Steph Bridgeman, founder and lead consultant at Experienced Media Analysts and AMEC board director: "No, PR is data abundant. The industry has never had more data at its disposal:

• Media coverage

• Social analytics

• Search trends

• Website performance

• Audience mapping

• Survey/attitudinal data – the list goes on.

“However, PR risks heading on a path where it might become insight deficient if forgets the value of human intelligence, and the ability to pick up on small signals in the pursuit of insight. Shiny new AI and automation features are great, but you need a human at the other end to know what to do with it. Further, the PR sector should always be mindful of whether data is clean or dirty. That’s why, just this week, AMEC announced it is joining with the Global Data Quality Initiative to extend its efforts to address the risks associated with poor data accuracy and trust in unstructured social media, and related voice of customer data."

Hayley Peters, planning and strategy director at Smoking Gun: “As a sweeping generalisation, yes. This happens for multiple reasons. Traditionally no one embarked on a PR career for the love of data (though this is changing) and the industry often overlooks training of the requisite skillset to understand how and why to use data. As such, sometimes us PRs are simply scared of asking for the data. But we also often find a reluctance for data sharing from clients. This may be attitudinal, because of systems or equally as often, down to internal silos between brand, marketing, customer and comms teams. 

"The larger the organisation, the harder gleaning this information seems to be in our experience. Our friends in media buying positively embrace it and perhaps as much more of their work is focused on driving sales, they place econometrics at the heart, and clients are keener to share data to measure ROI. PR can look at other elements of the marketing mix from digital marketing (specifically SEO/PPC) and strategic planners in advertising to glean new tools and methods of using rational data to build the rationale and proof of impact of emotionally compelling storytelling.”

Martyn Gettings, head of brand PR at Tank: "PR is often seen as less data-driven compared to disciplines like paid media, SEO, or conversion rate optimisation, and this can sometimes raise questions about its tangible impact. However, PR isn’t about last-click attribution, but building awareness, trust, and credibility at the top of the funnel. That said, the idea that PR is ‘data deficient’ is outdated. PR professionals have access to a wide range of metrics that provide meaningful insights into campaign performance. Beyond traditional metrics like reach and coverage volume (or the metric-that-shall-not-be-named, AVE), indicators such as branded search volume, share of voice, backlinks and referring domains, and progress against SEO keyword targets and organic traffic can paint a compelling picture of success. The key to ‘upping your data game’ is to use these insights strategically. For example, branded search volume can indicate how well your campaign is driving interest, while backlink quality, share of voice and share of search can reveal how your efforts stack up against competitors. Tools like sentiment analysis and audience engagement tracking also help refine messaging and optimise future activity. By focusing on these data points, PR teams can bridge the gap between brand awareness and measurable business outcomes, ensuring their value is not only recognised but integrated into the broader marketing mix."

Matt Oakley, global head of data and analytics at Hotwire: “PR as a whole isn't data deficient. There is an abundance of data points out there that can help us discover where our audience is going to get their news and the platforms shaping their decision making, enabling us to develop audience-first strategies in regards to media relations and messaging. From a measurement standpoint, there is still a lack of trust in the metrics shared. PR feels as if it is missing that silver bullet, or wants a clean single metric that can be easily explained in boardrooms, which is why some people still rely on discredited metrics (like AVE) to prove their worth.”

Jonny Bentwood, global president, data and analytics at Golin:

“Data is not deficient in PR - it is abundant, but the challenge lies in its effective use.

This is achieved by evolving it from a huge stream of noise, to an insight into a compelling story. Not everyone understands data science so as strategists, we must translate it into a story that everyone can immediately see the key point. One of the issues I have seen within PR’s use of data is over reliance on a single source as a barometer for all truth. For example, people may use social listening as a way of understanding what audiences are saying. However, many tools struggle getting information from Instagram or TikTok so simply don’t use those channels in their analysis. We need to fish where the fish and get the data wherever our target audiences are residing. This may mean using multiple data sets to help understand what customers care about.”

Lucy Hart, executive strategy director at The Romans: “PRs are addicted to data. It’s become a crutch that crushes creativity, rather than a tool to elevate our insight and give credence to our work. Numbers matter but to be beholden to data to define and direct decisions results in a stranglehold of creativity where ideas must be justified by flimsy figures that bear little reflection to what people actually think or feel about a brand. 

Blindly following data misses the nuance of humanity. 

