Most CFOs understand there’s a direct link between business or brand reputation and financial performance. But some will still see digital PR as a cost centre rather than an investment; a line item that gets scrutinised before the commercial teams get their share.
That’s short-sighted. Because today, more than ever, PR isn’t a bolt-on – it’s business-critical.
Done properly, digital PR builds reputational equity, drives traffic, improves SEO and supports everything from lead generation to shareholder confidence. And when it’s missing, or mishandled, its impact is widely felt – fast.
So, if you need to convince a PR sceptic of the value of PR investment, here are seven tangible ways digital PR drives financial performance. And what can happen when you get it wrong.
1. Digital PR and reputation: how brand equity drives market value
PR is fundamentally about reputation – and reputation is a serious commercial asset.
According to Echo Research in 2024, reputation now makes up 30% of the market cap (equity value) of FTSE 350 companies – equivalent to over £719bn (and up 3.8% on the previous year). In the US, it accounted for 28% of the S&P 500 – equivalent to $11.9 trillion (up 4.3%).
Other studies go even further:
- a Weber Shandwick study in 2020 suggested it can be worth over 60% in high-value markets
- a McKinsey & Company report found that brands with strong reputations generate 31% more return to shareholders than the MSCI World average.
Those are not vanity metrics. The companies that invest in PR to manage, shape and protect business reputation are the ones commanding higher share prices, more resilient customer bases and stronger investor trust.
When reputation becomes revenue – or risk
Take Tesla. Elon Musk, a one-man army on X (Twitter), famously dissolved Tesla’s PR department. His embrace of right-wing politics, particularly President Trump, have seen both his personal reputation and Tesla’s plummet.
The company’s stock has been in freefall since the beginning of 2025, while there have been protests at Tesla showrooms and Tesla car owners are covering their car’s logo with “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy!” stickers. Not good.
Consumer polls tracking EV purchasing intentions show that future sales are likely to be hard hit, with Tesla by far the least popular choice of the four main EV brands. Toyota’s PR team will be making hay.
Then there are the classic lessons from history:
- Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal cost the brand $30 billion in fines and sparked long-term damage to brand trust and share price.
- United Airlines saw $1.4 billion knocked off its market cap in a matter of days after defending the violent removal of a passenger from an overbooked flight.
- Who can forget Gerald Ratner’s infamous “M&S prawn sandwich” speech – mocking his own products and customers – an offhand joke that tanked the company’s value and reputation almost overnight.
Then there are the brands that reap the rewards of savvy PR. Gregg’s cheeky vegan sausage roll launch was dubbed a masterclass in PR, and saw sales grow by their fastest rate in five years and its share price by 13% in one month.
Dove’s iconic Real Beauty campaign, which shifted it away from a functional soap to a (very early) purpose-led brand saw its value increase by $2.5 bn globally. In 2023, Dove authentically moved the campaign on, explicitly rejecting AI-generated beauty. Dove achieved its highest sales in more than a decade, delivering $6bn for Unilever.
2. Protecting shareholder value with digital PR in a crisis
Every business and brand hits bumps in the road. The ones with strong reputations survive them – and bounce back faster.
Remember when KFC ran out of chicken? When others might have relied on spin, they put their hands up and used humour, including a full page ‘FCK ‘ad in the Sun, seeing consumer sentiment bounce back quickly.
Patagonia, one of the very first B Corp certified brands, has spent decades building trust through consistent, values-led PR. They’ve continued to thrive major public-facing risks, like suing Trump over land use.
Think of PR as your goodwill bank
The more positive sentiment you build now, the more resilience you’ll have when things go wrong. And in 2025’s volatile landscape – with economic and political uncertainty, global conflict and AI disruption – that cushion really matters.
Brands that invest in visibility and transparency build trust. And when the tide turns, their stakeholders are much more likely to show loyalty.
Don’t wait for a crisis to start building reputation. You’d be surprised at how many calls Midnight gets from businesses asking for emergency support and who have made zero historic PR investment. That’s like trying to buy insurance while your house is already on fire.
