How to Use Data in Your PR Program (and Free eBook!)

For PR professionals, “data” is the key to creating compelling and credible messages and stories for their organizations. This could be from a consumer survey, aggregate information from a company’s technology platform, commissioned analysis from a market research firm, or even third-party statistics.

When the role of public relations is to inform, influence and inspire audiences to take action, data is an incredibly powerful tool. It can be used across the organization and across multiple channels – including press releases, opinion pieces, presentations and much more.

Yet for every example of how an organization has used data effectively to support its PR, marketing and broader business goals, there are countless examples of where data has fallen flat. This could be for a number of reasons. Perhaps the data didn’t tell a compelling story, maybe it was too complicated, maybe it was packaged in a way that was overtly self-serving, or it failed to make an impact because it isn’t properly amplified across a variety of media channels. 

At Gravitate, we’ve amassed years of experience and seen immense success in data-driven storytelling. We’ve worked with a variety of clients to develop the right methodology, approach, and compelling narratives centered around credible data. 

A few examples include:

• Our award-winning work with Hired where we’ve partnered closely with Hired to develop the methodology, messages, and content to launch quarterly reports focused on the state of hiring in tech. These thematic reports – including the State of Software Engineering, tech salaries, skills and more – have played a central role in driving leads and discussions among prospects and other stakeholders, while generating top-tier coverage in publications including Bloomberg, Insider, Forbes, MarketWatch and others. 
• Our engagement with retail analytics brand, EDITED, a previously unknown company in the US, to launch its presence and thought leadership. Its proprietary data was a cornerstone of our PR strategy and program, which successfully positioned EDITED as a pioneer and go-to resource for retail opportunities and trends. Within the first year, we secured over 220 media placements, in publications such as Fast Company, Fortune, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, and more. 
• Our work with influencer marketing platform, Traackr, over several years included establishing its data reports, focused on the state of influencer marketing. Public relations was the primary vehicle to launch these reports. This led to thousands of downloads of the reports on Traackr’s website, and served as a key lead magnet to cultivate and pursue sales leads. 

We’ve put together a free, downloadable eBook that covers the steps to an impactful data-driven storytelling program – it’s a good starting point whether your company is just starting to use data in its PR programs, or is looking at ways to improve an existing initiative. 

If you are looking to kickstart or successfully use data in your marketing & communications activities, we’d love to chat about how we can help. Contact us here.