Monthly PR reporting template
A monthly PR report should let you reconstruct the entire month in five minutes: every reporter pitched by name, every reply, every placement with a live link, what is still in play, and what is queued next. Below is that report written as a requirement you paste into your agreement before kickoff, so the agency reports in the same fixed format from month one.
PR is countable work. For scale, PressFriendly runs 7,000+ targeted pitches a year to 2,500+ reporters, every send logged by name; your program leaves the same trail at smaller volume. Fix the format in the contract and a slow month still produces honest counts. Every program has slow months.
The reporting spec (copy into your agreement)
Reporting requirement. By the [3rd] business day of each month, [Agency] delivers a written report covering the prior month, in the format below, before any review call. Every section is required even when the count is zero.
1. Activity log - every reporter and outlet pitched, by name, with the send date and the angle pitched. Follow-ups counted separately from first sends.
2. Replies - who answered, who passed, who is interested and waiting on a hook. Direct quotes where useful.
3. Placements - every published piece with a live link, outlet, date, and reporter's name. No link, no count.
4. In progress - each open conversation and the specific catalyst it needs to convert: an embargo date, a customer reference, a data point.
5. Next month - the angles and announcements queued, tied to your calendar.
6. Misses - what was pitched and died, and the read on why.
The numbers row (require these, no others)
| Metric | What it is | Why you require it |
|---|---|---|
| First sends | New reporters pitched this month | Real outbound effort, not a recycled list |
| Replies | Reporters who responded at all | Leading signal that pitches are landing |
| Placements | Earned coverage published, with links | The outcome you are paying for |
| Top-tier hits | Placements in your named target outlets (WSJ, TechCrunch, your trade) | Separates a real win from filler |
| Still in play | Open conversations carried forward | What next month is built on |
The definitions clause
Counts drift unless the contract pins the words down. Add this paragraph next to the spec:
Definitions. A placement is earned coverage published by an outlet [Company] does not own or pay. [Company]'s own blog posts, webinars, paid placements, and syndicated reprints of one story do not count as placements. Impressions, "ad value" (AVE), and awareness scores do not substitute for any section above.
How to read the report once it arrives, including the full red-flag list, is the job of the page on what a good monthly report looks like. This page is the requirement you set before any of that, while you still have leverage.
The test of the format is simple: a stranger could reconstruct the month from the report alone, without a call. An agency that already reports this way will accept the spec on the spot.