Media Coverage ≠ Impact

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Headlines don’t prove ROI. Discover why media coverage is a vanity metric, and how to measure communication by real impact: trust, behaviour, and outcomes.

Agencies love to brag about “media coverage.”

The number of headlines. The stack of clippings. The glossy PDF full of logos.

But here’s the truth: media coverage without impact is just wallpaper. It looks nice, but it doesn’t fill the room. If your audience doesn’t think differently, feel differently, or act differently, all you’ve got is noise.

Coverage vs. Impact: The Real Difference

  • Coverage = visibility. Did the story run? Was the brand mentioned?

  • Impact = outcomes. Did people shift their thinking, trust more, or act differently because of that story?

One gets you attention. The other moves your business forward.

Why Counting Headlines is a Vanity Metric

  • No one remembers logos on a PDF. What people remember is how a story made them think differently.

  • Volume doesn’t equal influence. Ten tiny pickups in obscure outlets don’t beat one story in the right place at the right time.

  • Executives (generally) don’t care about clippings. They care about whether communication helped achieve business goals.

What Real Measurement Looks Like

At Orchan, we measure communications by behaviour change, not headline counts.

  • Did employees feel more confident in their leadership?

  • Did customers trust the brand more?

  • Did stakeholders change their perception or take action?

That’s the difference between coverage and impact. And that’s where the real ROI lives.


“Coverage without impact is just a receipt for how much you spent. Impact is the ROI.”

 

The Real ROI of Communication

  • Impact means behaviour shifts: adoption, loyalty, advocacy.

  • It shows up in sentiment analysis, stakeholder surveys, trust indices, not in a pile of PDFs.

  • It translates to business outcomes: improved reputation, smoother stakeholder relations, stronger pipelines.

Case in Point

One client received 50+ clippings in Tier 2 outlets. Impressive? Maybe. But one op-ed in a key industry journal reshaped investor sentiment, and unlocked funding. That’s impact.

FAQ: Media Coverage vs. Real Value

Q1: Isn’t media coverage important?
Yes, but only as a means to an end. Visibility matters, but value comes from impact.

Q2: How do you measure impact?
Track shifts in perception, sentiment, and behavior; not just column inches.

Q3: Why do agencies still push clipping reports?
Because they’re easy to count and easy to sell. But “easy to count” ≠ “worth counting.”

Key Takeaways

  • Coverage ≠ impact. Don’t confuse visibility with value.

  • Headlines are just the start. Real value = behaviour change.

  • Vanity metrics make agencies look good. Impact makes brands stronger.

Final Thought

If your agency’s biggest brag is a stack of clippings, you’re paying for a scrapbook, not a strategy.

At Orchan, we cut through vanity metrics to measure what actually matters: shifts in behavior, trust, and outcomes. That’s where communication proves its worth.

Email: changenow@orchan.asia |  +603-7972 6377


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