Below outlines a 9 step process for planning and executing successful digital PR campaigns to acquire high-quality backlinks and establish brand authority.
1. Understanding Digital PR
Digital PR is a link-earning service that focuses on creating and sharing newsworthy stories to secure valuable backlinks from authoritative publications. It’s different from traditional PR which often focuses on brand promotion and product launches.
The goal of digital PR is to achieve consistent link velocity, leading to improved SEO performance and enhanced brand authority. It’s not about generating immediate leads or sales but rather building long-term authority and brand recognition.
2. Types of Digital PR Campaigns
Reactive PR: Involves quickly responding to trending news events or viral moments with expert commentary or relevant insights from your client. The key is speed and relevance to capitalise on the existing buzz.
Expert Commentary: Positioning your client as a thought leader on upcoming events or trending topics by offering insightful tips, advice, or data-backed opinions. This establishes credibility and positions the client as a go-to source for journalists.
Example: A web hosting client, anticipating upcoming Black Friday scams, could provide expert commentary on the most common scams and prevention tips, positioning them as a reliable source for cybersecurity advice.
Data Campaigns: Analysing publicly available data to uncover interesting trends and create unique, data-driven stories that journalists find valuable. These campaigns require time and effort, but often result in high-impact backlinks due to the exclusive nature of the content.
3. Generating Campaign Ideas
Proven Concepts: Leverage Google Search to identify successful digital PR campaigns. Search “expert reveals” + relevant keyword to see which topics journalists are covering. Replicating these proven ideas with fresh perspectives and data ensures higher chances of success.
Competitor Research: Use tools like Ahrefs to analyse competitor websites and identify their most successful digital PR campaigns based on referring domains. Replicate these campaigns with updated data, a unique angle, or a different methodology to earn similar backlinks.
4. Identifying Relevant Journalists
Utilise journalist databases: Tools like Muck Rack and Roxhill Media provide comprehensive, curated lists of journalists across various industries and publications.
Targeted searches: Use relevant keywords and topics within these tools to identify journalists who have covered similar stories in the past.
Manual Verification: Double-check selected journalists to ensure their relevance and current employment status.
5. Press Release Pitch optimisation
Compelling Subject Line: Craft a click-worthy subject line that accurately reflects the story and entices journalists to open the email.
Intriguing First Line: The preview text should further summarise the story’s key points in a concise and attention-grabbing manner.
Clear Introduction: Concisely introduce the concept and relevance of the campaign.
Client Introduction: Include a brief, positive introduction of the client and link to their website.
Key Takeaways: Outline the main findings, expert tips, or data insights in a clear and digestible format. Limit the number of points to keep the email concise.
Fact Verification: Support all claims with credible sources and references. Include a detailed methodology and data sources for data-driven campaigns.
Call to Action: Politely encourage journalists to credit and link back to the client when using the information.
6. Email Outreach & Distribution
Targeted Outreach: Send personalised press releases to journalists who have shown interest in similar topics or re-angle the press release to their specific state/ region.
Blanket Approach: Consider reaching out to a wider range of journalists who cover relevant beats, even if they haven’t specifically covered the exact topic before.
Email Deliverability: Prioritise tools and strategies that ensure high email deliverability rates to avoid ending up in spam folders.
Roxhill Media excels in email deliverability, allowing for the distribution of thousands of relevant emails per campaign.
Muck Rack, however, relies on SMTP integration and has limitations on the number of emails that can be sent per account per day.
Expert Sources: Journalists require credible experts to support their stories and provide valuable insights.
Data Assistance: They value PR professionals who can provide them with readily available, well-researched data, saving them time and resources.
Accuracy and Trust: Journalists prioritise accuracy and credibility. Consistently delivering accurate and insightful information builds trust and increases the likelihood of future collaborations.
9. Measuring Success
Focus on Backlinks: The primary metric for success is the number and quality of backlinks earned.
Link Profile Health: Aim for a natural mix of dofollow and nofollow links from reputable sources to enhance website authority and build trust with search engines.
Long-Term Impact: Digital PR is a long-term strategy that contributes to building brand authority, online trust, and improved search engine rankings.
Key Takeaways
Digital PR is a powerful way of earning high-quality backlinks, building brand authority, and improving SEO performance.
Success requires a deep understanding of journalist needs, a creative approach to data and storytelling, and consistent effort.
Transparency and communication with clients are essential for managing expectations and achieving long-term results.
Continuous learning and adaptation are key to staying ahead in the ever-evolving world of digital PR.
