I recall my first full-time SEO gig as an in-house digital marketing manager. I worked for an international real estate company that sourced and sold investment real estate from exotic countries of the world.
Their clientele included adventurous high-net worth Brits looking to make high risk and high return investments in locations such as Mongolia, Macau and even Montenegro! They were right at the cutting-edge in their already niche industry, where selling second homes in neighboring France and Spain was the norm and safe bet.
The founders of the company did something brilliant - they hired a full-time in-house PR manager to oversee the company’s press and media coverage. This was a rewarding move as the UK press drooled to cover their stories. Their pitches to journalist always revolved around new and interesting investment frontiers; and as a result, they got coverage – loads in fact! I, as an in-house SEO at the time, absolutely relished this because over half of all PR coverage translated to digital coverage and backlinks to their website.
It helped boost brand awareness, brand name search volume, and our rankings enormously and as a result we tended to get top 5 rankings for most target key phrases. This was a stellar example of the results that can be achieved from the synergy of Technical SEO and PR.
If you have read my 5 pillars sustainable of SEO article, there is no doubt that Digital PR and Outreach SEO have hit a convergence point. PR comes into full play at the point of the promotion of content assets with media. Almost all old media outlets have thriving digital presence that are deemed as highly authoritative entities in the eyes Google.
In this post, I’d like to share 8 fundamentals Digital PR tactics and then next week i’ll share the essential tools eCommerce managers and SEOs need to boost their Digital PR and outreach efforts.
Principle #1 - Change Up Your Mindset – You’re Pitching Media Coverage, Not Acquiring Links!
When it’s time to carry out media outreach, the first step is to take off your SEO hat.
Every time I contact media publications on behalf of clients, I never refer to myself as an SEO. I usually use job titles such as ‘Digital PR Consultant’ or ‘Digital Media Relations’ on my email signature.
Why? It’s because I’m carrying out a digital media relations function, and journalists, bloggers and editors often expect to receive stories from media or PR consultants. So getting into character is essential.
Next, you need to treat all media mentions of the brand you represent as branding victories, in addition to acquiring valuable, high PR links.
So in your digital PR pitch you need to focus on getting coverage, most blogs and news sites will link to your site. Even if they don't, you can still make a request for a link after the coverage has been published – there’s no harm in asking.
There is also the domino effect that often occurs when securing coverage from a major media outlet - it leads to several other publications covering your story and linking to your site.
Principle #2 - Have Something to Announce or Craft your Story
Your outreach to the media can go beyond the standard infographics, whitepaper or the article you’re trying to get into the spotlight.
Outside content promotion, Digital PR involves making an announcement about a company milestone or achievement in an industry publications (in a B2B context) or publications that your customers tend to read (as in B2C).
Such outreach could involve developing a unique news story worthy of the press from typical activity at your company. A case in point: the story-crafting of a London plumbing company, Pimlico Plumbers. If you run a search on Google for:
pimlico plumbers site:dailymail.co.uk
Google will return over 350 results from the Daily Mail alone!
Despite being in the not so exciting plumbing industry, Pimlico Plumbers have mastered PR and will craft a story out of day-to-day company life, or even proactively make a move designed to attract PR coverage.
For example, they hired 'Britain’s oldest worker'; they were mentioned in when ‘Great Britain’s oldest worker completed a Marathon at age 101; or how ‘Britain’s oldest worker’ managed to fight off muggers at age 100 or the fact that they were looking to hire more French plumbers due to the influx of French expats into London.
Media outlets are looking to cover stories that will resonate with their readers, increase their engagement, and grow their subscriber base.
Look for unusual, edgy stories as they tend to get more media attention.
Principle #3 – Offer an Exclusive Story
If your company is preparing for a big product launch that is likely to generate media interest, take the lead and offer an “exclusive” coverage to a major media outlet - this provides a strong incentive for coverage.
Have you ever noticed how TechCrunch seem to ‘break’ certain stories before any other tech news outlet? This is because they often negotiate a 24-hour exclusive coverage agreement with the tech companies they cover.
One key benefit of offering a media outlet an exclusive is that it helps establish trust with the journalist, and incentivizes them to push harder for your story to run. In some other cases, the media outlet may say that they will cover your story only on the basis of giving them an exclusive.