Insights are not found in spreadsheets; they emerge from the real world, real conversations, digital observations and analogue analysis. So often we are on the hunt for tentative trends and bubbling conversations. These are mere blips on the Richter scale of gen pop surveys and audience insight tools. And don’t get me started on big data’s capacity to obscure the opinions of minority groups. This is a much overlooked aspect of data analysis meaning we are continuing to churn out homogenous perspectives. You probably need less but better data, not more of it that tells you very little of use. Don’t hide behind numbers, say your insights with your chest.”

Richard Bagnall, co-founder of CommsClarity: “No, PR is not data deficient. Quite to the contrary, we have more data than ever, via media monitoring, audience insights, website analytics, social listening, market research and beyond. The challenge is the confidence and know-how to connect the relevant data points into a coherent narrative that speaks to what it was that we were trying to achieve. We must resist the urge to report on every metric we can find; effectively throwing data at the wall and hoping that something sticks with our clients. Doing this weakens rather than enhances our reporting, and the resultant ‘paralysis by analysis’ reduces interest and relevance. Identify the metrics that matter—those tightly linked to objectives—and use a structured approach (like AMEC’s Integrated Evaluation Framework) to transform relevant numbers into insights that show genuine value.”

Claire Cooper, director, business and corporate at Speed: “There is a perception that PR as an industry is data deficient but that view is increasingly outdated. PR consultants are working in a time where the access to data is huge. So, the challenge isn’t deficiency but how we use data effectively and authentically. For PR to thrive, data must underpin every decision. This begins with setting measurable objectives and using tools like media monitoring, social listening and website analytics to track impact. However, these tools alone aren't enough. Data is only valuable when it’s tied to a clear narrative and business outcomes. Too often, the focus is on vanity metrics – such as impressions or reach – without linking these to meaningful ROI. One gap that remains is cross-functional data integration. PR rarely operates in a vacuum, and aligning communications data with sales, marketing and customer service insights can create a more complete picture of campaign effectiveness and audience behaviour. The industry needs to embrace collaboration to break down these silos. As industry consultants, we need to build confidence in presenting data-driven strategies to boards and senior leaders. By demonstrating how PR contributes to bottom-line goals, whether it's brand trust, lead generation, or stakeholder engagement, we can firmly position ourselves as indispensable to business strategy. PR isn’t data deficient. The challenge lies in shifting mindsets to prioritise data literacy and strategy at every level of the industry.”

Christian Sharp, communications manager for Northern Europe at OVHcloud: “Is PR data deficient? It’s a no from me. Everyone loves to dump on PR and data, but I’ve always found that my fellow PR professionals have a very rigorous and well thought-out approach to measurement within a complex space. There’s a plethora of ways to measure the impact of PR, from raw reach to sentiment, key message usage, prompted and unprompted brand awareness, matrices of compound metrics, share of voice segmented by area or topic, not to mention the same (and more) for social media and other parts of the comms mix. When people challenge PR measurement, it’s usually because they don’t understand it, or expect it to lead to sales directly. You don’t build a car from just one kind of part, and not all marcomms disciplines occupy the same part of the sales funnel – so you have to measure them differently. PR is a commercial discipline, but it’s trust-gen rather than lead-gen, and the former is an important prerequisite for the latter. At the end of the day, how you measure should mirror what you’re trying to achieve commercially: you can’t use a tape measure when you want to weigh something.”

Chris Hopper, founder of Bridge, said: "Are there industries that are more data-savvy than PR and comms? Sure, but that doesn't mean PR practitioners aren't using data well. And in my experience, both consultancies and clients are becoming more sophisticated and that trend will continue. I think there are two big opportunities. The first is for agencies to keep pushing and educating clients on data, particularly for understanding audiences and measurement. We're rightly challenged on proving the value of our work, and making the case for data's role in evaluation is the enlightened thing to do. Done properly it produces insights that will inform and improve comms strategy too. The second opportunity is - surprise - AI. With AI tools now mainstream and the chance to integrate them into the software we all use every day, there's no excuse for it not to be fully in our thinking. The businesses and brands we all advise will expect it and it provides a platform for good-quality data for sound decision-making. It also frees up time for the deeper analysis and thinking that's at the heart of premium consultancy."

Andy West, managing consultant at Westofcenter Consulting: "With certain notable exceptions, PR is not yet a data driven marketing discipline. There are agencies that lean into the numbers but many still struggle to use data to validate ideation, to provide market insights, to inform audience segmentation, and ultimately to demonstrate campaign impact. Without data and clear attribution to a specific business impact, agency budgets will always be seen as discretionary spend by CEOs and CFOs and therefore at high risk of coming under scrutiny. The imperative is for PR to be seen as a necessity and this can only be achieved if data is used to underpin robust measurement and evaluation practices."