PR backlinks from journalists are invaluable for websites and brands seeking to improve search engine rankings and attract high volumes of relevant traffic. This blog delves into the step-by-step process of acquiring quality PR backlinks and some additional tips and common mistakes to avoid. Read on to scale up your digital PR campaigns today!
Building a website from scratch is quite some work. When you create a library of information through blogs and articles, you expect both a steady amount of traffic and a high ranking on search engines. For these to happen, link-building becomes indispensable. Achieving PR backlinks is considered the holy grail in link-building because of the huge amount of traffic and high domain authority that the top newspapers and publications boast.
Now, you might assume that as your business grows and your website becomes popular, getting PR backlinks gets easier. While this is true to some extent, there are ways in which you can get these high-quality backlinks.
This blog will explore the benefits of PR backlinks, especially from journalists, possible ways and best practices for building PR links, and mistakes to avoid when building them.
But let’s first understand what PR links are.
Press release backlinks or PR backlinks are the links your website gets when certain media outlets or journalists mention it on their website or in an article/blog they produce. These links have immense SEO value and can potentially raise your search engine rankings organically. Why? Because search engines like Google and Bing view these links as proof of your website’s credibility and relevance.
PR links stand out from regular backlinks because they come directly from stories about your brand in the media. Regular backlinks, on the other hand, are generated from guest posting and other link-building initiatives. Journalists include links in their stories back to your website to enable more people to discover your brand and share stories. These obviously are editorially strong recommendations for search engines to consider while ranking your site.
While we acknowledge that these links are invaluable in terms of SEO, let’s break down the benefits further:
Google’s E-E-A-T score and the necessity to abide by it are already established. The score stands for expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. These are the benchmarks that Google will consider when declaring that your content is high-quality.
Now, consider what these PR backlinks bring to the table. Coming from highly acclaimed publications that experience huge volumes of regular traffic, they establish your website content or blog with all four standards. A significant boost in the E-E-A-T score automatically results in a high ranking in search engines along with improved visibility.
Website owners and SEOs struggle to get more clicks. With PR links, these become easier when compared to other efforts. This is how it happens. When the newspaper or any other media publication mentions your website/brand, it is assumed that the topic is relevant to your niche or industry. This results in a significant boost in traffic, enhancing the overall visibility of the brand as well.
When it comes to building audience trust, a single positive mention of your brand in a reputed publication is worth a hundred positive reviews on your website. These links are highly credible, attracting the attention and confidence of your audience, who have the potential to convert into your customers.
Competition is a huge obstacle in a business’s path to success in terms of impressive search engine rankings. Most of your competitors are doing exactly what you are doing and trying to thrive in the digital space. In such scenarios, if you can ace the competition by getting high-quality backlinks from journalists and continue doing so periodically, you are quite a step ahead of the rest.
Well, by now, we know that PR backlinks can create magic for your brand by introducing it to new audiences, improving search engine rankings, building credibility, and safeguarding it from the fierce competition out there. So, these bring us to the next question, i.e., how to get PR links.
While there are different ways of getting these links, the most obvious way is to write and publish press releases. This is relevant, and it also takes less time to bring a journalist’s attention to your brand instead of reaching out individually and waiting for a long time for them to respond. So, in this section, we will mostly focus on how you can acquire PR backlinks through press releases.
Here are the steps to follow and best practices to consider:
The first step to acquiring PR backlinks is understanding your audience. When you understand your precise audience, you create relevant content that is worth attracting links from journalists. Consider your audience’s demographics, as well as the popular media outlets in your industry and the kind of stories they are into.
Knowing about their editorial style will further give you a clear idea of the aesthetics your audience prefers. With a grip on these factors, you are ready to create content that appeals to your audience as well as the publication that you want to get a mention from.
The next step is to write a press release to be distributed online. For this, you need a relevant topic. This is where Google Trends can help you significantly. The platform helps you not only get an insight into what’s trending but also where and how much.
Let’s understand this with an example. Imagine your company sells home decor items, and you are launching a specific type of curtains. With Google Trends, you can understand what’s trending around home decor and where, in particular, audiences are demanding curtains more. Let’s say you find out that Texas has the highest interest in decorative curtains. You can proceed to write the press release around this.
The most popular and common press release topics are usually around company events, data-driven research blogs, product launches, events, awards, and crisis management. The more streamlined you are in terms of the content, the higher the probability of gaining positive attention from the media house.
So, you are clear about what to write about and who to write it for. The next obvious step is to draft a compelling, informative, easy-to-comprehend press release that grabs the attention of your audience and the influential media people in your field.