3. Why digital PR delivers stronger ROI than advertising
PR coverage is earned, not bought. That alone makes it more valuable than most paid media. You’re not paying for ad space – you’re paying for ideas, content and consultancy that lead to credible, high-impact placements.
Unlike ads, good PR doesn’t disappear the moment you stop spending. A feature in The Times or People Management can live online for years, building SEO value, driving web traffic and supporting brand credibility.
And in the age of AI search, digital PR is becoming even more vital for SEO. Google’s generative search models – like Gemini – favour trusted, authoritative sources. This gives high-quality media placements even more weight when it comes to rankings. If your brand is featured by respected outlets, your search visibility gets a natural boost.
As we wrote recently, digital PR is becoming the lightning rod for your SEO strategy. Traditional tactics still matter, but it’s reputation-rich citations and backlinks from high-authority sites that are being rewarded in Google’s (and Open AI’s) machine learning universe.
4. How digital PR makes your entire marketing budget work harder
PR doesn’t replace other channels – it supercharges them. When it’s done well, PR acts as the spark that fuels content, social, email and paid campaigns.
We’ve seen this firsthand with our clients, where our research-driven stories have been used across everything from blog posts and webinars to email marketing and social media ads.
Great digital PR campaigns don’t stop at coverage. They’re repurposed and amplified – working harder across the funnel and giving other teams more to play with. Joined-up thinking delivers in spades.
5. Using digital PR to influence customers, stakeholders and buyers
PR isn’t just about visibility – it’s about positioning. It helps you control conversation, rather than just reacting to it.
This is especially important in sectors like fintech, health tech, energy or professional services, where complex propositions need to be distilled into clear, confident messaging. Done right, PR turns jargon into stories, and stories into influence.
Look at Octopus Energy or Monzo – two businesses that have used strong, values-led PR to build authority and trust in crowded markets.
Digital PR helps you show up as more than just a product. It makes your business feel human, relevant and aligned with the issues your customers and stakeholders care about.
6. Measuring the impact of digital PR on business performance
The myth that PR can’t be measured is just that – a myth.
Modern digital PR campaigns are tracked through referral traffic, backlinks, brand search volume and leads.
When clients are transparent and open with their agencies and are working to a common goal, you can connect the dots between coverage and conversions.
We ran a national PR campaign for a client last year. It saw:
- 40% lift in branded search
- 23% increase in inbound leads
- Digital coverage that’s still driving traffic months later
Why? Because we had full access to their backend data and worked towards shared KPIs alongside their SEO and content teams.
And Newhaven Fort, which briefed us to keep their community warm during a 12-month £7.5m restoration has been sold out since it opened in February this year.
When PR, marketing, and digital work hand-in-hand, the results speak for themselves. You get tighter targeting, smarter insights – and proper accountability.
7. How digital PR attracts investors and boosts company valuation
Reputation doesn’t just drive customer trust – it influences how investors, acquirers and markets value your business.
For VC-backed companies, media visibility and founder positioning can be the difference between a warm intro and a closed door.
Investors want confidence not just in the numbers, but in the team, the brand and the story. Some of the foundations of good PR.
The same goes for companies looking to exit or raise new rounds. PR builds market profile, demonstrates traction and creates perceived momentum.
We are regularly approached by clients looking to boost their digital reputation and presence in the run up to a sale or merger.
We’ve seen it firsthand. Over the years we’ve had several clients tell us that their enhanced profile helped them attract investor interest and supported premium valuations.
In a commoditised market, brand and reputation often explain why one business is worth 10 times the other.
A strong digital footprint, third-party media endorsement and thought leadership can tip a deal, influence due diligence and even justify a higher multiple.
PR tells the story that valuation models alone can’t.
And finally…
PR is no longer just about media coverage. It’s about visibility, credibility and ultimately commercial performance.
PR should never be a bolt-on. It should be embedded from the start, with senior buy-in, clear objectives, and alignment across comms, marketing and leadership teams.
If you’re not telling your story, someone else will.
Want to see how digital PR could drive commercial results for your business? Let’s talk.
