Q6. What is the quality of the coverage?

To avoid being ensnared in the subjective judgments about the age-old question of "quality," it's vital to develop a template that scores editorial coverage for qualitative attributes including: headline treatment, executive quotes, customer quote inclusion, photos, and artwork.  Additionally, some attributes I recommend to clients are:

• Extent of reference: how much of the article was devoted to your company, product or idea?
• Tone: from negative to neutral, balanced and positive
• Net Takeaway: what would be a reader's impression of this coverage (Negative, Informative, or Recommendation)

Create a scorecard, share it with your clients and stakeholders, and show them exactly how you score each piece of coverage. Invite their input and incorporate their feedback. The next someone comments that a five-page, standalone feature you landed in Fortune was, “Just OK,” you'll have a document that helps you get to "shared vision."