Monthly PR reporting template

Require each monthly PR report to connect spending and completed work to objectives, evidence, risks, and decisions. Set definitions, sources, baselines, targets, owners, and causal labels before reporting begins so periods remain comparable.

Fixed context makes periods comparable

Field	Entry
Reporting period	[start date to end date]
Business objective	[organizational result]
Communication objective	By [date], [stakeholder] will move from [baseline] to [target] on [knowledge, attitude, behavior, relationship, or condition].
Provider and scope	[team, workstreams, channels, exclusions]
Program owners	[decision, measurement, fact, and data owners]
Control owners	[account and asset owners]
Risk owner	[legal, privacy, security, finance, or other specialist]
Comparison note	[changes to scope, method, source, currency, timing, or concurrent campaigns]

The decision summary leads the report

Status: [on track / at risk / off track / too early to assess]
Material change: [change from baseline and prior comparable period]
Strongest evidence: [result, measurement layer, source, and causal label]
Cost status: [actual against approved budget and forecast]
Main risk or blocker: [effect, owner, and due date]
Decision required: [continue, change, stop, approve, escalate, or instrument]
Decision deadline: [date and consequence of delay]

Comparable layers keep activity separate from results

The current AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework distinguishes inputs, activities, outputs, out-takes, outcomes, and impact. Enter zero, unavailable, or not applicable when that is the accurate result. Do not fill a higher layer with a lower-layer count.

Layer	Baseline or plan	Current period	Change	Interpretation and evidence
Inputs	[budget, people, access, research, baseline]	[actual resources]	[variance]	[effect and source]
Activities	[work planned]	[work completed]	[variance]	[reason and evidence link]
Outputs	[communication received by an audience]	[result]	[variance]	[quality, relevance, and link]
Out-takes	[attention, awareness, understanding, interest, engagement, or consideration]	[result]	[change]	[method, population, and limit]
Outcomes	[learning, attitude, trust, preference, intention, advocacy, or behavior]	[result]	[change]	[method, baseline, and limit]
Impact	[organizational, stakeholder, or societal result]	[result]	[change]	[method, causal label, and other plausible causes]

The AMEC evaluation taxonomy notes that a short period may not support impact measurement. State when evidence needs more time.

Definitions and methods make claims auditable

Maintain one metric dictionary and link it from every report.

Metric	Layer	Definition or formula	Source and population	Baseline and target	Owner	Limitation
[name]	[layer]	[exact rule]	[system, query, sample, dates]	[values]	[name]	[known gap or bias]

Record method changes beside the affected comparison. Separate original editorial items, syndicated copies, paid placements, controlled publishing, and passing mentions. Potential reach estimates available exposure; it does not count readers. Exclude advertising value equivalency. See the PR glossary for definitions.

Costs and delivery records explain variance

Cost or commitment	Approved	Actual	Variance	Evidence or note
Fees	[amount]	[amount]	[amount and percent]	[invoice or accrual]
Third-party expenses	[amount]	[amount]	[amount and percent]	[wire, travel, research, production, or monitoring]
Future commitments	[amount]	[amount]	[change]	[cancellation or renewal date]

Link the activity and output evidence instead of pasting a chronology into the decision summary. Preserve channel, audience, original or syndicated status, paid or editorial status, inclusion, and source. Counts diagnose delivery; they do not establish audience or business effects.

Risks and blockers need named owners

Risk, blocker, or dependency	Effect on objective or evidence	Required decision or action	Owner	Due date and status
[issue]	[effect]	[decision or action]	[name]	[date and status]

Include missed approvals, unavailable spokespeople, disputed facts, data gaps, access, scope change, and specialist review when relevant. Distinguish provider delivery from company dependency.

Next-period decisions close the loop

Decision	Evidence	Owner	Due date	Scope or budget effect	Evidence expected next
[continue, change, stop, approve, escalate, or instrument]	[support or gap]	[name]	[date]	[effect]	[measure]

Label business-result claims as directly attributed, supported contribution, association only, or unknown. A stronger claim requires evidence that communication preceded the result, reached the relevant audience, and remains credible after considering other plausible causes.