In this session from BrightonSEO, James shares insights into how to make your PR coverage work harder for SEO by avoiding brand mentions and maximising links.

1. Brand Mentions vs
Links: Making PR
Coverage Work Harder
for SEO.
James Brockbank | Digitaloft
SlideShare.net/JamesBrockbank
@BrockbankJames

2. #brightonSEO

3. Digitaloft board meeting, late 2020...
This surge in brand mentions is killing
our client KPI targets...
#brightonSEO

4. #brightonSEO
The digital PR industry is evolving
at a rapid pace...

5. The number of
placements that an
average campaign
earns is in decline...
#brightonSEO

6. 100+ link campaigns
were once pretty
common, now
they’re rare.
#brightonSEO

7. More campaigns being pitched = increased
competition.
#brightonSEO

8. Copycat campaigns.
#brightonSEO

9. Journalists want something unique; new
ideas are getting harder to have.
#brightonSEO

10. Unlinked brand mentions.
#brightonSEO

11. Unlinked brand mentions.
#brightonSEO

12. #brightonSEO

13. Making PR coverage work harder for SEO.
● How big is the problem of unlinked brand mentions & why is this an issue?
● What makes journalists link out in 2021?
● What can you do to prevent unlinked brand mentions?
● How can you turn brand mentions into links?
#brightonSEO

14. 1 in 4 pieces of coverage earned from digital PR activity doesn’t link.
24% of the
coverage Digitaloft
earned in the last
18 months didn’t
link to our client’s
website.
#brightonSEO

15. More businesses & agencies are being measured on links than mentions.
If brand mentions
aren’t counted
towards KPIs,
campaigns have to
work harder.
You need a strategy
to turn mentions
into links.
#brightonSEO

16. #brightonSEO

17. Links are still the #1 goal of most digital PR activity.
Links contribute
towards SEO
success and send
referral traffic.
Brand mentions
don’t (directly).
#brightonSEO

18. Digital PR activity is often being paid for from SEO budgets.
When it’s the SEO
budget paying for
digital PR activity, links
are usually the main
KPI that success is
measured against.
#brightonSEO

19. What do in-house marketers say?
Brand mentions can provide signals to crawlers and give a greater
depth of trust and authority. However, the value of a link is much
greater, which is why our primary KPI's are often tailed towards
link acquisition.
We still look to brand mentions in a positive light and a way of
measuring success, but links will always be our ultimate goal.
Amy Leach, SEO Manager at MAGO
#brightonSEO

20. What do in-house marketers say?
Brand mentions are fine, home page links are OK but top quality
links deep into your site from high authority new linking domains
are the pinnacle. So why, as an in-house team would we KPI fine
and OK when we could spend our budget on delivering the best?
Robbie Platt, Content Marketing & Outreach Lead at RVU
#brightonSEO

21. What do in-house marketers say?
Even ignoring the lack of SEO benefits and implied attribution
expectations, mentions are a bad idea from a user perspective.
Many times, readers want to visit the research mentioned in an
article they've read, only to find no way to do so, leaving them
frustrated.
Carl Borg, Founder at Outforia
#brightonSEO

22. I reached out to 50+ journalists to ask
what encourages them to link out from
their articles...
#brightonSEO

23. When covering a PR campaign from a business, do you link to their website?
Only 51% of
journalists always
link out to external
sources as
standard.
#brightonSEO

24. Which of the following statements can you relate to the most?
To earn links, your
content must add
‘editorial value’ -
something extra on
the other end of the
link.
#brightonSEO

25. What's the #1 tip you would give to PRs
to help get their content linked to and
avoid brand mentions?
#brightonSEO

26. What do journalists say about linking out to external sources?
We almost never link to outside sites. The only instances
in which we do is when those sites have information that
we think is useful to consumers and that it's not possible
to cover in the story itself; for example, if they have a
useful tool.
#brightonSEO

27. What do journalists say about linking out to external sources?
I usually link out when it is crediting an original piece of
research that has been conducted by a business, but if it
is a generic link to plug the brand, this is considered as
advertorial and would fall into sponsored content.
#brightonSEO

28. What do journalists say about linking out to external sources?
There has to be added value to doing so [linking out],
because it takes our readers away from our own sites...
#brightonSEO

29. What do journalists say about linking out to external sources?
To be completely honest, I might not always link initially
out if working at speed, but whenever a PR emails and
politely asks for a link I'm always more than happy to
oblige.
#brightonSEO

30. What do journalists say about linking out to external sources?
Ask! I think a lot of non-SEOs don't really appreciate the
value a link gives to the creator.
#brightonSEO

31. What do journalists say about linking out to external sources?
Make sure there are specific resources that add
value/depth to any article based on the campaign. Links
to a business' homepage or generic topic page are a
waste of everyone's time.
#brightonSEO

32. Avoiding brand
mentions starts
during ideation...
#brightonSEO

33. How are you going to add editorial value?
#brightonSEO

34. 5 ways to add editorial value to your campaigns.
● Stop relying on press releases. You need something worth linking to.
● Create a tool or interactive asset that users can engage with.
● Work multiple stories and angles into campaign content.
● Dive deep into data and include an analysis from your experts.
● Publish blog and guide content that adds depth to reactive / expert
insights comments.
#brightonSEO

