"Just Send and Forget..." Survey Reveals About 70% of Press Releases Are Evaluated by "Number of Distributions"! Is "Performance-Visible Operation" What PR and Marketers Need?

PRIZMA Inc. (https://www.prizma-link.com/) conducted a survey on 'KPIs and Performance Measurement in Press Releases' targeting corporate marketing and public relations professionals.

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Press releases have become an established and effective means for many companies to increase awareness and build trust. However, with internal priorities such as 'number of releases' and 'distribution speed' taking precedence, press releases are often issued as mere 'internal announcements,' and many professionals struggle with distributing strategic releases.

Therefore, PRIZMA Inc. (https://www.prizma-link.com/) conducted a survey on 'KPIs and Performance Measurement in Press Releases' targeting a total of 1,013 individuals, including 503 corporate marketing professionals and 510 public relations professionals.

Survey Overview: Survey on 'KPIs and Performance Measurement in Press Releases'

Survey Period: May 22 (Fri) - May 25 (Mon), 2026

Survey Method: Internet survey by PRIZMA's research PR service 'PRIZMA'

Number of Respondents: 1,013

Survey Target: Monitors who identified as corporate marketing or public relations professionals at the time of the survey

Survey Source: PRIZMA Inc. (https://www.prizma-link.com/press)

Monitor Provider: Sacrisa

Number of distributions and internal convenience prioritized? The reality of press releases ending as 'announcements'

First, when asked how they decide on the content of press releases, the following trends (cross-tabulation) were observed by job type between marketing and public relations professionals.

For public relations professionals, 'turning information from within the company into articles (59.0%)' was the most common response, while for marketing professionals, 'linking company services with the latest trends, news, and social issues (57.1%)' was the highest.

This result suggests that public relations professionals mainly focus on disseminating information about new products and services from within the company.

On the other hand, less than 20% of professionals in both groups chose the method of 'strategically deciding by working backward from the target's problems.'
This may indicate that while they should be distributing well-thought-out plans, they are unable to do so.

Next, when asked if 'the number of press release distributions (e.g., X per month)' is set as an internal or departmental goal/evaluation criterion, about 70% of companies were found to be operating on a volume basis, combining 'a clear target number is set (27.9%)' and 'there is a target number as a guideline (46.2%).'

Does this environment that emphasizes 'quantity' also affect the axis of internal evaluation?

When asked, 'For what reasons are your distributed press releases evaluated internally?' the most common response was 'because the distribution speed was fast (36.9%),' closely followed by 'because the number of distributions was high (target achieved) (36.1%).'

Currently, it seems that the distributor's convenience, such as 'speed' and 'quantity,' takes precedence in internal evaluations.
This trend indicates that the evaluation is more likely to be based on whether the distribution task was completed on schedule—the 'distributor's convenience' and business process—rather than whether the press release generated business results.

Is it difficult to prove business results with press releases?

So, what metrics do professionals target for press release distribution, and what do they consider the ultimate goal?

When asked, 'What metrics are set as KPIs for press release distribution?' the top answers were 'number of media placements (37.1%),' 'number/frequency of distributions (34.5%),' and 'number of PVs/reaches (33.1%).'

It seems that for daily operations, metrics that are easy to measure, such as media exposure and 'PVs and reaches,' are mainstream.

While these metrics are effective for measuring the intermediate result of how much information has been exposed to the public, they only temporarily gauge the increase in corporate awareness and interest and are unlikely to lead to the verification of long-term business value.

So, where does the 'true goal' that professionals on the ground are really aiming for lie?

When asked about the 'ultimate purpose' of distributing press releases by job type, 'increasing awareness of products/services' was the top answer for both marketing professionals (33.4%) and public relations professionals (38.4%).

While the primary role of a press release, 'getting the company known first,' is prioritized, for marketing professionals, 'lead acquisition/increase in inquiries (32.4%)' ranked second.

Marketing professionals emphasize 'lead acquisition/increase in inquiries,' reflecting a need to make press releases function as a hook for sales by acquiring prospective customers.

Additionally, a high percentage of both groups aim to secure 'secondary use content (promotional materials)' that can be used in sales activities, indicating expectations for expansion to other media.

However, the results showed that there are challenges in visualizing the contribution to this 'ultimate purpose.'

Combining 'not able to prove at all (7.6%)' and 'not able to prove much (17.1%),' it appears that about one in four professionals feel they cannot sufficiently prove the business results brought by press releases with data.

It is possible that they are unable to track the path of how intermediate indicators set as KPIs, such as 'number of placements' and 'number of distributions,' are linked to the ultimate goal of 'sales and lead acquisition.'

Why is 'review' not conducted after press release distribution?