There are certain components of a tried-and-tested digital press release format. These are a company logo, a catchy headline, a release date, contact info, an intro, a body, and a boilerplate, which is a small section providing background information about your company/brand. Including an additional sign-off is a must. This is a crisp and concise summary of your press release content and should be followed by an ‘end’ to mark completeness.
It is understandable that you are writing this press release to gain backlinks from journalists, which makes it precisely for SEO purposes. However, do not get caught in the maze of optimizing it too much.
There are certain things you should avoid in your digital PR tactics. The first is stuffing keywords. Make sure to use your targeted keywords only where they are needed and where they make complete sense. Similarly, avoid over-optimized anchor text by opting for natural-looking anchors rather than exact-match keywords. Over-optimization minimizes the quality of your content, reducing the chances of an authoritative backlink.
Once you have the press release ready, it’s time to distribute it online and attract quality backlinks or mentions. You can get in touch with different PR distribution channels that charge for uploading press releases. Contacting the media houses separately is also an option.
Whichever way you choose, ensure that the distribution channel or the media publication caters to your budget and requirements. Their credibility, demographics, geographic distribution, and relevance, apart from the fees they charge, should make your choice worthwhile.
This is a very important step or practice to keep in mind. For each PR backlink you acquire, hit it with a ‘nofollow’ HTML tag to abide by Google’s regulations. No-follow tags contribute to ranking, too, so don’t hesitate to use them.
You are required to hit no-follow links because your only purpose is to tell a story or share news. The publication that chooses your story will provide the do-follow links, which are what you want for value addition. Using no-follow PR backlinks can make you pay a Google penalty, wreaking havoc on your search engine rankings, so it’s a strict no-no.
As you monitor progress, you’ll likely identify trends, such as certain types of content or specific publications driving more valuable backlinks than others. Use these insights to refine your approach. For instance, if technical articles get more traction, consider producing more of those. Similarly, if certain publications bring in high-quality traffic, focus on strengthening relationships with them. Do not forget to monitor your progress with platforms like Ahrefs.
Once you are aware of the steps and best practices of your digital PR campaign, here are some bonus strategies to consider:
Invest time in building genuine relationships with journalists and influential bloggers in your industry. Follow them on social media, engage with their content, and interact with them meaningfully. When you have a newsworthy story or piece of content, these relationships can make it easier to get coverage and backlinks.
Position yourself or your company as an expert in your field. Respond to media inquiries and offer to provide expert commentary on relevant topics. This not only increases your visibility but also enhances your chances of getting backlinks when your insights are included in articles or blog posts.
Sign up for platforms like HARO, where journalists seek sources for their stories. Respond promptly to relevant queries with valuable insights or data. If your contribution is used in an article, you’re likely to receive a backlink.
Develop content assets such as infographics, white papers, or comprehensive guides that are visually appealing and provide valuable information. These assets are more likely to attract backlinks from journalists, bloggers, and other websites looking for authoritative sources.
Getting quality PR backlinks from journalists can be challenging but rewarding. Here are five common mistakes to avoid when pursuing these links:
One of the biggest mistakes is reaching out to journalists who cover topics unrelated to your business or industry. Ensure your pitch is relevant to their beat and audience. Journalists are more likely to engage if your story aligns with their reporting focus.
Sending generic, mass-distributed pitches is a surefire way to get ignored. Journalists receive numerous emails daily, so personalize your pitch. Reference their past work and explain why your story is of interest to their readership. Tailor each pitch to demonstrate you’ve done your homework.
Journalists seek stories, not advertisements. Avoid overly promotional language and focus on offering newsworthy content. Provide valuable insights, data, or a unique angle that adds depth to their reporting. Your pitch should emphasize the story’s importance rather than your product or service.
Building relationships with journalists takes time. Don’t treat them solely as a means to an end (a backlink). Engage with their work, follow them on social media, and interact professionally. When pitching, demonstrate that you understand their style and interests, which increases the likelihood of them considering your pitch.
Journalists work on tight deadlines and within specific editorial guidelines. Ignoring these can frustrate them and reduce your chances of success. Respect their deadlines, provide all necessary information upfront, and be available for follow-up questions promptly. Adapt to their preferred communication methods to make their job easier.
So, that’s precisely what you need to build high-value PR backlinks for your business. By contacting relevant news publications and media outlets in your field, you’ll boost your brand awareness and online visibility by significant margins.
Now that we’ve provided the framework, what are you waiting for? Don’t wait to start building PR backlinks to your website today.
It is established that high-quality press links work wonders for brands. Being aware of the importance of these links, the steps to acquire them, the best practices, and the common mistakes to avoid can help you get started gradually but steadily in the field.
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