Communications is strategic and measurable. So why do so many research organisations think otherwise?

The myth that communications isn’t measurable has done real damage. But by rethinking how you measure impact, you can easily demonstrate your value.

A few years ago, a scientist told me that my company, STEM Matters, couldn’t help his organisation—because he’d “appeared on ABC TV several times”.

As a consultant, I’m used to rejection. It doesn’t bother me! But his reasoning stuck with me, because it reflects a strategic blind spot that continues to hold science back.

There’s a common misconception that good communication means sending the occasional press release or doing a handful of media interviews every now and then. But these are tactics, not strategy—and without that strategic lens, their impact is minimal at best.

Too often, the research sector sees communications as a “nice-to-have,” not a core part of the scientific process. But strategic communications can mean the difference between a breakthrough that changes the world and one left languishing in the lab. It’s the difference between funding and cuts, or between the public embracing a new innovation or fearing it. So why is it so often underinvested in?

The real myth: that communications isn’t measurable

Communications drives funding, rankings, political influence, recruitment, collaborations and societal trust. Yet it can be difficult to make the case for investing in this vital strategic tool—because of the persistent idea that communications can’t be measured, beyond a handful of standard metrics: press coverage, social media likes, impressions.

Any kind of impact beyond these metrics is ignored, because we haven’t created metrics to measure it. And because it’s not measurable, it’s therefore not impactful.

But I disagree. What if we looked at the counterfactual? Here are some examples of the impact of poor communication:

• In the US, more than 90% of people use information based on federal science (like weather forecasts or job market reports). But only 10% are concerned that cuts to federal science funding might impact their access to that information—because the federal government doesn’t communicate that it is funding this science. (NPR).

• Poor messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to low uptake of life-saving measures such as masks and vaccines. (World Economic Forum)

• Use of scientific jargon alienates audiences and undermines engagement (Paper: The Effects of Jargon on Processing Fluency, Self-Perceptions, and Scientific Engagement)

  
  

So clearly poor communication has an impact. It stands to reason that good communication does, too. We just aren’t capturing it properly.

Rethinking success: go beyond vanity metrics

It’s easy to tally press mentions or social media likes, but these measure activity and not outcomes.They don’t paint the whole picture.

Press coverage shows where your work appeared, not how it was understood. Impressions count views, not impact. Even SEO and conversion metrics only show surface-level behaviour—not what people did with that information.

Imagine if marketers only counted the number of ads they ran, and not how many customers they gained, or how much revenue they generated.

As communicators, we need to take that step beyond, and shift from metrics that reward execution to ones that reflect outcomes. That means asking new questions about how we measure success.

Some ideas on new metrics to use, internally and externally

Internal measures of success

1. A confident, aligned team

I cannot overstate how important this is to any team, large or small. If you do not have a compelling narrative about who you are and why your work matters, you are already behind. Yet few organisations invest in this foundational work, even though it’s a crucial part of your business development.

I once interviewed research leaders for a client, I noticed something funny: when asked to describe their organisation, all answered with: “It’s complex.” They didn’t have the shared narrative, confidence or language to give a clear answer, because they hadn’t spent the time as a team agreeing on their vision for their organisation.

Although communications investments like developing an organisational narrative are often aimed at external audiences, it also strengthens internal cohesion around the organisation’s vision, mission and key messages.

After one project, in which we worked to develop a shared narrative, a deputy CEO told me it was the first time their researchers felt confident describing the organisation to government partners and donors. That’s impact.

How to measure impact:

• Track internal demand for communications support—investing in a strong narrative should reduce it.

• Survey staff on confidence and narrative understanding.

• Collect feedback and testimonials about how messaging is being used.

2. A united team across disciplines

On another project, we created a shared narrative for a research group spanning psychology, agriculture, neuroscience, engineering, architecture and more. For the first time, researchers understood how their work connected. It unlocked real collaboration. This is the power of storytelling.

Obviously, a key metric is how the narrative supported their funding. But it also united a multidisciplinary team, which is notoriously difficult to do–and rarely measured. It can take years for researchers from different domains to feel like they are speaking the same language. How did having a shared narrative improve their ability to collaborate? What about new collaborations it may have enabled?

How to measure impact:

• Capture testimonials.

• Track new collaborations.

• Reflect on culture shifts.

3. Internal awareness of impact

In many organisations and institutes, researchers often have little idea what their colleagues are working on, let alone impact.

My company’s research impact audits address this—by interviewing staff, identifying stories and developing these into impact narratives that can be easily used by leadership and external engagement teams.

These audits boost increased internal awareness, which leads to more funding, prize nominations and collaborations. That’s measurable value.

How to measure impact:

• Make internal awareness itself a metric.

• If funding, prize nominations and collaborations result—measure these too.

External impact: smarter ways to measure what matters

4. Partner presentations

This is such an under-thought area. Presentations are difficult, but a crucial part of how the world perceives you. Stronger narratives make your leaders better speakers, and their ideas better received.

We once created content for a university research centre that included case studies of their research impact. Although these case studies weren’t designed to be used for speeches, they formed the basis of a Dean’s speech. It was a phenomenal success, and the ripple effects of his presentation were real.

Too often, our clients only measure the direct impact of our work, and not the broader impact. So make sure to look beyond.

