How Can Public Relations Pros Monitor Public Opinion

public opinion survey results and analysis

One of the fundamentals of public relations is tracking and monitoring the opinion of the public. Additionally, in the past few years, thanks to social media, it has become easier than ever for PR pros to keep track of what the public is thinking or talking about when it comes to particular brands. When it comes to social media, aside from the fact that it’s an excellent tool for publicity, and free publicity at that, it allows brands to directly communicate with a target audience without going through intermediaries, such as the media. It’s also important to keep track of what that audience is saying when a brand isn’t directly promoting a product or a service. A solid public relations strategy or campaign involves a plan that always includes an analysis of the market and the target audience, as well as the key messages and tactics. However, to ensure that a campaign is truly effective, all of the tactics must be monitored, measured and evaluated, which is usually done by monitoring the opinions of the public.

Returns on Impressions, Media Impact, Target Investment or Earned Media

When it comes to monitoring the public opinion, the main focus is on the numbers of ROI, ROMI, ROTI as well as ROEM . These numbers point out the number of impressions a campaign got, the sales in connection with media coverage, the sales themselves, as well as the value of advertising, respectively. There are several different techniques that can be used to measure these numbers, and all of them are slightly different and employ different rules. However, the use of these techniques is the same - measuring the effectiveness of a PR campaign.

Surveys and Focus Groups

One of the main ways that most companies tend to monitor public opinion is via surveys or focus groups. These are usually carried out both before as well as after a PR tactic has been implemented so that the company can precisely see how effective that particular tactic has been with the audience. Focus groups and customer surveys are great ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of a PR campaign to a brand or a company, to clearly see which tactic is not working and which one is very effective.

Measuring Social Media Impact

Finally, there is also a way to monitor public opinion by focusing on social media platforms, and these techniques can be used on each social platform separately or combined, depending on the direction of the PR strategy of the client. Some of the metrics that can be followed on social media include the cost per impression, the cost per engagement, the cost per click, the cost per site visitor, the cost per inbound link, and finally, the cost per subscriber. While there are plenty of other ways that brands and companies can keep up with the public opinion via the traditional media outlets, these are some of the ones that are only going to grow in popularity due to the increase of digital PR in the last few years.

Written by

Robert Ford

Rob Ford is a Managing Partner and Executive Vice President at 5W where he leads the Corporate Communications division as well as the Crisis Communications practice and helps direct the core operations of the firm day-to-day. Rob leads a team serving clients across real estate, financial services, fintech, enterprise technology, AI, legal services, health care, and defense tech - bringing senior-level strategic thinking and hands-on campaign leadership to every engagement. At 5W, Rob shapes the firm's strategic direction across multiple dimensions: reimagining service offerings, driving AI-enablement, defining company culture and guiding principles, and sharpening the firm's digital communications and marketing. He is the architect of 5W's crisis preparedness framework and a trusted advisor to C-suite leaders on crisis readiness, response strategy, and executive media training. Rob is a crisis strategist and brand protection leader who helps high-growth and established companies navigate their most critical moments - from ransomware attacks and data breaches to government investigations, high-stakes litigation, and activist investor proxy fights. His expertise is built on a foundation that spans corporate communications, public affairs, and advocacy with experience shaping public opinion at both the local and national levels for Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and nonprofits across industries including telecom, agriculture, biotech, retail, and defense. Rob has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Delaware.

View all articles by Robert Ford →

Reputation Recovery Examples: Successful Turnarounds

November 1, 2025

catering for a lifestyle event with elegant food displays

Social Media Agency

Digital Marketing Strategies for Lifestyle Events: A Guide for Success

May 28, 2025

a woman in a black dress smiling and holding a glass of champagne

Public Relations

Navigating Alcohol Advertising Regulations While Creating Impactful Campaigns

December 6, 2024

Get in touch

Let's build your next chapter.

Tell us what you're working on. A senior strategist will respond within one business day.

Email: info@5wpr.com
Phone: 212.999.5585
Offices: New York · HQ469 7th Avenue, Floor 8
New York, NY 10018
Miami100 SE 2nd Street, Floor 38
Miami, FL 33131
Tampa110 South 12th Street
Tampa, FL 33602