The Ultimate Guide to Digital PR: How It Drives SEO Success in 2025

If you want to build valuable backlinks while getting the word out about your brand, you should consider developing a digital PR campaign. 

What’s digital PR?

Digital public relations (PR) is a marketing tactic that exclusively uses online channels to:

1. Boost brand awareness 
2. Gain credibility with your target audience 
3. Acquire authoritative backlinks from relevant websites 
4. Build relationships with journalists, news sites, and media sites 

As a marketing practice, public relations has been around for a very long time. 

Prior to the internet, traditional PR involved reaching out to the press via print media like magazines and newspapers. It was also common for PR professionals to get in touch with TV stations, radio stations, and prominent figures in the media like celebrities. 

Digital PR began to form once the internet rose to prominence, and it’s been a staple marketing tactic ever since. 

Where traditional PR involves reaching out to newspapers, TV channels, and radio stations, digital PR uses social media influencers, podcasts, bloggers, and news websites. 

Ranking higher on search engines is a major goal of digital PR campaigns, meaning you can use digital PR for SEO success. 

In particular, digital PR has some savvy link-building tactics like publishing digital press releases, appearing on podcasts, and reaching out to online journalists. 

With a strong digital PR campaign, you’ll:

• Significantly raise brand awareness
• Boost your credibility 
• Rank higher due to building backlinks with digital PR tactics 
• Build valuable relationships in your niche that will provide future benefit 

As you can see, digital PR is well worth your while when done properly. If you’ve been having a hard time outranking competitors or introducing your brand to new customers, a digital PR campaign can help you meet (and exceed) your goals. 

In this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about launching a digital PR campaign, including future trends on the horizon – so stay tuned! 

What is Digital PR?

First, let’s dive a bit deeper into what digital PR is and how it differs from traditional PR and link-building. 

As a practice, public relations has always been about getting clients promoted or quoted in the media by rubbing elbows with journalists and other media professionals. 

Whether you use traditional or digital PR tactics, this underlying philosophy remains the same. The only thing that differs is the marketing channels that you use. While digital PR doesn’t involve reaching out to newspaper columnists and radio show hosts, it does involve getting to know bloggers, online journalists, and social media influencers. 

The goal is also the same, which is to get your client or business promoted and quoted in relevant online publications and media. 

Also, digital PR has 3 main components, which are:

• Media outreach. This entails building relationships with online journalists, bloggers, podcast hosts, and social media influencers, just to name a few. Rather than reaching out for singular link placements, quotes, and shout-outs, it’s more effective to build long-lasting relationships with media professionals. That way, you can continue to receive links, quotes, and promotional posts from them well into the future. This involves A) getting to know prominent journalists and B) staying in touch with them. 

• Link-building. Much like SEO, digital PR aims to build authoritative backlinks from relevant websites. Besides gaining link equity to rank higher on search engines, digital PR campaigns also use link-building to generate referral traffic and build brand credibility. That’s why they use creative tactics like distributing press releases to generate buzz amongst online journalists. 

• Content creation. Digital PR also involves creating content to generate traffic, attract links, and attract media attention. The main types of content digital PR professionals use include press releases, infographics, brief newspaper articles, short videos, guest blogs, and social media posts. Audience interaction is also a large component of digital PR content, as it’s important to respond to user comments and concerns.  

As you can see, the digital PR process shares a lot in common with most SEO strategies, which also entail building backlinks and creating content. 

The main difference lies in the end goals. With SEO, your focus is entirely centered on reaching #1 on Google’s search results. With digital PR, you still want to achieve high rankings, but you also want to build up your brand, attract lots of attention, and boost your credibility. 

Digital PR vs. Traditional PR

Here’s a quick breakdown of the main difference between digital PR and traditional PR:

Traditional PR

• Focused on acquiring brand mentions and promotion via print media. 
• Involves reaching out to radio hosts, TV reporters, and newspaper journalists. 
• Distributes press releases via print publications to inform the public and media of newsworthy events. 
• Traditional PR methods involve one-way communication, where a brand shares updates on a particular issue. 

