Do you need more traffic and backlinks to grow your business?

Digital PR strategies provide both in spades, and they integrate perfectly with SEO. 

As a practice, public relations (PR) has always been about raising brand awareness and attracting media attention, and digital PR simply translates these goals into the digital world. 

Instead of trying to get featured in magazines and on TV stations, digital PR deals with online publications, blogs, podcasts, and other types of digital media. 

It’s an extremely effective way to generate traffic, which is the lifeblood of any business in the modern era. 

Organic traffic drives revenue, and can account for 40% of your company’s total yield. 

That’s especially true if you’re in the B2B (business-to-business) space, as organic search generates twice as much revenue than other channels combined for B2B companies. 

Backlinks are also a necessity for generating more traffic, as they help you rank higher on Google. 

One of the main goals of a digital PR campaign is to secure high-authority backlinks to improve keyword rankings on search engines and generate referral traffic. 

So, you should incorporate some digital PR flair into your link-building campaigns if you haven’t already. 

In this guide, we’ll cover 10 unique digital PR strategies that will help you generate lots of traffic and backlinks, so don’t go anywhere! 

What is Digital PR, and How Does it Help SEO?

Digital public relations is a marketing tactic that brings public relations principles into the online world, which are:

  1. To raise brand awareness 
  2. To boost a brand’s credibility 
  3. To introduce a brand to new audiences  
  4. To conduct damage control and restore a brand’s reputation after an incident 

Before the internet, the top PR channels were newspapers, magazines, TV stations, and radio. 

PR professionals would network with journalists and media professionals to secure promotional spots for their brands, which proved to be wildly successful.

Once the internet came around, a new set of marketing channels began to emerge. 

Instead of watching TV and listening to the radio, the public began interacting on social media, watching videos on YouTube, and listening to podcasts. 

Since PR is entirely focused on the public, it only makes sense that PR professionals would begin using these channels. 

This is where digital PR is born, and where it ties into SEO. 

Digital PR and link-building 

In the digital age, ranking on search engines is the #1 way to increase a brand’s online reach. As such, digital PR experts started incorporating SEO-style techniques, such as targeting backlinks on major online publications. 

Backlinks provide the ‘link juice’ (a fun SEO term to describe ranking power) necessary to achieve top rankings on Google and other search engines. Backlinks from trusted websites signal to Google that your content is also trustworthy, which is why they’re so useful. 

However, digital PR link-building tactics look different than traditional SEO link-building techniques. This is because improving SEO is only one aspect of digital PR link-building. Besides ranking higher, digital PR gurus also want their backlinks to generate referral traffic and raise brand awareness. 

Also, the backlinks acquired through digital PR methods tend to be higher quality and more authoritative than regular SEO tactics. 

Does this mean that you should only use digital PR link-building and completely ignore other tactics like forum comments and business directories?

No, it doesn’t! 

This is because you need to form a natural-looking backlink profile to avoid suspicion from Google. If you only build super high-quality digital PR backlinks, Google’s algorithm may suspect that you’re trying to manipulate the search rankings. 

That’s why we recommend that you use a combination of digital PR and traditional SEO link-building techniques to achieve the best of both worlds. 

The 10 Best Strategies for Digital PR 

Okay, now let’s actually start learning some digital PR strategies that you can incorporate into your SEO campaigns. 

The strategies we’ll examine are:

  1. Creating original research for media outreach 
  2. Developing interactive content like quizzes and surveys 
  3. Creating video and multimedia campaigns 
  4. Engaging in seasonal campaigns 
  5. Building relationships with niche media outlets 
  6. Creating expert opinion pieces 
  7. Leveraging partnerships for co-branded content 
  8. Hosting virtual events and podcasts 
  9. Developing local PR campaigns 
  10. Promoting charitable initiatives 

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s dive in! 

Strategy #1: Creating original research and data for media outreach 

First, let’s look at one of the most effective ways to attract backlinks and brand recognition, which is to create original research like surveys and studies. 

Whenever a brand creates an original piece of research on a relevant topic, other brands start linking back to it like crazy. 

This is because writers, journalists, and business owners are always looking for compelling statistics and figures to share in their content. 

A great example of this is Semrush, as they regularly post original pieces of research, like this recent study on AI Overviews. 

In it, their team examines over 200,000 AI Overviews to determine how often they appear and how they impact SEO. 

Going over to Ahrefs, we can see that the page generated lots of backlinks from authoritative websites with high DR (Domain Rating) scores:

You can replicate their success by creating original studies and surveys for your field. However, you have to make sure that the topic is trending and relevant to your audience. Google Trends and keyword research tools (like our free one) are excellent for identifying potential topics to cover. 

Strategy #2: Developing interactive content 

A study by Demand Metric found that interactive content is far more effective for educating potential buyers, standing at an impressive 93% (compared to 70% effectiveness for static content). 

The best part?

Interactive content is also 88% effective at distinguishing your brand from the competition. 

The most popular types of interactive content include:

  • Quizzes and polls. These are great for not only engaging audiences but also collecting data. You can use polls, quizzes, and questionnaires to find out what your audience thinks about a particular subject or product, which is helpful. Tools like Quiz Maker and Survey Monkey make it quick and easy to create and share quizzes online. 
  • Calculators and free tools. Free tools are notorious backlink generators, but you have to ensure that your tools are actually helpful. Our suite of free SEO tools is responsible for tons of our backlinks, so we can personally attest to this technique’s effectiveness. 
  • Interactive infographics. Creating an infographic is an excellent way to attract backlinks and generate brand awareness. To take this tactic to the next level, try making your infographics interactive! Genially is a great tool that can help with this. 

