Midyear Wake-Up Call: Are Your Communications Goals on Track?

We’ve officially crossed the halfway point in the year, offering a natural moment to pause, reflect, and ask a critical question: Is your company on track to meet its 2025 communications goals?

In the rush of day-to-day execution, it's easy for strategic plans to drift, priorities to shift, and KPIs to be quietly missed. A midyear checkpoint isn't just about reviewing metrics, it's about recalibrating your overall communications strategy to ensure the second half of the year drives real results.

Start With the Hard Truths

Begin with a candid audit. Dust off the communications goals you set in January and evaluate progress against them. Did you plan to increase media placements by 30%? Grow your share of voice in key verticals? Launch a new executive thought leadership platform? Whatever your targets were, now’s the time to get honest:

• What have you accomplished?
• Where are you falling short? What’s held you back? 
• Are the original goals still relevant to your business and marketing objectives?

If your progress is off-track, don’t panic. Communication success isn’t always linear and midyear is the perfect time to course correct.

Four Common Roadblocks and How to Address Them

If you're not where you want to be, chances are you're facing one (or more) of these four challenges:

1. Too Much Doing, Not Enough Impact

It’s easy to confuse activity with progress. Firing off press pitches, cranking out content, or churning out social media posts may feel productive, but without a clear strategy, it’s just noise. Instead of trying to do everything, focus on what actually moves the needle. Apply the 80/20 rule: Identify the 20% of tactics that deliver 80% of your results, and double down on those. Real impact comes from doing fewer things better, not checking every box.

2. Inconsistent or Uncreative Storytelling

If your message hasn’t evolved with shifting market conditions, your brand narrative may feel stale, preventing you from breaking through with your media coverage and executive thought leadership plans. Audit your messaging platform to ensure it reflects current business priorities, audience needs, and timely industry trends. This is where a weekly earned and social media listening program can be essential in helping to flag trends and storytelling opportunities, as well as new reporter targets.

3. Lack of Clear KPIs

Without measurable goals, it’s impossible to define success. Consider adding quantifiable benchmarks to qualitative goals (e.g., “increase thought leadership” becomes “place three bylines in tier-one industry outlets by Q4”).

4. Siloed Teams

If PR, content marketing, and digital teams aren’t collaborating, you may be missing integrated opportunities that amplify impact. Break down silos by aligning around shared goals and synchronized campaigns.

What to Do Next

If your midyear review reveals gaps, don’t just tweak, reset with intention. Here's how:

• Refocus Your Strategy: Start by re-aligning communications objectives with business goals. Is your company shifting toward a new market? Launching a new product line? Your comms plan should move in lockstep.
• Prioritize High-Impact Initiatives: Not everything needs a press release. Choose 2–3 key priorities for the remainder of the year and put your energy behind them. Focus yields results.
• Invest in Thought Leadership: With media cycles more fragmented than ever, positioning your executives as go-to voices in your industry builds credibility and trust. If this wasn’t a priority in H1, it should be in H2.
• Double Down on Measurement: Ensure you’re tracking the right metrics. Go beyond simple media impressions to look at more strategic measures like message pull-through in your coverage, how you’re breaking through with new reporter contacts or turning friendlies into champions, and scoring coverage quality and impact to tell a more compelling ROI story. 
• Bring in Outside Perspective: Often an external partner can help you see your blind spots and bring fresh thinking. Whether it’s an agency retainer relationship or a strategic project sprint, outside experts can help you quickly regain traction.

Make the Second Half Count

Communications is a long game, but one that rewards agility. By taking stock now, you give your team a chance to pivot, refocus, and finish the year strong. Don’t wait for Q4 to wonder what could have been. Use this midyear moment to ensure your communications strategy is not just active, but effective.

Need an experienced expert to help get your communications program back on track? The Tier One team can help.