026.

For this campaign, two vanity metrics would be Instagram followers and post likes. These numbers can show that people are interacting with Airbnb’s content, but they do not guarantee that people are becoming customers. Someone may like a post without ever booking a stay. The KPI for this campaign would be completed bookings from social media referrals because it directly connects social media activity to Airbnb’s business goal of generating revenue.

The biggest takeaway is that digital PR success is not about collecting numbers just because they are easy to track. Strong strategies use data to understand audiences and make smarter decisions. SMART objectives create direction, vanity metrics show engagement, and KPI’s reveal whether communication efforts are helping an organization achieve meaningful results.