Strategy #3: Creating video and multimedia campaigns 

Next, let’s talk about content creation for digital PR. Much like SEO, digital PR involves creating content to:

  1. Generate organic traffic 
  2. Appeal to your target audience
  3. Acquire social shares and backlinks 

However, the most effective type of digital PR content revolves around video content and multimedia like podcasts and webinars. 

Visual content increases your sharing potential by 40%, and 62% of US citizens have listened to podcasts at least once. 

Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of this strategy:

  • Conduct in-depth keyword research to find trending topics for your videos (you can use our free tool for this).
  • Set up Google Alerts for terms like “(your industry) podcast guest”, and “podcasts about (your industry)”.
  • Include social share buttons to make it effortless for users to share your content. 

Strategy #4: Engaging in seasonal campaigns 

When’s the hottest time of the year for your business?

Do you see the most revenue during Black Friday and Christmas, or maybe your online candy store goes bananas during Valentine’s Day?

Regardless of when your ‘busy season’ is, you should run seasonal campaigns for it that include:

    • Exclusive discounts and deals. Offer enticing limited-time offers on your website and through email. 
  • Wish lists. A Global Retail study by Google found that 40% of shoppers wish brands would provide wish lists, so you should definitely put one together for your busy season. 
  • Inclusivity. Not everyone celebrates the same holidays, so remember to acknowledge and include less common holidays in your seasonal campaigns. 

Strategy #5: Building relationships with niche media outlets 

Digital PR leverages relationship-building by forming lasting bonds with relevant media outlets, blogs, and online journalists. 

This means your outreach efforts should span beyond simply asking for one-off link placements. 

Instead, you should aim to rub elbows with prominent media influencers by commenting on their posts, providing helpful resources, and giving them honest feedback on their work. 

You can find bloggers and influencers in your field by:

  1. Using LinkedIn hashtags related to your niche and checking who posts about them the most (and has the most followers). 
  2. Typing (your industry name) + influencers into the search bar on X.
  3. Using influencer search tools like Modash and Promoty.  

Once you’ve built a rapport, you’ll be able to consistently generate backlinks, brand mentions, and promotional placements. 

Strategy #6: Creating expert opinion pieces 

Another great way to attract engagement and backlinks is to leverage opinion pieces from industry experts. 

You could be reacting to trending news, or you could have the expert weigh in on a topic directly related to one of your products or services. To source experts for op-ed pieces (or quotes), you can:

  • Use an expert from your organization 
  • Check your organization’s contact list 
  • Use LinkedIn hashtags and searches on X 
  • Go through a media database like Cision to network with journalists 

Strategy #7: Leveraging partnerships for co-branded content 

Two heads are better than one, right?

This is the thinking behind digital PR partnerships, where you produce co-branded content with other companies. 

Major companies use this tactic all the time, such as Spotify and Starbucks, Nike and Apple, and GoPro and RedBull, just to name a few. 

The concept is very simple. 

You work together with a brand that meshes well with your target audience to produce content. Each brand posts said content through their marketing channels, such as their website and social media profiles. 

The benefits are massive, as:

  1. Each brand receives exposure from the other’s target audience 
  2. Sharing content production and marketing costs
  3. Leveraging each brand’s strengths 

Strategy #8: Hosting virtual events, webinars, and podcasts 

Virtual events have risen in popularity, and they drive all sorts of desirable outcomes. 

In particular, webinars and virtual events can generate leads, close deals, and attract valuable backlinks. 

Podcasts are also extremely popular, as 50% of people between the ages of 12 and 34 listen to podcasts every month. 

Some fun virtual event ideas include:

  • Q&A sessions 
  • Trivia battles
  • Live demos 
  • Workshops 

Strategy #9: Developing local PR campaigns 

Not every brand will need to expand its reach to include the entire globe. 

There are many businesses that only serve specific areas of the country, so they need to localize their digital PR. 

A local digital PR campaign focuses on a specific geographic area for promotion. Instead of targeting major online publications, you’ll want to network with journalists and bloggers on a more local level. 

For example, you might write a guest post for a local blog, or try to get your brand mentioned in a local online newspaper. Google Business Profile is also a must for local campaigns, so be sure to check out our guide on the topic to learn more. 

Strategy #10: Promoting charitable initiatives 

This tactic will help you promote your brand and support a noble cause, which is a bonus. Supporting charitable initiatives is an excellent way to boost your brand’s credibility and raise awareness for good causes. 

How can you find relevant charities to support?

As usual, the internet has a tool for everything, including finding charities to support. 

Start Using Digital PR to Boost Your SEO 

To summarize, digital PR is the perfect supplementary material to your traditional link-building tactics. 

It’s one of the best ways to attract extremely valuable backlinks, generate lots of traffic, and extend your brand’s reach into new markets. 

Do you need help launching an expert SEO campaign that includes digital PR?

Our newly launched Digital PR product has you covered, as we’ll put together a winning campaign based on your specific needs. Don’t wait to get in touch for a free consultation to discuss the details!