Digital PR 

• Focused on generating organic traffic, achieving higher keyword rankings, and securing backlinks, quotes, and brand mentions on relevant websites. 
• Involves reaching out to bloggers, podcast hosts, social media influencers, and online journalists. 
• Distributes press releases to various news websites to inform the public and media of newsworthy events. 
• Digital PR techniques are more two-way than traditional PR, as brands can use social media to comment on issues important to the public. They can also respond to user comments, enabling the public to become part of the narrative. 

As you can see, both types of PR share the same goals, they just go about achieving them differently. 

Why Digital PR is Essential for Top-Tier SEO 

If you want to take your SEO efforts to the next level, you’ll need to incorporate at least a little bit of what digital PR has to offer. 

Why is that?

It’s because digital PR techniques are extremely effective for:

1. Boosting domain authority (how trusted your website is with search engines like Google) 
2. Generating a buzz online about your brand 
3. Introducing your products and services to new audiences 
4. Building brand loyalists 
5. Generating referral traffic 
6. Boosting keyword rankings 

In other words, digital PR will help you meet your SEO goals, regardless of what they are. 

Traditional SEO tactics are great for improving keyword rankings, but they aren’t the best at building brand loyalty and boosting credibility. 

Where traditional SEO and link-building techniques involve fixing broken links, creating keyword-rich content, and optimizing the technical side of your website – digital PR takes a more people-focused approach. 

Now, we’re by no means knocking traditional SEO, as it’s an extremely effective marketing channel for boosting traffic. 

We’re just saying that combining traditional SEO with digital PR will elevate your online presence to new heights. 

Your traditional techniques like technical audits and keyword research will fuel the search engine side of your strategy, while your digital PR tactics will appeal to your target audiences (and search engines, too). 

For example, a significant part of digital PR is reaching out to social media influencers in your field to secure brand mentions, shout-outs, and other types of promotional content. This will appeal to your target audience in a big way, as influencer marketing is extremely effective. 

As proof, more than half of all marketers claim that influencer-generated content performs better than official branded posts. 

Here’s a closer look at the main SEO benefits associated with digital PR. 

Boosting your website’s domain authority 

Digital PR isn’t concerned with amassing tons of low-quality backlinks through methods like commenting on forums and uploading your website to business directories. 

While these tactics are still necessary for building a natural-looking backlink profile, they won’t move the needle much in terms of rankings. 

Instead, highly authoritative backlinks are what drive SEO results, and they’re precisely the kinds of links that digital PR tactics target. 

With digital PR techniques like publishing data-driven research and distributing newsworthy press releases, you’ll:

1. Attract attention from journalists (which can lead to extremely valuable ‘dofollow’ links on authoritative news websites). 
2. Generate backlinks from high-quality websites in your field (that are eager to share your data-driven research, infographics, and whitepapers). 

These types of websites tend to have high Domain Authority (Moz) and Domain Rating (Ahrefs) scores, especially if they’re respected publications in your field. 

For instance, imagine that you sell digital marketing services, and you’re doing digital PR for your brand. Through outreach, you’re able to secure a backlink from Marketing Dive, a major news source in the digital marketing world. 

Looking at their metrics, they have an extremely high DR of 86 on Ahrefs, and they see a ton of traffic each month. 

This means a backlink from this domain will not only provide a ton of link equity, it also has high potential to generate lots of referral traffic to your website. This will also boost your brand’s recognition and credibility in the eyes of your target audience, which is a definite bonus. 

Using our free domain authority checker tool, we’re able to check the website’s Domain Authority score from Moz to double-check that it’s a high-quality domain:

We like to check a domain’s DA score in addition to its Domain Rating because Moz looks at factors other than a website’s backlinks. 

So, by confirming that the domain also has a high DA score of 82, it’s a sign that the website has its SEO ducks in a row, making it a perfect target for a backlink. 

Digital PR tactics are how you generate big-dog backlinks like this one, which is why you should add some digital PR to your link-building repertoire. 

