A PR competitor analysis helps you understand your rivals’ media strategies, brand positioning, and communication tactics. This guide covers actionable steps to analyze competitors and improve your own PR performance.
Introduction
In the fast-paced world of public relations, staying ahead of your competitors is essential for maintaining strong brand reputation, media presence, and stakeholder trust. A well-executed PR competitor analysis provides insights into your rivals’ media strategies, messaging, and campaigns so you can benchmark your performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Unlike other forms of competitor analysis, PR competitor research focuses specifically on media outreach, press coverage, crisis management, and public messaging tactics.
This comprehensive guide will help PR professionals, brand managers, and communications strategists effectively perform competitor analysis and use insights to improve their PR strategy.
What Is PR Competitor Analysis?
A PR competitor analysis is the process of systematically evaluating your competitors’ public relations strategies, media presence, press releases, brand positioning, and reputation management practices.
Key Focus Areas:
- Media coverage frequency and tone
- Press release strategy and timing
- Social media messaging in PR context
- Crisis communications approach
- Share of voice compared to competitors
This analysis helps uncover strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in your own PR strategy, allowing you to adapt, innovate, and stand out.
Why PR Competitor Analysis Matters
1. Benchmark Media Presence
Discover how often competitors are mentioned in the press and which publications cover them most.
2. Understand Messaging Strategies
Analyze tone, messaging angles, and calls to action competitors use in their press releases.
3. Identify Opportunities
Spot missed media opportunities where competitors are lacking coverage or poorly handled crises.
4. Improve Stakeholder Communication
Understand how competitors maintain thought leadership and industry authority.
5. Crisis Preparedness
Learn from competitors’ PR crises to proactively avoid similar missteps.
Key Components of a PR Competitor Analysis
| Component | Description | Example Data |
|---|---|---|
| Media Mentions | Number of press mentions, outlets, and tone of articles | 150 mentions in TechCrunch, Forbes (Neutral-Positive) |
| Press Release Activity | Frequency, content focus, and distribution channels | Monthly press releases, focus on product launches |
| Social Media PR Messaging | Tone, engagement, hashtags, and content type | Frequent LinkedIn posts focusing on thought leadership |
| Share of Voice | Percentage of total industry mentions a competitor controls | 25% share vs your brand’s 10% |
| Crisis Management Approach | Speed of response, transparency, messaging consistency | Timely apology posted on official channels during data breach |
| Thought Leadership Presence | Industry webinars, guest articles, expert interviews | CEO featured in 5 industry podcasts per quarter |
Step-by-Step Guide: Conducting PR Competitor Analysis
Step 1: List Your Competitors
Identify direct and indirect competitors who target the same audience with PR efforts.
Step 2: Track Media Mentions
Use media monitoring tools such as:
- Meltwater
- Cision
- Google News Alerts
Collect data on frequency, tone, and publication quality.
Step 3: Analyze Press Releases
Subscribe to competitor mailing lists or use services like PR Newswire to collect competitor press releases. Analyze:
- Topics covered
- Headlines structure
- Call-to-action effectiveness
Step 4: Assess Social Media PR Activity
Evaluate competitors’ LinkedIn, Twitter, and industry-specific networks:
- Posting frequency
- Engagement metrics
- Hashtags and mentions
Step 5: Evaluate Thought Leadership
Track guest articles, expert quotes in media, and webinar appearances. Tools like BuzzSumo help identify shared content.
Step 6: Build a Comparative Dashboard
Organize findings into a visual dashboard:
| Competitor | Media Mentions | Press Releases/Month | Share of Voice | Top Performing Channels | Crisis Cases |
|---|
Measuring Media Impact and Share of Voice
Media Impact
- Analyze article sentiment: Positive, Neutral, Negative
- Identify key journalists covering your industry
- Determine if competitor stories reach key industry publications
Share of Voice (SOV)
SOV indicates the percentage of total industry PR presence your competitors occupy compared to your brand.
Example:
- Competitor A: 30% SOV
- Competitor B: 25% SOV
- Your brand: 15% SOV
Tools like Brandwatch or Meltwater calculate SOV over time to track trends.
Real-World Case Studies of Effective PR Competitor Analysis
Case Study #1: SaaS Brand Breakthrough
A SaaS B2B company noticed low media presence compared to competitors. Through PR competitor analysis, they identified competitors heavily leveraged customer success stories. The company pivoted to highlight customer impact, boosting media mentions by 40% in 6 months.
Case Study #2: Crisis Management Benchmarking
An energy firm benchmarked competitors’ crisis communications during an industry scandal. They adopted a more transparent and proactive PR approach, enhancing stakeholder trust and receiving positive media coverage during their own later crisis.
Industry-Specific PR Practices and Examples
Tech Industry
- Focus on product launches, security updates, and partnerships
- Key outlets: TechCrunch, Wired, VentureBeat
Healthcare
- Regulatory announcements, clinical trial results, healthcare conferences
- Key outlets: Medscape, Healthline
Financial Services
- Regulatory updates, M&A activities, market outlook reports
- Key outlets: Bloomberg, Financial Times
Example: A healthcare provider regularly shares research studies, enabling them to build authority in top-tier medical publications.
Common PR Competitor Analysis Mistakes & Solutions
| Mistake | Solution |
|---|---|
| Only Tracking Direct Competitors | Include emerging startups and indirect players |
| Ignoring Sentiment Analysis | Use AI-based sentiment tools to analyze tone |
| One-Time Effort | Schedule regular (monthly/quarterly) analysis |
| Forgetting to Analyze Crisis Cases | Benchmark competitor crises to learn proactive measures |
Best Practices & Strategic Tips for PR Competitor Analysis
Set clear KPIs: Media mentions, SOV, engagement rates
Monitor industry trends & competitor shifts
Maintain a central PR competitor dashboard
Collaborate with sales & marketing for aligned messaging
Use qualitative & quantitative data for balanced insights
Top Tools & Resources for PR Competitor Analysis
| Tool | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Meltwater | Media monitoring & sentiment analysis |
| Cision | Press release distribution & competitor tracking |
| Google News Alerts | Free competitor media tracking |
| BuzzSumo | Content performance, thought leadership benchmarking |
| Brandwatch | Share of Voice, sentiment tracking |
FAQs – 7 Essential Questions About PR Competitor Analysis
1. Why is PR competitor analysis important?
It helps benchmark your brand’s media performance, discover untapped opportunities, and align communication strategy for competitive differentiation.
2. How often should I conduct PR competitor analysis?
Monthly monitoring is ideal, while in-depth quarterly reviews provide actionable insights for strategy adjustments.
3. Can competitor analysis improve my PR campaigns?
Absolutely. By identifying successful media angles and content gaps in competitor strategies, you can craft more effective PR campaigns.
4. Is PR competitor analysis legal?
Yes, as long as you use publicly available data and do not engage in unethical practices like hacking.
5. How do I measure share of voice?
Use media monitoring tools to collect industry mentions, then calculate your brand’s mentions as a percentage of the total.
6. What role do social media platforms play in PR competitor analysis?
They provide insight into tone, engagement strategies, and customer interaction, crucial for public perception.
7. How can I act on competitor analysis findings?
Use the insights to adjust press release timing, optimize messaging, prioritize thought leadership, and improve crisis responses.
Conclusion
A strong PR competitor analysis is your gateway to smarter media strategies, more impactful brand positioning, and proactive reputation management.
