Welcome to the Key Message Penetration deep dive article. Below, we cover:

  1. Overview & Use Cases
  2. How we Measure Key Message Penetration
  3. How to add a Key Message Penetration Chart (Evaluation Widget)
  4. How to add Key Message Penetration Total Metrics (Summary Metrics Widget)

1. Key Message Penetration Overview & Use Cases

Key Message Penetration provides evidence that core aspects of a story were referenced by the media and successfully communicated with the target audience.

Beyond this, knowledge of which key messages have been communicated is valuable in terms of future media strategy.

Manually measuring the presence of key messages is time-consuming and prone to human error. Releasd can detect multiple key messages across all online coverage within a report at the press of a button. It's also fully impartial, and can detect even the essence of a message.

 

 

Why Key Message Penetration is useful

PRs use Key Message Penetration to:

  • Demonstrate that critical elements of a story have been successfully communicated to the target audience
  • Compare the performance of different key messages side-by-side
  • Make more informed decisions about media strategy and tactics going forward

 

2. How we Measure Key Message Penetration

The process of detecting Key Messages works as follows:

  • Online coverage is added to a Releasd report
  • Based on the key messages added by you, our trained AI systems read all coverage and detect their presence, even if the essence of a key message*
  • Appearances of key messages are grouped plotted on a bar chart

*What is 'the essence of a key message'? Let's say you add the following key message to our system:

  • Hot sauces are growing in popularity 

By way of example, Releasd will recognise the following as instances of that same key message:

  • Hot sauces are growing in popularity
  • Hot sauces, which have become more popular in recent years thanks to...
  • We love hot sauces, and we're not alone - they have become incredibly popular...

In other words, if the article communicates that hot sauces are growing in popularity in any reasonable way, it'll be counted.

See our Managing Key Messages section below for further details.

3. How to add a Key Message Penetration Chart (Evaluation Widget)

i) First, add some Online Coverage to your report

Drag on the Online Coverage widget and enter some URLs.

You can learn how to do this here.

ii) Add an Evaluation widget to your report

You can find this in the Toolbar.

 

 

iii) Click 'Add Evaluation'

 

 

And then 'Add charts':

 

 

iv) Select the chart, and then add it to the widget

 

 

v) Manage Key Messages

As discussed, Key Messages articulate the core elements of a story that need to be communicated to an audience, articulated in a concise way. Usually there are 2-5 key messages in any given campaign.

Unlike Spokesperson Quotes, they do not always appear verbatim in press releases or directly in media coverage. Our systems are trained to detect the essence of key messages when reading articles.

Examples of Key Messages:

✅ Sales of hot sauces grew by 30% last year, more than any other sauce category

✅ The series will launch on Netflix on 21st May in 5 key territories

✅ Visit www.example.com to find out more and book tickets (a call-to-action)

Avoid using specific Brand Keywords, Spokesperson Quotes or pure Backlinks, which are better suited to other charts:

❌ Diet Coke (Brand Keyword)

❌ "This is a monumental marriage between art and business. We couldn't be prouder of our collaboration with Murakami." (Spokesperson Quote)

❌ www.example.com (pure backlink)

Adding Key Messages:

To add a Key Message to be analysed in this chart, either:

  • Select from recent Key Messages
  • Add a new Key Message

 

Existing Key Messages can be edited, or removed.

 

vi) Optional: add a caption, reorder or delete the chart

 

 

vii) Finally, click 'Done' to save the widget

The chart will automatically update as you add online coverage to the report.

 

 

4. How to add Key Message Total Metrics (Summary Metrics Widget)

The Summary Metrics widget displays total figures in a visual infographic.

 

i) Add a Summary Metrics widget to your report

You can find this in the Toolbar.

Click to open the widget and add metrics.

 

 

ii) Scroll to the Online Coverage section

Select the total Metrics you'd like to add. 

Key Message Penetration here is an average across all key messages and all coverage. 

For example, let's say you have 2 Key Messages and have achieved 10 pieces of online coverage.

  • 1 Key Message is communicated in 5 articles
  • The other key message is communicated in the other 5 articles
  • IE they do not overlap

Here, they Key Message Penetration will be 100% because all articles included at least 1 key message.

 

 

iii) Save the widget

Once added, click to save the widget. Metrics will automatically update alongside evaluation.