Fostering brand loyalty and recognition 

Another major benefit of digital PR is how great it is at boosting a brand’s capability and expanding its reach. 

As we’ll explore in a bit, tactics like newsjacking, developing creative campaigns, and working with social media influencers all create positive buzz for your brand, which can introduce your products and services to new audiences. 

A perfect example of this is what Oreo did during the Super Bowl Blackout way back in 2013. By tweeting a simple ‘you can still dunk in the dark,’ Oreo effectively inserted itself into a trending news story, which led to thousands of retweets and a ton of press. 

Digital PR is all about getting your brand in front of your target audience’s eyes, which is what you need when growing your business. 

Top Digital PR Strategies That You Can Start Using Now 

The great thing about most digital PR techniques is that you can start using them right away. There aren’t any costly technical requirements involved, as most tactics simply involve emailing someone or drafting simple documents (like press releases). 

Yet, these tactics can be enormously effective for improving your search rankings and generating more traffic. 

Here’s a look at some of our favorite digital PR tactics that especially help with SEO. 

Strategy #1: Creating data-driven research to attract backlinks and create buzz 

First, one of the most effective digital PR tactics for generating backlinks is to create data-driven research like studies and surveys. 

Journalists and bloggers are always hungry for high-quality research to cite in their articles, which is why professional studies are backlink magnets. If you pick a truly compelling and relevant topic, you can also attract the attention of the public, which will draw attention to your brand. 

This technique is most effective for generating lots of backlinks from a variety of different websites, so it’s an ideal choice if you’re trying to close a sizable backlink gap between you and a competitor. 

If you want to create data-driven research, you can either use your own data or leverage third-party data. If the resources are available, it’s best to create a completely original piece of research, as it will generate the most links. 

Also, make sure you pick a topic that’s currently trending (Google Trends can help with this). 

Semrush is well aware of the power of original research, which is why they have an entire section of their website dedicated to it. 

As a quick example, a recent study they published analyzed Google’s AI Overviews to learn more about how and why they trigger. 

It was an extremely relevant topic for SEOs eager to crack the AI Overview code, and it generated lots of valuable backlinks for the brand:

Those are some high DR scores! 

You can replicate their success by developing original research for your field and then sharing it online. 

Strategy #2: Newsjacking 

Like the previously mentioned example from Oreo, newsjacking involves ‘inserting’ your brand into a trending news story. 

It could be as simple as sharing your expert opinion on a developing story, or as complex as creating a piece of art to capitalize on a recent trend. 

Cereal brand Surreal chose the latter route, as they created entire billboards as part of their newsjacking stunt. Since AI-powered tools like ChatGPT are all the rage, Surreal decided to use an AI copywriting tool to write some unintentionally hilarious headlines for their cereal. 

They posted the results on billboards and shared them on social media:

The posts quickly went viral and the brand was successfully able to insert themselves into the discussion around generative AI tools. 

Here are some tips for implementing newsjacking into your digital PR campaign:

• Monitor websites like Google Trends and industry news sites to keep track of breaking news. 
• Try and think of ways that your products and services relate to trending stories. 
• A simple Tweet can be enough to get the public buzzing, so you don’t need to stage large, expensive stunts. 
• Sharing your unique expertise on a news story is also an effective way to get people talking about your brand. 

Strategy #3: Creating compelling content that attracts backlinks and generates traffic 

Content creation is a significant aspect of digital PR, but only certain types of content. In particular, you’ll want to focus on content types that generate the most shares online. 

Bearing that in mind, static blog posts that don’t contain any images or videos aren’t the way to go. 

Blogs can work, but they should be detailed ultimate guides and helpful how-to’s that teach readers new skills. Also, don’t forget to break up long walls of text with high-resolution images, call-out boxes, and videos (if you have them). 