How to measure impact:

• Ask external parties, like audiences and partners, for feedback.

• Track follow-on collaborations, donations, or enquiries.

• Look at the bigger picture—what changed after you invested in strengthening your presentation and messaging?

  
  

5. Student recruitment (and diversity)

According to McKinsey, “More than any other generation, Gen Z collectively demands purpose and accountability, the creation of more opportunities for people of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, and rigorous sustainable and green practices.”

They aren't just looking for a degree. They want purpose, sustainability and inclusion. They want to see themselves and their future. Are your stories reflecting that?

My team and I once helped a university’s engineering and IT faculty that was struggling to attract female students. This faculty had fairly conventional student recruiting messaging, which focused heavily on traditional career paths. And it was delivering average results.

We undertook a research impact audit and unearthed powerful alumni stories that appealed to Gen Z: stories around sustainable infrastructure, responsible AI, clean energy and more. We worked with the team to develop a student guide that highlighted these examples, and included them in marketing collateral online and at recruitment events. The following year, female student applications spiked and the faculty hit their diversity and recruitment targets.

How to measure impact:

• Use student recruitment and diversity metrics as measurement for comms–they are directly linked.

6. Alumni awareness and support

Universities tend to assume their alumni already know about their impact. But that usually couldn't be further from the truth: I would happily bet that most alumni can’t name their alma mater’s biggest impact.

I know of one university that stopped talking about a major global breakthrough that had made–one that had genuinely changed the world. Why? Because they got tired of talking about it(!). But in under a decade, most people outside the university had already forgotten. Such a waste of a powerful group of potential allies.

You want alumni to be donors, collaborators and advocates. But if they don’t know your impact—and you make incorrect assumptions about what they do know—it becomes much harder for you to achieve your goals with them.

How to measure impact:

• Start by measuring awareness. Survey everyone. Get the broadest possible view.

• Measure and track changes over time. Use the baseline data from your survey to do this.

• Then measure impact through engagement and giving.

  
  

7. Funders, government and industry partners

It’s not just alumni. I also see universities assuming awareness with important partners, with devastating consequences.

A university lab run by a friend of mine once lost out on a major contract–not because they lacked impact, but because their long-time industry partner didn’t know about it. As new staff joined the partner organisation, the lab didn’t reinforce their shared history. They assumed the partner already knew. Another group (with less impact!) got the contract instead. New staff came in, the story hadn’t been told and another group got the gig. The lesson? You can’t tell your story just once.

It’s not just industry. Funders and government are the same: They need to be reminded of what you’ve achieved with their collaboration and support. Yet this isn’t often tracked as a metric by communications teams.

Map and track your partnerships – and how your communications efforts support (or fail to support) them.

How to measure impact:

• Map your partnerships with government, industry and others (including prospective partners).

• Keep track of won/lost partnerships.

• Measure awareness, engagement and follow-up meetings with both established and prospective partners.

Reputation matters—and it’s measurable

8. Prizes and profile

Professor Michelle Simmons is an incredible pioneer in quantum computing, an inspiration and a powerhouse. But her Australian of the Year win in 2018 didn’t come out of nowhere. UNSW invested in building her profile for over a decade—across academia, industry and government.

It paid off—for her and for UNSW. And while she’s clearly deserving, her win was also driven by good strategy, which can be the difference between an excellent unknown researcher and one with public, government and industry goodwill and support.

I still remember the day she won—I overheard two women talking about her and researching quantum computing on their phones. I hope the UNSW communications team pulls this example out regularly. Creating a national hero is a pretty big communications win.

How to measure impact:

• Track awards.

• Track public mentions.

• Track influence.

9. Rankings

When it comes to rankings, publications matter, but so do prizes, real-world impact and visibility. And those are driven by–you guessed it—strategic communications.

Your QS or THE ranking isn’t just about research, it’s about reputation, so build it deliberately.

Good reputation will empower your academics to become thought leaders and public figures. It will support your recruitment strategy. It’s every award, every way you’ve been recognised: it’s the loud celebration of all you’ve achieved. All of these collectively build your university's reputation on the international stage—and none of these happen without a communications strategy.

How to measure impact: Make sure that you talk about the communication work that you have put in to build rankings.

10. Your messages being repeated back to you

At the recent Cooperative Research Australia conference, I spoke with a CRC director with whom I’d previously worked to develop content about their research impact. They told me that, just a month after publication, a government minister repeated their impact story—almost word for word from what we’d written and they’d published.

That’s a huge win. It shows the power of a clear and compelling narrative. It’s the entire point of all the PR and press releases and interviews and content. Yet the director I spoke to wasn’t aware of that—or that it was an outcome driven by comms.

How to measure impact: If you hear your story echoed – note it. Record it. Measure it.

Let’s stop underselling ourselves

The idea that communications isn't measurable is a myth–and one that’s hurt us. It’s held back breakthroughs, let misinformation take hold, and kept vital resources from the teams who need them.

Outdated metrics are part of the problem. As I said earlier: Likes and impressions are easy to measure, but they can’t tell you if you’re reaching the right people and changing their behaviour. So rethink the metrics you’re using to reflect your business objectives. Take a broader view of what communications support.

And make sure that you talk widely in your organisation about the impact of your work.

Let’s stop counting press releases and start measuring what matters: our impact on the world.