Can PR generate business leads, or does it still depend on a CMO’s belief?

Ask a PR professional whether public relations can generate business, and the answer is likely to be an emphatic yes. Put the same question to a chief marketing officer (CMO), and the response may not be quite so straightforward. Most marketing heads recognise the importance of reputation, credibility and visibility. But when budgets come under pressure, one question inevitably surfaces: what has PR actually delivered to the business?

This debate has followed the industry for years. PR professionals have consistently argued that communication influences consumer behaviour, builds trust and strengthens brands. Yet the reports presented to clients often continue to revolve around the number of stories published, media reach and share of voice. These numbers establish visibility, but do they tell a CMO whether the investment has made a difference to the business?

The industry is now under increasing pressure to look beyond communication outputs and demonstrate business value. The conversation is gradually shifting from how much publicity a campaign generates to what that publicity achieves. Did it strengthen the brand, build credibility among potential customers, influence decision-making or create opportunities for business? These are questions that PR agencies must be prepared to address. The challenge is to move beyond measurement frameworks and demonstrate how communication contributes to meaningful business outcomes.

Digital has changed the rules

The comparison with digital marketing is inevitable. A performance-driven digital campaign can track clicks, enquiries, leads and conversions. Marketers can examine the cost of acquiring a customer, identify which advertisements are working and, in many cases, follow a prospect's journey from the first interaction to the final purchase.

PR does not offer the same straightforward route. A story in a business publication may catch the attention of a prospective customer. An interview with a company's CEO may reassure a business partner. An article by a technology leader may establish credibility among decision-makers considering a new supplier. These interactions can influence a business conversation, but they do not always leave behind a clear trail that can be attributed to PR.

This is where the comparison becomes difficult. Digital performance marketing often measures a direct response. PR may help create the conditions in which that response becomes possible. Both can contribute to business growth, but they do not necessarily operate in the same way or over the same period.

The problem arises when PR is expected to demonstrate an immediate return using the same parameters as a performance campaign. Equally, PR cannot expect clients to accept publicity volumes as sufficient proof of success.

Can a media story bring in a client?

Consider a company looking to expand its business-to-business operations. A well-placed article explaining its capabilities could reach a decision-maker who was previously unaware of the company. That reader might visit its website, speak to a colleague and eventually contact its sales team.

Would that enquiry have happened without the article? It is difficult to know. The prospect may also have seen an advertisement, attended an industry event or received a recommendation from an existing business associate.

This is the attribution problem that PR has struggled to resolve. A media story can open a door, but it may not be possible to establish that it alone brought the customer in.

The opportunity is nevertheless real, particularly in technology, financial services and other categories where credibility matters before a purchase decision. An informed article or a credible spokesperson can help a company enter a prospect's consideration set. The challenge is to follow that influence through to the next stage: an enquiry, a meeting, a request for a proposal or, eventually, a sale.

The CMO's belief matters, but is it enough?

In many organisations, the value assigned to PR still depends to some extent on the CMO's conviction. One marketing head may regard communication as a long-term investment in reputation and stakeholder confidence. Another may demand immediate evidence of commercial returns, especially when every part of the marketing budget is expected to justify itself.

Neither position is entirely unreasonable. Businesses cannot be expected to invest indefinitely in an activity simply because its benefits are believed to exist. Equally, not every marketing investment can be judged by the number of leads it produces within a month or a quarter.

The real issue is not whether a CMO believes in PR. It is whether the PR team can explain what its work is expected to achieve and provide credible evidence of its contribution. Belief may help secure the initial budget. Evidence is what can sustain the relationship.

This also places a responsibility on the client. If a company expects PR to contribute to lead generation, that objective must be established at the beginning. The agency needs to understand the target audience, the sales process and the business problem it is expected to address. The client, in turn, must be willing to share relevant information about enquiries, lead quality and conversions.

Without this partnership, the agency may end up reporting publicity while the CMO waits for business results that were never properly defined.

Beyond the coverage report

The industry needs to ask more of its measurement systems. A campaign that generates hundreds of stories may look impressive, but what did those stories achieve? Did they reach the right decision-makers? Did they improve understanding of the brand? Did they encourage prospective customers to seek more information? Did they help the company address a concern or strengthen its standing in the market?

For campaigns with a lead-generation objective, agencies can work with clients to track referral traffic, enquiries following major announcements, registrations for events and the quality of leads generated. Sales teams can ask new prospects how they heard about the company. Brand and reputation research can help establish whether awareness, consideration or trust has changed.

These measures do not all establish causation. A prospect may have encountered the brand through several channels, and a rise in enquiries may reflect a combination of advertising, pricing, distribution and market conditions. But combining evidence from communication, research and sales can provide a more credible picture than a coverage report alone.

The industry must also recognise that different PR programmes need different measures of success. A product launch, a corporate reputation programme and a crisis response cannot reasonably be judged by the same yardstick. The objective should determine the measurement, not the other way around.

From belief to evidence

Can PR generate business leads? Yes, it can. Can every lead be traced to a newspaper article, an interview or a media campaign? Not necessarily. And can PR demonstrate business value when generating leads is not its primary objective? Certainly, provided the intended outcome is clearly defined and the evidence is relevant.

The industry does not need to claim that every rupee invested in PR can be measured with the precision of a digital performance campaign. It does need to be more transparent about what can be measured, what can reasonably be attributed and what can only be assessed as a contribution.

That requires better planning, more meaningful research and closer collaboration between PR agencies, marketing teams and sales departments. It also requires agencies to move away from reports that celebrate publicity volumes without explaining why that publicity mattered.

Ultimately, the debate is not about choosing between belief and measurement. It is about giving CMOs good reasons to believe in PR, supported by evidence that stands up to scrutiny. The industry's next step is to demonstrate where that value lies, how it can be assessed and what the business gains from the investment.

That is when the conversation about PR's contribution will move beyond belief and become a more credible part of the business conversation.