COM: Actually, the College of Non-Optional Math
By: Madeline Wines, PRLab Account Director
While having one of the most prestigious communications programs in the country, Boston University's College of Communication isn’t always taken as seriously by students within BU. For many COM students, our curriculum has been reduced to a simple acronym:
College of
Optional
Math
While I love that my future job will never have me solve a calculus equation, that acronym invalidates a lot of the work we as communicators are so passionate about. But in reality, math isn't optional in the field of communications, and when harnessed effectively, it can be a powerful tool for PR professionals.
According to Cision’s 2025 Comms Report, 81% of communications leaders feel greater pressure to maximize impact with fewer resources compared to the previous year. In other words, communications professionals are expected to do more with less and are expected to show their impact and the worth of their work.
So, how do we prove our worth? Through math.
Data and statistics are increasingly important in the communications industry, and in today's volatile job market, understanding how to use these numbers can help in more ways than one: as an applicant, data can help prove your value to future employers; as an employee, data can help prove your value to your company; and as an agency as a whole, data can help prove your value to your clients.
So, here are my biggest tips for harnessing the power of data as an applicant, employee, or agency, plus some simple math skills and platforms that are worth brushing up on.
For Applicants: Making Your Resume Stand Out
Imagine you are a hiring manager looking over resumes for an entry-level social media coordinator role. Consider the following resume bullets:
Applicant 1: “Managed social media accounts and created content for a nonprofit client.”
Applicant 2: “Created 30+ social media posts across Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok throughout the semester.”
Applicant 3: “Executed a multi-platform social media strategy that increased Instagram followers by 47%, LinkedIn reactions by 63%, and TikTok likes by 280%.”
Which applicant would you choose? The answer seems obvious, but many communications students make the mistake of focusing too much on the responsibilities of their roles and not enough on their impact. These applicants should consider the fact that most entry-level social media positions will require managing accounts and creating content. Those responsibilities are important, but they are also things that nearly every applicant is going to have on their resume. What can set us apart in today's competitive job market is showing what we were able to do with those responsibilities.
For Employees: Proving Your Value Beyond Your Job Description
Now you’ve landed the job, but the data doesn't stop there. Imagine you are a manager, and three employees come to you to ask for a raise.
Employee 1: “I’ve taken on more projects this year and have become someone my team can rely on.”
Employee 2: “I’ve helped manage several campaigns, taken on more client-facing work, and consistently met deadlines.”
Employee 3: “I managed social content that increased the client’s engagement by 38%, helped earn 12 media placements, and single-handedly secured our client 7 influencer partnerships.”
All three employees seem to be doing their jobs well, but Employee 3 is able to show the impact they made and how they went above and beyond. That data helps show the difference between meeting and exceeding expectations. It helps show the difference between good and great.
That difference matters not just for raises, but also for promotions, individual awards, and job security. Sure, your manager might know you are doing well in your job, but data gives them the evidence to back up a major decision like a raise or promotion. And while I can’t guarantee numbers will secure your job, they surely help show your contributions.
For Agencies: Showing Clients Why Your Business Matters
Beyond individual achievements, data can help organizations at large prove their worth.
Imagine you are a large corporation deciding whether to keep an agency on retainer, and you hear the following updates:
Agency 1: “We’ve completed everything in our scope of work and have been really consistent throughout the year.”
Agency 2: “We’ve earned strong media coverage, grown your social channels, and brought more attention to your brand.”
Agency 3: “In the past year, our campaign generated 42 earned placements, drove 31% more website traffic, and increased followers by 22%.”
Which agency would you continue working with? While they are all completing the agreed-upon work, only one shows the true impact they made.
In PRLab, the best advice I’ve heard is to underpromise and overdeliver. Data comes in and allows agencies to show exactly how they delivered.
Data isn’t just helpful for client relationship management; it's helpful for agency growth. If an agency wants a larger scope of work, a larger team, or a bigger budget, strong results help them to advocate for that. Agencies can also use data to attract new business, build strong case studies, and strengthen award submissions.
The Math We Need to Know
While many of us chose COM thinking we would leave math behind, there are some things we should know. Here are some simple formulas to help PR practitioners looking to prove their worth:
Percentage Change: (New − Old) ÷ Old × 100
Percentage change is especially helpful when measuring growth in social media followers, engagement, or website traffic. For example, if an account grew from 1000 to 1500 followers, that is a 50% increase.
Pitch Response Rate: Responses ÷ Pitches Sent × 100
In traditional PR, pitching is a critical tactic, which means it is essential for practitioners to know how to measure its effectiveness. If you send 20 pitches and receive 12 responses, that's a 60% response rate.
Engagement Rate: Engagements ÷ Reach × 100
Engagement rate is essential for measuring social engagement. For example, if an Instagram post reaches 2,000 people and receives 200 likes, that's a 10% engagement rate.
Similar calculations can also be applied to email open rates, click-through rates, and other KPIs.
Additionally, we should not shy away from data that falls short of our initial objectives. For example, if you were to only get one response from 50 pitches (a 2% response rate), that number might seem disappointing. However, it also gives you an opportunity to evaluate your strategy, identify what isn’t working, and ultimately make it better.
In addition to familiarizing yourself with these basic formulas, there are also other tools worth knowing, such as the analytics dashboards on Google Analytics, Muck Rack, Meta Business Suite, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Plus, being able to use Google Sheets and Excel to find sums or averages, sort and filter data, or even create basic charts can go a long way.
Is Math Really Optional?
As much as I would love to never do math again, for communicators, math is important for demonstrating value. Whether you're a student applying for your first internship, a professional looking for a promotion, or an agency wanting to attract new business, understanding math and data helps you achieve those goals.
With this in mind, I think it's time we reconsider COM’s unofficial acronym.
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