B2B PR objectives setting requires translating strategic goals into SMART, outcome-level objectives that the PR function fully owns and evaluates through an AMEC-aligned framework distinguishing inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact.
One of the recurring challenges in B2B public relations is not a lack of activity, but a lack of accountability. Organizations invest time and resources in PR, yet struggle to define objectives that allow them to assess whether communication efforts achieved what they were intended to achieve.
That challenge persists despite the fact that most PR teams do measure their work. According to Muck Rack’s 2025 State of PR Measurement report, 81% of PR professionals say they measure their PR efforts, yet 61% do not follow any formal measurement framework, and only a very small minority, around 4%, report using the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework.
Measurement is widespread, but structured, framework-based evaluation remains the exception rather than the rule. This matters now because PR teams face increasing budget scrutiny, rising expectations to demonstrate value, and growing measurement noise driven by AI, making clear, outcome-level accountability more important than ever.
Among the various approaches to PR measurement, the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework is the most developed and methodologically rigorous framework available, even if it is not widely adopted in day-to-day practice. A disciplined approach to objective-setting informed by this framework helps close the gap between activity and accountability. This article outlines how to set B2B PR objectives in a way that is measurable, defensible, and aligned with AMEC principles, while remaining practical for day-to-day PR practice.
Start With Strategic Goals
Objective-setting in B2B PR begins with goals, not metrics.
Goals are high-level and directional. They describe what the organization wants to achieve at a business or strategic level, without yet specifying how communication performance will be assessed. In B2B PR, such goals typically include increasing visibility, strengthening credibility, improving competitive positioning, stabilizing or improving reputation, or supporting broader commercial ambitions.
Goals provide strategic direction, but they are not yet suitable as performance criteria for PR.
Translate Goals Into SMART Objectives
Goals become operational when they are translated into SMART objectives that sit squarely within the PR team’s remit.
In B2B PR, SMART objectives should be Specific and unambiguous (S), Measurable (M) through defined indicators, Accountable to the PR function (A), Realistic (R) given baseline conditions, and Time-bound (T). Together, these criteria ensure that objectives are clear, assessable, and fully controllable by the PR function. This does not mean PR controls the broader environment in which communication takes place, but it does mean that PR is wholly accountable for whether the objective has been achieved or not.
For example, a general goal such as increasing awareness can be translated into a SMART PR objective such as increasing Excess Share of Voice (ESOV) versus two primary competitors by four percentage points within twelve months (Excess Share of Voice being the difference between a company’s share of media visibility and its share of market). This objective is fully within PR’s control, because PR owns the strategy, execution, and evaluation required to achieve it, even though market dynamics influence how difficult it may be.
Other common B2B PR goals translate into SMART objectives in similar ways. A thought leadership goal may become an objective such as increasing the proportion of coverage that positions the company or its executives as expert sources on a defined topic within nine months in priority business and trade outlets. A competitive positioning goal may translate into achieving a higher share of voice than named competitors on a specific narrative within a defined media universe of priority business and trade outlets. A reputation-related goal may be expressed as reducing the proportion of neutral-to-negative coverage in priority business and trade outlets by a defined percentage over a twelve-month period. A credibility goal may focus on increasing the share of coverage in top-tier business and trade media relative to lower-tier mentions.
In each case, the objective defines a communication result that PR owns end to end, rather than an activity to be completed or a business result to be claimed.
Inputs, Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact
Once objectives have been defined, companies distinguish between inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact when planning and evaluating PR performance. In line with the AMEC framework, this means that both outputs and outcomes are explicitly defined, but only outcomes are treated as SMART objectives; outputs are planned and tracked as leading indicators that support those objectives.
Inputs describe the resources invested in PR, such as budget, time, staffing, agency support, and campaign scope. Inputs explain what is available to the PR team, but they are not measures of success.
Outputs are the immediate, observable results of PR activity and function as leading indicators. In practice, this includes the volume and quality of media coverage, presence in priority business and trade outlets, message pull-through, and spokesperson inclusion. Outputs are typically tracked on a regular basis and are primarily used to steer execution.
Outcomes are where PR accountability sits. Outcomes describe the communication effects that PR is responsible for delivering, such as relative visibility, awareness lift, expert positioning, narrative dominance, or changes in coverage tone or framing. Measures such as ESOV, shifts in expert attribution, or improvements in coverage balance within priority business and trade outlets are outcome-level indicators. Because outcomes reflect accumulated communication effects, they function as trailing indicators and are typically assessed over longer time horizons.
Impact, by contrast, is where PR relevance is demonstrated rather than owned. Impact refers to broader organizational effects such as pipeline development, employer attractiveness, long-term reputation strength, or category leadership. AMEC expects practitioners to identify relevant impact indicators and to explain how PR outcomes plausibly support them, while avoiding claims of direct causality. Impact provides business context and strategic relevance, but it is not the level at which PR SMART objectives should be set.
This distinction is fundamental. PR is fully accountable for outcomes, while impact explains why those outcomes matter in a wider organizational context.
Feedback Loops and Continuous Improvement
Measurement in B2B PR should be embedded in a recursive planning and evaluation process, meaning that evaluation at any point can be used to adjust what is done at any earlier stage.
If an outcome-level objective is not reached, this does not automatically mean execution was poor. It may indicate that assumptions were incorrect, that resource allocation needs adjustment, or that a different approach is required to achieve the desired outcome.
Linking Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact
An AMEC-aligned approach does not treat outputs as success in themselves. Outputs indicate whether execution is on track. Outcomes determine whether PR objectives have been achieved. Impact explains why those outcomes matter to the organization.
Keeping these levels distinct strengthens accountability rather than weakening it.
Why This Matters in B2B PR
B2B PR operates in complex buying environments, long sales cycles, and competitive media markets. Clear distinctions between inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact, and a clear understanding that PR objectives must be fully owned at the outcome level, are therefore essential.
When objectives are derived from strategic goals, formulated as outcome-level SMART objectives, and evaluated using appropriate leading and trailing indicators, PR performance can be assessed fairly, discussed credibly with leadership, and improved systematically over time.
That logic sits at the core of the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework, and it provides a practical foundation for accountable, effective B2B PR.