CPRS Research and Analytics 5

Question 1

A PR team uses UTM parameters on links shared in a press release. What does this allow them to track?

Accepted Answer

Which specific traffic sources and campaigns drive website visits from earned media

Answer

UTM parameters tag URLs with source, medium, and campaign data so Google Analytics can attribute website sessions to the specific press release or distribution channel that drove them.

Question 2

Which type of research is conducted BEFORE a PR campaign to inform strategy, messaging, and audience understanding?

Accepted Answer

Formative research

Answer

Formative research is conducted at the planning stage to understand the audience, context, and environment, informing the development of PR strategies and messages before execution begins.

Question 3

An organization wants to understand how different demographic segments perceive their brand differently. Which analytical technique would best reveal these differences?

Accepted Answer

Cross-tabulation (crosstab) analysis by demographic segment

Answer

Cross-tabulation breaks down survey results by demographic variables (age, gender, region), revealing how perceptions differ across subgroups rather than only showing aggregate averages.

Question 4

A PR practitioner reports that a campaign 'changed public opinion' based solely on a post-campaign survey showing favorable attitudes. What is the primary methodological weakness of this claim?

Accepted Answer

Without a pre-campaign baseline, there is no way to know whether attitudes changed or were already favorable

Answer

A post-only design cannot demonstrate change because there is no baseline comparison — pre- and post-campaign measurement is required to attribute any shift in attitudes to the campaign.

Question 5

Which of the following is a key limitation of using earned media impressions as the primary measure of PR campaign success?

Accepted Answer

Impressions measure potential exposure but do not confirm that audiences actually saw, understood, or were influenced by the content

Answer

Impressions are an estimate of potential reach, not confirmed exposure or engagement, making them a weak proxy for actual communication impact or behavior change.

(CPRS) Certified Public Relations Specialist Practice Test

(CPRS) Certified Public Relations Specialist Practice Test

CPRS Research and Analytics 5