Common Problems in Digital PR for Link Building and How to Overcome Them

Introduction

While the results of Digital PR for Link Building speak for themselves, it is initially a monumental task where many problems may occur. So, it becomes imperative to have the right measures and benchmarks in place as well as a couple of pro tips to make sure your Digital PR journey goes as smoothly as possible. 

That’s why in this blog we’ll discuss the potential problems that you might find while starting Digital PR for link building along with possible solutions to set you on the right track from the beginning.

Targeting the Right Audience or Media Outlets

There are thousands of choices when it comes to selecting media outlets. However, the first order of things is to sift out legitimate ones. With so many PR websites around, you will need a checklist to gauge the legitimacy of a website before you outreach them. 

Other than that, you also have to ensure that the PR media outlets you select to outreach are also catering to your target audience, either directly or by reaching a broader audience that includes your target demographic.

Conduct Thorough Research 

Make sure that you thoroughly research a media outlet website prior to shortlisting. A basic website audit should let you know whether the website is legit or not. Moreover, it is a good idea to get an idea of the type of keywords the website is ranking for. If those keywords align with your targeted keywords, you’ve hit the bull’s eye.

List PR Websites via Media Databases

A list of media databases is a fundamental factor you should have in your Digital PR toolkit. Following is the list of some of the best media databases you will likely need if you’re looking for Digital PR platforms.

1. Cision
2. Muck Rack
3. Prowly
4. BuzzSumo
5. Agility PR Solutions
6. Anewstip
7. Critical Mention
8. Meltwater
9. PressRush
10. Roxhill

These media databases have established connections and are actively engaged with journalists and media websites, which means getting your press releases published becomes a breeze. Take Cision, for example: the platform boasts over 850,000 pitchable media contacts, journalists, and other outlets. 

However, if you’re solely going for Digital PR for Link Building, then it would be better to go for a White label link building agency that understands your requirements well. 

Tailor Your Pitch

While you might be able to zone in on the right website thanks to a media database, be wary that without a winning pitch, it will be difficult to hook the right journalists. Make sure that you research the media outlet/journalist prior to sending the pitch. 

Tailor the pitch such that it resonates with the receiver. This will maximize the chances of striking the conversation.

Pro Tip

If you’re beginning digital PR, the initial goal is to consolidate a list of iron-clad media outlets and establish a connection with them. Thus, it’s best to have a detailed media list in your sheets detailing the pros and cons, as well as niche specificity. Make sure you segment your target media outlets according to their verticals and sub-verticals so you have an apt idea of what pitches will be the best for them. Regularly updating this list will ensure that your pitches are highly successful. 

Creating Newsworthy or Unique Content

Any media outlet or journalist that you’ll target will likely be receiving tonnes of emails regularly. In other words, there is a high chance that your targeted journalists are tired of the monotonous PR pitches they see multiple times daily. Digital PR websites with a larger following are thus likely to ignore a pitch that looks like a thousand others. However, such digital PR mistakes can be avoided quite easily. 

Create Unique, Data-Driven Content

Make sure that any content you’re creating comes backed with data. Having the right stats and specifics will let you craft content that is aptly focused and drives your point home. The targeted media outlets for link building will jump at the chance to quote you if your content is backed by data. While this might mean a heavier hand on research, it will likely empower your PR outreach for backlinks like never before!

Use Storytelling 

Storytelling is one of the most important factors that pull your audience and journalists alike. If your storytelling is on point, your content will flow effortlessly for the viewer, while keeping them engaged till the very end. 

If you’re going for Digital PR for link building, it’s imperative that your content announces something highly relevant to your target audience, while being noteworthy enough that media outlets want to quote it. 

Leverage Trending Topics

One of the best ways to craft unique content for Digital PR is to focus on trending topics. This way, you can already find most of the information on the web. All you need to do for that flair is to find an angle close to your niche which others haven’t discussed in much detail yet. 

Take the Google API leaks for example. Most of the websites were focused on solely the complete crux of the leaks. So, we created a blog that was focused on what the Google API leaks meant for Link Building. Using this method can mean that you can leverage topics that are remotely relevant to your niche and create newsworthy content for backlinks that is highly relevant to your own brand.

Pro Tip

While ChatGPT is a great way to generate content ideas as well as investigate different angles, you can also find different angles by simply looking up the topic and then clicking through the “People also Ask” section. This way you can tailor your Digital PR campaigns with ease and make sure that your content is as newsworthy as ever!

Utilizing the Right Pitching Techniques

We mentioned tailoring your pitch earlier. Here we will explore how you can ensure that your pitch has the right tone that becomes music for your targeted media outlets. A common problem websites starting Digital PR often find is their target outreach needs to be more promotional. While media pitching for Digital PR may be about your announcement, the preference is more towards being subtle than being overt. 

Keep it Short and Personalized

Let’s be honest. No one likes to read long emails, even if it is about them being awesome. So, the best method is to introduce yourself, highlight some of their awesome work, and talk about the main objective of your email. 