However, the content types that attract the most links and traffic BY FAR include:

• Videos 
• Infographics 
• Podcasts
• Data-driven research 
• Whitepapers and case studies 
• Investigative journalism 

Videos and infographics are the most valuable, as research shows that including visual content increases your sharing potential by 40x. This is because it’s far easier for users to consume and share visual content like a short video or engaging infographic than it is text-heavy blogs. 

Our recommendation?

Take your existing blogs and ultimate guides and repurpose them into different content types. 

If you have an expertly written blog post on a trending topic, why not also create a video and infographic for it? As we’ve just shown you, doing so will make users 40 times more likely to share it, so you have no reason not to. 

Strategy #4: Building links with digital PR 

Next, let’s dive deeper into the link-building side of digital PR. As you already know, lots of digital PR tactics aim to generate backlinks, even if that’s not the main goal of the strategy. 

An example would be newsjacking. While your primary goal may be to increase exposure for your brand, the tactic has the added bonus of attracting backlinks. 

However, there are other digital PR techniques that center around generating backlinks, such as:

• Building relationships with news sites and media outlets (which can lead to continuous link placements) 
• Distributing newsworthy press releases
• Guest posting on relevant websites in your niche
• Networking with journalists and influencers to secure linked brand mentions 

These are all effective ways to build high-DA backlinks while increasing your brand’s reach online. 

Strategy #5: Local digital PR campaigns 

There are times when websites don’t need to spread awareness worldwide, they just need to focus on their core service areas. 

This is true for local businesses with brick-and-mortar locations, as they’ll want to limit their marketing to the cities, towns, and neighborhoods they serve. 

Thus, a local digital PR campaign focuses on building local backlinks and securing brand mentions in popular online local publications. 

Most local campaigns use the same techniques as standard digital PR campaigns, they’re just laser focused on a few key areas. For example, a window tinting company may want to newsjack a simple story in their local newspaper instead of inserting their brand into a major national news event. 

It’s also important to network with journalists for local publications like newspapers and even community websites. 

Some ways you can break the ice include:

1. Offering your expert opinion on relevant topics
2. Leaving insightful comments on local posts (avoid self-promotion, genuinely add to the discussion)
3. Providing samples of your products to journalists who create ‘best of’ lists 

Strategy #6: Developing creative marketing campaigns 

The public loves creative campaigns, especially when they’re done right. 

A creative campaign is when a brand uses unique imagery and storytelling to appeal to their target audience. Instead of using hard sell tactics to push products, creative campaigns focus on showing audiences that the brand cares. 

That’s why most creative campaigns focus on trending social issues, mental health, and physical well-being. 

A perfect example is Dove’s Real Beauty campaign from 2006. 

It was a direct response to a study that found that only 2% of women described themselves as beautiful. Dove published a time-lapse video called Evolution that showed how the fashion industry uses makeup and Photoshop to transform a normal-looking woman into a supermodel. 

It became a massive hit, accruing over a million views on YouTube. It showed that the brand cared about its audience’s self-image, which went a long way with its audience. 

You can mimic their success by launching creative campaigns that address issues that are important to your target audiences. 

Strategy #7: Collaborating with social media influencers

As stated previously, over half of marketers report that working with influencers yields better results than their self-promotional efforts. 

In today’s age, customers from just about every industry listen to influencers. 

Just how much influence do they have?

According to research, a whopping 87% of customers report they’ve been swayed by influencers when purchasing new products. 

You don’t have to target mega influencers on the level of the Paul brothers, either. 

There are plenty of influencers in every niche under the sun, and they don’t need millions of followers to generate impressive results. 

For instance, nano influencers only have around 1,000 – 5,000 followers, but they’re extremely tight with their audience. That means their followers are highly likely to go with the products they recommended. 

The same is true for micro influencers, who average anywhere from 5,000 – 30,000 followers. These influencers are often seen as niche experts and thought leaders, so they’re extremely valuable partners to have. 

How do you find relevant influencers?

You can use Google’s search operators to find influencers in specific cities and industries. 

Typing in something like “city name + influencers” into Google will provide you with some prospects to vet. 

Here’s what happens when we search for “St. Petersburg influencers” on Google:

You can also search by niche instead of location. 

