Campaign process
Plan the route before promising the result
A useful PR process identifies what is newsworthy, which outcome is editorially controlled, which is commercially booked, and what evidence will exist after delivery.
Eight stages
From brief to a defensible campaign record
- 1
Brief and objective
Confirm the business objective, target audience, countries, languages, timing, risk level and the decision the campaign should influence.
- 2
Claims and evidence
Separate verified facts, customer-approved claims, forward-looking statements and unsupported assumptions before drafting or pitching.
- 3
Newsworthiness review
Assess whether the available story supports an earned pitch, requires a stronger angle, or is better suited to sponsored content or distribution.
- 4
Channel and media research
Map publications, journalists, commercial teams, distribution providers and local partners by route rather than combining them in one undifferentiated list.
- 5
Materials and approvals
Prepare the release, pitch, supporting data, visuals, spokesperson notes, disclosure language and approval boundaries required for the selected route.
- 6
Outreach or booking
Run editorial pitching where justified, or confirm commercial inventory, pricing, labelling, editorial control and delivery conditions for paid routes.
- 7
Verification and reporting
Record live URLs, dates, channel type, outlet, visible disclosures, links, key mentions, known reach data and material deviations from the agreed scope.
- 8
Review and next decision
Evaluate outputs against the original objective, identify reusable authority assets and decide whether to iterate, stop or expand into another market.
Control boundaries
What can be managed—and what remains outside the campaign team's control
| Route | Can be managed | Cannot be guaranteed |
|---|---|---|
| Earned editorial | Research quality, pitch quality, timing and follow-up discipline | Editorial acceptance, wording, publication date, link inclusion or permanence |
| Paid / sponsored | Booked format, commercial scope, agreed disclosure, supplied assets and documented acceptance criteria | Search ranking, organic traffic, indexation, downstream pickups or audience response |
| Newswire distribution | Release preparation, selected distribution package and available distribution report | Independent reporting, pickup quality, indexing of every copy or referral traffic |
| Syndication | Known source relationship, licensed scope and available output records | Unique editorial treatment, canonical handling by third parties or long-term retention |
Minimum client inputs
What a workable brief needs
- ✓Business objective and intended audience
- ✓Target countries and working languages
- ✓Verified company, product and customer facts
- ✓Spokesperson availability and approved claims
- ✓Timing, embargoes and launch dependencies
- ✓Existing assets, coverage and known sensitivities
- ✓Budget range and acceptable channel types
- ✓Approval owner and response timeline
Reporting integrity
Every output keeps its real label
Reports should identify whether an item was earned, sponsored, distributed, syndicated or owned. A distribution pickup is not silently converted into “tier-one earned coverage,” and a paid placement is not presented as an editor's independent recommendation.
Reach estimates, traffic metrics and link status should be attributed to their source and review date. Screenshots and third-party estimates are evidence inputs, not guarantees of business impact.
Have a campaign brief or a delivery capability?
Contact us about a project, or submit your media and market capability for qualification.