Essential Data Analysis Tips For Every PR Manager To Follow
Analyzing, structuring, and presenting data within a story comes to be essential in a data-driven world. Every single business and, thus, PR agency relies on data and conclusions it might lead to. Using data in journalism helps gain valuable business insights, spot trends, and offer a meaningful argumentative groundwork for pitches and articles. Further, we’ll discuss the matter inside out.
Data and PR: the advantages data analysing gives the PR pros
PR and Data Journalism are tightly overlapping and complementing each other, which brings invaluable advantages for PR managers. These are the following:
- Correctly structured and competently presented data builds the audience’s trust when backed up with proven research;
- Data is an effective bait for a journalist — statistics and solid facts make any pitching more meaningful;
- Data builds your client’s brand, and emphasises the core values and benefits of a brand, making the company stand out from the competitors.
So, how does a PR manager use data in order to build an effective text? Below, we discuss the major tips that will make an effective material.
Tips for a PR manager to follow when working with data
1. Data selection: thoroughly study your client and the market
The first and crucial step is studying the client’s business. Asking relevant questions is a must:
- Where does this data come from?
- What were the figures in previous months?
- How does this data help your client stand out from competitors and emphasise their value?
PR pros should know how to interpret and explain this data since it’s the main asset passed on to journalists to work on a factual pitch.
If it’s a cryptocurrency exchange service, for instance, it’s important to study its business and the current market thoroughly, in the first place:
- What are some of its benefits compared to other exchanges?
- How’s the trading volume?
- How many transactions are taking place?
- What currencies does it support?
- Which regions are served?
These are some of the questions a PR manager should get answers to.
2. Data structuring: organising your client’s data
Once the data is gathered, the next step will be structuring it to further analyse it correctly and provide the journalist with the relevant data. To implement this, one might use a spreadsheet or data structuring software systems — these tools are helpful, allowing organizing the information by region, types of transactions and volume, or previous indicators. This will help to draft the information according to the target audience and your goals.
3. Data analysis: what gives value to the data?
When gathered and properly structured, data is not to be thrown just for the sake of it. The next step for PR managers is to contemplate: what the collected data means for journalists and the target audience? A PR pro might use comparison — an increase or decrease in numbers and statistics and how it affects businesses, markets, and whole organisations. Thus, data comparison offers a comprehensive perspective and boosts the value of the information.
Remember: the data itself does not demonstrate the full picture. It just helps to better understand what you can do with your client’s brand based on raw data, identifying key market patterns and imputing valuable insights into the client’s pitch to promote its brand. Thus, data should be integrated into a story that helps to promote your client’s brand and be aligned with other types of content you produce.
An utmost importance of data analysing for PR managers
With that being said, selecting, analysing, and structuring data boosts the quality of PR materials. The misuse of it and the incorrect interpretation, however, might lead to drawing wrong conclusions, manipulation of information, or even PR crises. For PR pros, constantly educating themselves on working with data and figures, and competently introducing this knowledge into their daily practice is a must. Using the said basic steps, PR pros will significantly boost the quality of their materials.
Mary Poliakova, Co-founder and COO of Drofa Comms.