35. The faster you ask for a link, the higher your chance of success...
Our internal data shows that the chance
of successfully turning a mention into a
link doubles when we reach out on the
same day as publication.
#brightonSEO

36. Who would this link
benefit?
#brightonSEO

37. Make it about your audience.
#brightonSEO

38. Turning brand mentions into links is all about justifying why...
You need to reach out and demonstrate
the editorial value that a link would add
to an article.
#brightonSEO

39. Adopt a three-tiered strategy for reaching out to a publication.
Journalist.
#brightonSEO

40. Adopt a three-tiered strategy for reaching out to a publication.
Journalist. Editor.
#brightonSEO

41. Adopt a three-tiered strategy for reaching out to a publication.
Journalist. Editor. Corrections.
#brightonSEO

42. #brightonSEO

43. Don’t make it difficult for a publication to add a link...
Make it as easy as possible for whoever
you reach out to to add the link.
#brightonSEO

44. Don’t make it difficult for a publication to add a link...
Your email request should be polite,
simple and straight to the point.
#brightonSEO

45. Here’s the email we send to successfully turn mentions into links...
Hi [Name],
I’m getting in touch regarding an article which you published on [publication] with the title of “[article title]”
This article was written based on research conducted by my client, [business].
It was great to see that the research was of interest, and thank you for the coverage. It was appreciated.
I wondered, however, whether it would be possible for a link to the research to be added within the article or to have the research page
linked and cited as a source? This would enable readers to [demonstrate the editorial value], as well as to provide full credit to my client for
their work.
I’ve included the relevant links below:
Article:
[Article URL]
Research:
[Campaign URL]
If I can help with any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
#brightonSEO

46. Here’s the email we send to successfully turn mentions into links...
Hi [Name],
I’m getting in touch regarding an article which you published on [publication] with the title of “[article title]”
This article was written based on research conducted by my client, [business].
It was great to see that the research was of interest, and thank you for the coverage. It was appreciated.
I wondered, however, whether it would be possible for a link to the research to be added within the article or to have the research page
linked and cited as a source? This would enable readers to [demonstrate the editorial value], as well as to provide full credit to my client for
their work.
I’ve included the relevant links below:
Article:
[Article URL]
Research:
[Campaign URL]
If I can help with any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
A clear intro.
1
#brightonSEO

47. Here’s the email we send to successfully turn mentions into links...
Hi [Name],
I’m getting in touch regarding an article which you published on [publication] with the title of “[article title]”
This article was written based on research conducted by my client, [business].
It was great to see that the research was of interest, and thank you for the coverage. It was appreciated.
I wondered, however, whether it would be possible for a link to the research to be added within the article or to have the research page
linked and cited as a source? This would enable readers to [demonstrate the editorial value], as well as to provide full credit to my client for
their work.
I’ve included the relevant links below:
Article:
[Article URL]
Research:
[Campaign URL]
If I can help with any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
A clear intro.
1
A ‘thank you’.
2
#brightonSEO

48. Here’s the email we send to successfully turn mentions into links...
Hi [Name],
I’m getting in touch regarding an article which you published on [publication] with the title of “[article title]”
This article was written based on research conducted by my client, [business].
It was great to see that the research was of interest, and thank you for the coverage. It was appreciated.
I wondered, however, whether it would be possible for a link to the research to be added within the article or to have the research page
linked and cited as a source? This would enable readers to [demonstrate the editorial value], as well as to provide full credit to my client for
their work.
I’ve included the relevant links below:
Article:
[Article URL]
Research:
[Campaign URL]
If I can help with any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
A clear intro.
1
A ‘thank you’.
2
Show the editorial value.
3
#brightonSEO

49. Here’s the email we send to successfully turn mentions into links...
Hi [Name],
I’m getting in touch regarding an article which you published on [publication] with the title of “[article title]”
This article was written based on research conducted by my client, [business].
It was great to see that the research was of interest, and thank you for the coverage. It was appreciated.
I wondered, however, whether it would be possible for a link to the research to be added within the article or to have the research page
linked and cited as a source? This would enable readers to [demonstrate the editorial value], as well as to provide full credit to my client for
their work.
I’ve included the relevant links below:
Article:
[Article URL]
Research:
[Campaign URL]
If I can help with any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
A clear intro.
1
A ‘thank you’.
2
Show the editorial value.
3
Links for easy reference.
4
#brightonSEO

50. Top tips for asking a publication to turn a mention into a link.
● The faster you reach out and ask, the higher your chance of being
successful.
● Communicate the editorial value that a link would add.
● Clearly indicate which article you’re referencing and include a link.
● Highlight where you’d like the link to point to - don’t make someone have
to figure this out for themselves, they probably won’t bother.
#brightonSEO

51. THANK YOU!
james@digitaloft.co.uk / @BrockbankJames