Measuring the Impact of Digital PR 

Once you get a digital PR campaign off the ground, you’ll need ways to know if you’re making progress toward achieving your goals or not. 

In particular, you’ll need to keep track of:

1. How much organic traffic you’re generating 
2. The number of backlinks you acquire 
3. Changes to your domain authority score 
4. The main demographics visiting your website 

To make all of this possible, you’ll need to use tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, and paid SEO platforms like Ahrefs. 

Google Search Console is your go-to platform for monitoring organic traffic, keyword position rankings, and backlink acquisition. Check out our extensive guide on Google Search Console to learn more about using the platform (and setting it up). 

Google Analytics 4 provides valuable insights into your target audience, such as demographic and geographic breakdowns. It’ll let you know where your audience comes from, including the times of day when they’re most active. You can learn more about Google Analytics 4 here. 

Ahrefs, while requiring a paid subscription, is an extremely useful tool for monitoring everything SEO. You can also set up Ahrefs Alerts, which will send you email notifications every time you receive (or lose) a backlink. 

Ahrefs will also let you view your top organic pages, best backlinks, and keyword rankings. Its massive tool set enables you to do in-depth competitor analysis to help take your SEO to the next level. 

Future Trends in Digital PR 

The digital PR landscape is currently evolving in several big ways. Moving forward, PR professionals can expect to encounter the following trends:

• AI-powered personalization in campaigns. The AI revolution has impacted every industry, and digital PR is no different. Digital PR specialists can now leverage generative AI tools to streamline and enhance their campaigns, such as using copywriting tools to overcome writer’s block when drafting press releases. Generative AI tools for images and videos also show promise for future campaigns. 

• An emerging focus on multimedia. As AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technologies become more commonplace, you can expect that digital PR tactics will soon enter the space. The Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest headsets are already available, and they present unique marketing opportunities for site owners. 

• Data journalism is becoming the norm. Since it’s easier than ever to produce fake news, it’s crucial for digital PR professionals to practice data journalism, which is the practice of backing up all your claims with trusted statistics and figures. 

If you want to stay ahead of the competition, it’s best to get on board with these trends now before you get left behind. 

Digital PR FAQs 

Here are some frequently asked questions related to digital PR:

Q: How long does it take to see results from a digital PR campaign?

A: As with any digital marketing strategy, it takes approximately 3 – 6 months before you start seeing an ROI. This is due to a variety of reasons, including the size of search engine indexes and the complexity of search algorithms. 

Q: What’s the difference between link-building and digital PR?

A: As stated earlier, the main difference lies in each technique’s end goal, as they both involve building backlinks from relevant websites. 

Traditional link-building is all about ranking higher on search engines, while digital PR has the added goal of spreading brand awareness. Also, digital PR link-building tactics tend to yield high-authority backlinks from respected publications, while some traditional tactics focus on amassing lots of low-quality links (which is still necessary to build a natural-looking link profile). 

We recommend using a balance of traditional link-building and digital PR tactics to get the most bang for your buck. 

Q: Can small businesses use digital PR?

A: Of course! Digital PR for small businesses is definitely doable, no matter how small the business is. This is even true for local businesses, as we discussed several local digital PR techniques earlier. If you have a small budget, you can still take part in tactics like distributing press releases, creating infographics, and newsjacking relevant stories. 

Get Started with Digital PR Services for SEO 

It’s been a long journey, so let’s recap the main points:

• Digital PR is an extremely effective practice for boosting domain authority, improving SEO, and introducing your brand to new audiences. 
• Digital PR link-building tactics are great for acquiring high-authority backlinks from trusted publications and websites. 
• Strategies like newsjacking, creating data-driven research, and collaborating with influencers will help you take your SEO to the next level. 

Are you interested in leveraging digital PR to improve your SEO and generate more revenue?

We’d love to help with our newly launched Digital PR service. Our gurus know what it takes to build your authority and increase your exposure online, so don’t wait to reach out for a free consultation today!