In tech PR, you may mostly hear about media coverage and thought leadership. But here’s the thing: If you’re the CMO of a hot sector like healthtech or cloud computing, you might be looking at public relations to also help drive some revenue.
Should PR lead generation be a thing? Some agencies will tell you, “Not our job.” But if PR can help drive top-of-funnel awareness, why not go deeper and track whether that awareness turns into actual sales conversations?
Let’s break it down.
The PR playbook (as it stands now)
Most PR programs revolve around the press, the public, events, sometimes social, and maybe analysts. For the media relations part of it, that means pitching and placing clients in top-tier outlets — think “TechCrunch,” “Fast Company,” or “The Wall Street Journal” — as well as trade publications that reach key buyers.
To measure earned media ROI, tech PR agencies traditionally report on things such as:
- The number of media hits
- Potential impressions (basically a giant number that makes everyone feel good)
- Share of voice vs.competitors
- Website traffic spikes after big media hits
Useful? Absolutely. But do those metrics alone tell us if PR is actually driving business? Not yet.
What happens when PR meets lead gen?
To determine whether PR is influencing the pipeline, here’s what CMOs should be looking at:
- Referral traffic from media placements: Are people clicking from that article in “Wired” to your website?
- Branded search lift: After a big press hit, do more people Google your company?
- Inbound leads from PR-driven content: If you publish a byline in a trade publication or on social sites like LinkedIn, are decision-makers contacting you?
- Conversion rates on PR-driven landing pages: Are visitors from earned media turning into demo requests or newsletter subscribers?
- Sales team feedback: Are prospects mentioning that they heard about the company from a recent article or podcast appearance?
That’s all trackable, and it gets us closer to answering the million-dollar question: Is PR bringing in the right people, or just reaching a lot of people?
Does this make sense for PR agencies?
Now, let’s flip this around. If you’re a PR agency, do you actually want to be on the hook for lead generation?
There’s an argument to be made that tying PR to business development distorts its purpose. PR isn’t paid search or outbound sales — it’s about credibility, visibility, and trust. That’s the long game.
But let’s be real: Clients care about results, and runways are shorter than ever. If PR firms want to stay relevant — especially in competitive industries like healthtech and enterprise software — they can’t just shrug and say, “Our job ends at awareness.”
The key is balance. PR shouldn’t be held to the same lead-gen expectations as, say, a demand-gen agency (which themselves are nearly useless for real PR). But ignoring PR’s role in driving business isn’t a great look either.
Partners vs vendors
PR only works when agencies and clients act as true partners, not just “vendor” and “buyer.” If a tech PR agency is chasing just juicy media hits while the client needs business leads, the disconnect will disappoint both sides.
Agencies must ask smarter questions: Who are exactly the right decision-makers? How does PR fit into sales? How can we leverage AI to reach those decision makers sooner? And clients must share insights and see PR as more than just a megaphone.
When both sides align, PR can mean more than “press releases” and “public relations.” For tech companies — especially industries under venture pressure like healthtech, cleantech, and cloud computing — get ready to add “pipeline resources” to the definition.