However, the major drawback is that it represents a single point of failure and could have devastating consequences on your coverage if things don’t go as planned.
How do you minimise the risks? Start by asking the right questions. Where will the story run? How much traffic do they project? Will the story by syndicated to their partners? Always have a “plan b” and a checklist!
Principle #4 - Introductions Matter
Let's face it, you are pitching to journalists. They live and die based on the words they choose every day. And they expect the same from you.
If you are emailing a journalist for the first time, give yourself an edge by doing some creative word slinging. Introduce yourself, your company, and your product in a clever, creative way that will capture the journalist's attention.
An example - you’re crafting a press release about a new app that's designed to work just like the transporters on Star Trek - it instantly teleports you anywhere you want to go.
Here's what an old-school press release would look like:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Silicon Valley | Aug 2014 TransApp is a unique, breakthrough, and state-of-the-art app that was released today. It allows for basic teleportation, and we feel your readers would be interested...
And here's what a media savvy digital marketer might lead off with:
Hola Bill!
My name is Jan Kahill, and I am the new media outreach manager for XYZ Apps in Nottingham. I am standing in Times Square in NYC right now, holding a large sign with your logo in one hand and today's copy of The Guardian in my other hand. Click here to see my live webcam:
http://www.livenyc.com/jan.kahill/
Our app will instantly transport me to your office in London as soon as you click on the link. Not convinced? No problem. Just reply to this email and...
Principle #5 - Be Visual
There's no question about it; just as in social media, your visuals make or break your media pitches.
I recall an SEO and Digital PR campaign that we launched for an outdoor gear eCommerce store. Our media pitch attracted 14 positive media responses, which we attributed to the eye-popping photographs we sent with our media pack. I later noticed that the news sites and blogs selected the same set of photographs whenever they published our story - that definitely equals visual success!
Principle #6 - Data-Backed Pitches Work Best
Media pitches with factual research that are based on hard data tend to stand out – especially when they reveal ground-breaking information to the public.
Examples of research based data come in the form of surveys, data mined from credible databases and unique, original reports. Annual industry surveys tend to do particularly well as they spark expectations.
However, the challenge with surveys is that they can be resource and time intensive. This moves your positioning towards thought leadership, which I have covered here.
Principle #7 –Walk Your Way Up the Media Pyramid
View the press as a pyramid with the most influential publications sitting at the top with influence decreasing as you move down.
Below is a hypothetical Media Pyramid I have drawn up for a fictional UK base eCommerce mountain bike and accessory store:
There are two effective strategies that could be employed to securing extensive PR coverage:
- a top-to-bottom approach
- a bottom-to-up approach
With a top-to-bottom strategy, media coverage is secured in the most influential of publications first. In this case The Guardian, Daily Mail, BBC and Sky News; and then the coverage is either pitched to mid-tier publications such as Wired Magazine, Bike Radar, Cycling Weekly or is picked up by their journalists.
(Top tier coverage implies credibility that can be presented to middle and lower tier outlets.)
A bottom-to-up requires more time, your pitch will have to be sent to several blogs and local newspapers that have a higher tendency to accept your story. As your story gains attraction, it can be presented to mid-tiers outlets and eventually media at the top tier.
As you would have already gathered, it might be a steep climb. Most small businesses hardly ever making it past mid-tier outlets.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that these days, social media obfuscates the peeking order, as a viral story on Facebook or video on YouTube could be catapulted right to the top of the pyramid as was to case for Mr.Cake.
Principle #8 – Media Requests
While there are nuances to every press request platform on the web, they all share some common traits. These platforms enable journalists to connect quickly with brands, bloggers, and industry professional to get quotes and input for their current and pending articles, for example HARO (HelpAReporterOut).
So what are Journalists Looking For?
The questions you will receive after signing up for these services are so varied and seemingly random it is impossible to answer that question. Typical requests include simple comments and quotes, a review sample of a product, or even a full article. If you or your clients have expertise and credibility in almost any field, you can start fielding media opportunities within hours of signing up. These services are hot, and new ones splash onto the web weekly.
Now that I have given you 8 vitalt tips that you'll need for your digital PR pitches. It’s time to get ready for Part 2 coming next week, where I’ll cover PR tools geared to not only kicking-off your PR activities, but that will also help guide your SEO efforts.
See you all then!