Avoid Being Overly Promotional

Media outlets and journalists, just like all of us practically despise emails that boast too much about the sender. So it is a good idea to be as subtle as possible when introducing yourself. Moreover, make sure the language you’re using is formal and friendly. Remember, you’re offering unique content for Digital PR, so it is best to cleanly avoid such Digital PR mistakes at all times during the conversation. 

Follow Up Wisely

One of the major digital PR challenges that new websites face is finding the patience to follow up at sufficient intervals. We know it can’t be quite frustrating having sent an outreach email and then waiting for a reply without a timeline. However, if you follow up too soon or too much chances are you’ll land up in the spam folders. According to GrowLeady, the ideal time to wait can vary, but commonly it’s suggested to wait around 2-3 days and then have subsequent follow-up after a week depending on feedback received.

Another factor to be wary of is setting the number of follow-ups per contact. While this may vary from niche to niche or industry to industry, Woodpecker, it’s best to have only 2-3 follow-up emails.

Pro Tip

It’s a good idea to have an email tracking tool when you’re outreaching for Digital PR. You can use either HubSpot or Yesware to know when your sent emails are opened which will allow you to time your follow-ups more efficiently. Moreover, this will also help your PR backlink tracking.

Building Authority Takes Time

Many websites getting into Digital PR and link building don’t realize that both getting links and consequent results take time. Know that it is a long-term process, but results are always worth it. 

Set Realistic Expectations

When you’re talking to media outlets for link building, it is important to have realistic timelines set. While in some cases, your backlinks might pop up in a week, there could be times when it may take a month or more to procure a single Digital PR backlink. 

Thus, patience is a virtue when pitching for backlinks. As these timelines are usually dependent on the niche and the media outlets you’ve targeted, it’s best to gain experience in Digital PR to ensure you have accurate estimates.

Measure Incremental Success

Measuring link-building success depends also takes time. A link procured today will have to be crawled by Google before it passes authority to you. This is where having the right PR campaign metrics on your side becomes imperative. Some of the most common PR metrics to monitor are:

1. Share of Voice
2. Website Traffic
3. Impressions
4. Social Media Engagement
5. Backlinks
6. Content Engagement
7. Reach

Focus on Relationship Building

Digital PR is all about building connections with media outlets. With established communication with multiple outlets, you will know that even if your content does not appeal to some outlets, others might jump at the chance. 

Digital PR relies heavily on consistent communication with news publications and media agencies. This is why it’s often suggested to have constant media pitching for Digital PR, so as to maximize the chances of getting relevant backlinks.

Pro tip

Make sure you monitor your competitors that are involved in Digital PR. Analyzing their backlink profile along with social media will tell you about their strategies, which you can replicate as applicable to boost your Digital PR link building efforts.

Struggling with Measuring ROI and Success

Often at times, even with everything going your way, chances are you might feel troubled at measuring the accurate ROI for your Digital PR link building efforts. This is due to the fact that you have to monitor the impact of each procured backlink, based on traffic and authority. 

Moreover, as you accumulate more backlinks in your profile, one of the major Digital PR challenges you will face is monitoring all the sources of traffic. Digital PR for link building means you will get traffic initially only from the website you’ve outreached to. However, as more and more websites start quoting you, your backlinks could likely come in larger quantities.

Finding success could also be a challenge when it comes to Digital PR. Not every step taken is assured to be the right one. So, in case something backfires, it’s necessary to have crisis management protocols in place.

Proactively manage your brand’s Reputation

Once your efforts start picking up pace, it’s important to have a team in place that proactively manages your Digital PR. Your PR team will ensure that every aspect of your campaign is managed effectively. 

Alternatively, you can use us if you’re going with Digital PR for link building. That way, you can place an order as per your preferences and we will keep you updated at regular intervals about the links we earn for you. 

Issue Timely Responses

With connections and communication established, you will get a ton of replies every day. In these scenarios, reverting timely is an obligation. Make sure you’re promptly replying to the emails you receive. Doing this can maximize the chances of closing a deal within a day or even a week. 

Create PR Campaigns Focused Towards Positivity

It’s important that any angles you investigate for Digital PR are holistically positive. Whether you’re highlighting an achievement or making an announcement, your language should be focused on providing solutions or helping your audience.

A good PR campaign is one where the audience remembers and recalls your brand in a positive light. Additionally, when doing Digital PR for link building, a good campaign is one that scores a lot of backlinks!

Pro Tip

A good practice to monitor your PR Campaign metrics is to make use of tools like Google Data Studio to have visual reports showcasing your success. Alternatively, you can also have a custom dashboard via Power BI connected to online sheets updating in real-time to provide you with a visual summary. 

We hope our solutions to these common Digital PR challenges prove helpful to you. Stay tuned for more about Digital PR and if you’d like to learn more about SEO, feel free to check out our blog.