Hit
A successful media placement resulting from PR efforts.
Definition
A hit is a successful media placement—a story, mention, interview, or feature resulting from PR efforts. Hits are the primary output metric for traditional PR, though the industry increasingly emphasizes quality and impact over quantity.
Tracking hits involves monitoring services, client alerts, and journalist relationships. Significant hits warrant rapid response for social amplification and sales enablement.
Why It Matters
Hits demonstrate PR campaign results and provide assets for marketing amplification. Quality hits in relevant outlets matter more than high quantities in irrelevant media.
Understanding what constitutes a valuable hit helps prioritize pitching efforts.
Examples in Practice
A feature story hit in The New York Times driving significant website traffic.
Measuring campaign success by hits across tier-one, tier-two, and trade media targets.
Leveraging hits through social sharing, website features, and sales collateral.