One of the most asked questions after a media relations campaign is: How many placements did you get? It’s a fair question. But at Mindful Kreative (MK), we believe it’s no longer the most important one.
Today’s media landscape looks very different than it did even a few years ago. Media outlets and their teams are constantly evolving, and audiences are consuming information across countless platforms.
In this environment, earning meaningful media coverage isn’t simply about generating volume—it’s about securing the right stories, in the right outlets, for the right audiences. That’s why we at MK have evolved the way we measure success.
From Metrics to Meaning
For years, media relations reporting has focused heavily on quantitative measures like impressions, advertising value equivalency (AVE), potential reach, and media mentions. While those numbers can provide useful context, they don’t always answer what we believe is the more important question: What value did this media coverage create?
That’s why, instead of emphasizing volume alone, we’ve shifted our reporting to focus more on qualitative metrics that better reflect the impact of earned media. We evaluate factors such as strategic value, audience relevance, media outlet and contact influence, placement quality, message alignment, and sentiment.
By combining these qualitative insights with traditional metrics, we can better explain to our partners not only what happened or where they appeared—but why it mattered and how it supported their broader communications objectives.
Putting Our Approach into Practice
While any media coverage contributes to overall visibility, not every media mention carries the same value. This philosophy has shaped how we’ve supported several organizations in recent months, leading to placements that aligned closely with their communications goals and scored highly across our qualitative reporting framework.
Building Excitement Before the First Page
Our goal was to position the fifth annual Pgh Book Fest as more than a one-day event for book lovers. We wanted to reinforce Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s broader mission of promoting literacy, lifelong learning, and community connection. That strategy led to high-value earned media placements including:
- A one-on-one interview on KDKA-TV’s Talk Pittsburgh, which provided several minutes of dedicated airtime to discuss the Festival’s programming before the event. The interview offered exceptional placement quality and message alignment while reaching a broad regional audience.
- Event-day coverage on WPXI-TV, which showcased an appearance from Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, First Lady Katie O’Connor, and their children at a special story time. The segment captured the energy of the Festival and reinforced the Library’s role as a trusted community resource promoting youth literacy and extended the event’s reach well beyond those in attendance.
Putting People at the Center of the Story
Our goal was to showcase the innovative work happening every day across Mainstay through authentic stories that demonstrate the real-life impact of technology-enabled supports. That strategy resulted in high-value earned media placements including:
- A segment on KDKA-TV’s “KD Sunday Spotlight”, which introduced a broad regional audience to Independence Through Innovation through interviews and demonstrations of remote support technology. The story delivered strong strategic value by raising public awareness and positioning Mainstay as a leader.
- A content piece on Disability Insider, which reached a highly relevant audience of individuals, families, caregivers, and professionals within the disability community. The story achieved exceptional audience relevance, message alignment, and credibility through authentic storytelling.
Why Meaningful Coverage Wins
At MK, we believe successful media relations isn’t defined by the number of headlines generated but rather the impact those stories have.
That’s why we look beyond media mentions alone. We focus on the conversations that coverage sparks, the credibility it builds, and the actions it inspires—because that’s where the true value of earned media lies.
If you’re looking for a communications partner that measures success by meaningful outcomes instead of vanity metrics, we’d love to start a conversation.