The Public Relations Audit (Marketing)

Evaluation checklists to measure the impact of every message you send to customers, shareholders and the public.

Starting on page 14 of this audit, you will find a unique schedule of 100 "message sources" (from press advertising and fax header sheets to job application forms and directory listings) which exist in almost any commercial organization.

Use the PR evaluation checklists that follow (covering, for example, editorial publicity and verbal communications) to examine every one of these message sources and measure the impression it creates on employees, customers, investors, journalists and the public. (This is called The Internal Image Audit).

The results will help you develop a clear and consistent improvement plan that should be implemented right across your organization.

The audit also has clear and straightforward guidelines which you can use to

• Screen/select/audit a new or existing Public Relations consultancy
• Evaluate the Public Relations competences of in-house staff
• Review the media and media mix that you use.

Step 9 of the self-assessment audit also gives you detailed guidelines on how to write a press release and a 10-point Public Relations Action Plan - which every business should follow.

The audit includes a detailed guide to the audit process:

• How to set-up and staff the audit team
• How to create an audit project plan and lay the groundwork
• How to gather, analyse and share results
• How to write audit reports, make recommendations and deal with resistance to those recommendations.

The final section of the audit includes 35 pages of detailed questions and checklists – ready for the team to use at each stage of the self-assessment audit.