While the difficulty in tracking results has become clear, how is 'performance measurement and review' conducted after distribution?

When asked, 'Do you conduct 'performance measurement and review,' such as site traffic and CVs, after distributing a press release?' about 80% of professionals reported conducting post-distribution performance measurement, combining 'I do it every time (29.3%)' and 'I do it sometimes (50.0%).'

While the importance of review is understood in most workplaces, the remaining 20% are 'hardly or never doing it.'

Since the potential for improvement in press releases lies in the response after distribution, this can be considered a loss of opportunity for improvement.

Furthermore, when those who conduct reviews were asked about the 'data they check,' 'PVs/reaches from the distribution source (53.1%)' exceeded half, followed by 'shares/spread on SNS (39.6%)' and 'traffic to the company website (37.0%).' These are mainly indicators of information spread, emphasizing the acquisition of access and confirmation of newsworthiness.

The number of inquiries/document downloads for their own company was about 30%, and the confirmation of order/sales amounts was as low as about 10%. A mismatch was revealed where, despite emphasizing lead acquisition and sales as the ultimate goal, the actual review does not track the relevant data.

On the other hand, when those who answered 'hardly ever' or 'never' to conducting reviews were asked for the reason, the following results were obtained.

The most common reason was 'because the content of each distribution is different, and there is no standard for comparison/verification with past data (23.8%).'

For regular press releases, such as one-off new product announcements or event notices, where the theme and content change each time, comparison on the same basis is difficult, suggesting a fundamental difficulty in accumulating review know-how within the company.

Also, as mentioned earlier, the evaluation criterion that 'the act of distributing itself is evaluated (21.9%)' may also be a factor in the lack of progress in post-distribution verification.

About half of PR and marketers need a 'mechanism for KPI setting and accurate performance measurement'!

Amid these review challenges, what elements do professionals want to strengthen to improve future measures?

When asked, 'What would you like to strengthen or improve in your future press release measures?' 'A mechanism for KPI setting and accurate performance measurement (47.2%)' accounted for about half. This was followed by 'post-distribution sales/marketing collaboration (43.0%)' and 'how to create plans/topics that lead directly to results (37.5%).'

This result suggests a desire to establish an evaluation standard that can correctly measure the contribution to the business and be clearly demonstrated within the company, beyond the current evaluation focused on 'quantity and media exposure.'

[Conclusion] The gap between professionals seeking awareness and results, and evaluations tied to the number of distributions

This survey highlighted the issue where the purpose of press releases becomes 'completing the number of distributions,' losing sight of the crucial point of 'how it led to sales and leads.'

The reality is that even carefully crafted releases are consumed as a one-time 'internal announcement,' and performance checks stop at easily viewable PV numbers. Since the connection to the desired results is not visible, it is necessary to improve towards a 'performance-trackable operation.'

However, it is not easy to construct a story that leads to sales or to devise new plans while being busy with daily tasks. For these challenges, utilizing the power of external experts with specialized know-how is an effective option.

By entrusting the design and creation of releases to experts, it is not only possible to firmly design a path that works backward from the final results, but also to generate strategic plans and topics that resonate with the target audience. As a data-driven approach, the use of 'strategic survey releases (Survey PR)' that utilize objective data can be mentioned.

This method of regularly disseminating proprietary survey data solves the frustrations of previous operations in the following ways:

● Solves the problem of 'can't compare because the theme changes every time'

Unlike regular announcements (new products, event notices, etc.), using the common framework of a 'survey release' makes it possible to review with the same performance indicators, such as 'number of document downloads' or 'traffic to the company website,' even if the theme changes. By incorporating a consistent measurement standard from the design stage, comparison and verification with past measures become easier, and the improvement towards a 'performance-trackable operation' proceeds smoothly.

● Solves the problem of 'it's over after it's out, and can't be used for sales'

Objective survey data created with results in mind is not only easy for the media to pick up but can also be used directly in the sales field as 'white papers' or 'sales proposal materials.' It also becomes useful information for inside sales to use when approaching prospects, thus firmly connecting to the original goals of sales and lead acquisition.

It is time to review press releases, moving away from a 'routine for the sake of quantity' towards a 'performance-trackable operation' that incorporates objective data and strategic design, aiming for the original goals of 'sales and leads.'

The full report summarizing the 'Survey on KPIs and Performance Measurement in Press Releases' can be downloaded for free from the link below.

Please use it as a hint for your work.

Download the material

↑ Click here to download the full survey report ↑

When citing the article content, graphs, or data, please be sure to credit the link below as the source, rather than reprinting this press release. We appreciate your cooperation.

https://www.prizma-link.com/press/whitepaper/form/whitepaper140

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