Mastering Digital PR Tactics to Build Your Brand Online

If you’re working hard to create a compelling online presence that people can trust, engage with, and report on, you’re playing the digital PR game. Now, more than ever, PR tactics extend well beyond the old outdated press release and include SEO, Social Media, partnerships with influencers and creative campaigns. If you’re ready to boost your brand and gain digital coverage that truly moves the needle, this guide will take you through the most effective digital PR strategies.

What is Digital PR?

Digital PR is traditional PR mixed with traditional online marketing strategies. The underlying objective is creating visibility, credibility, and visibility for your brand in the online world. With the help of online publications, social media and trust worthy backlinks, companies can successfully tap into their specific audience.

For example, while traditional PR might include TV spots or print coverage, digital PR centers around winning placements in top websites, blogs and podcasts. The impact? Higher SEO, more further trust, and superior trust from your readers.

Digital PR Explained and Why It’s Revolutionary

It’s not just about the visibility; it’s about the authority in which Digital PR builds. Here’s why it matters:

• Improves SEO: There is no doubt in the fact that high quality backlinks from authority websites can considerably boost your search engine rankings. Forbes, TechCrunch or industry-relevant blogs give you instant domain authority.

• Drives Traffic: Placements on earned media introduce your brand to new, bigger audiences; more traffic to your website or product pages.

• Builds Trust: When you have a credible voice featured in reputable publications, you grow consumers’ trust in your brand down the road.

• Extends Social Media Reach: Linking digital PR with social media, extends and connects your reach directly with your audience.

Crafting Winning Digital PR Tactics

From startups and ecommerce brands to well established companies, all of these digital PR strategies will help amplify your online presence.

Generate Newsworthy Content

At the core of a successful public relations campaign is a newsworthy story. Reporters and bloggers are always looking for a new twist. Here’s how to stand out:

• Original Research: Share groundbreaking results or discoveries in your field. For instance, you can conduct polls among your customers or target audience and display the results visually in the form of infographics or articles.

• Seasonal Campaigns: Associate your activity with hot topics and themes of for the season to keep your plan current. Perhaps, “10 Best Gifts for Tech Enthusiasts This Holiday Season.”

• Human Interest Stories: Featuring a cause or focusing on a behind-the-scenes story can make your brand more human and attention-worthy.

Leverage Data-Driven Storytelling

Stats paint a picture, and reporters love statistics they can plug right into their stories. Consider these approaches:

• Produce engaging infographics to present data visually.

• Create resources for content: Whitepapers or downloadable content for the reader.

• You can use tools to find out what people are interested in (e.g., Google Trends), and find data that you can share with people on these trending topics.

Build Strong Media Relations

Networking with journalists, bloggers, and influencers whom you already know bring results at the end of the day. Start by:

• Building a neatly organized media list with reporters who cover in your niche.

• Pitching them with personalized pitches that reveal you have invested time learning their beat.

• Providing exclusives to entice big-name publications.

Pro Tip: You can go directly to sources by using a tool like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), which links you with journalists looking for quotes or comments from professionals.

Create Interactive Content

Interactive content drives engagement and cuts through the noise of a cluttered web. Consider leveraging:

• Quizzes (“What’s Your Ideal Work Environment?”)

• Polls (“Which of These 2018 Features Was the Most Important to You?”)

• Calculator (i.e., “Do You Know What Your ROI? Use This 1 Tool”).

Content like this tends to be attention grabbing, but also gets people to stick on your website for longer periods of time.

Collaborate With Influencers

Influencer marketing is something of a cornerstone in the house of modern digital PR. Look for opportunities to partner with influencers that your target audience follows. Consider options like:

• Sponsored Posts: Expand your audience by using influencers’ platforms to launch new campaigns or products.

• Affiliate Programs: Reward referrals with commissions or other incentives to create mutually beneficial relationships.

• Co-Authored Content: Work with trusted partners to create impactful blog posts, webinars, or industry guides to magnify your voice.

Prioritize High-Quality Backlinks

A good digital PR strategy focuses on creating high domain authority backlinks that will improve SEO. Here’s how to make it happen:

• Guest Blogging: Contribute to high-quality blogs of your niche to get more visibility as well as backlinks.

• Digital Resources: Create something digital like a free template, downloadable ebook or a guide that earns links naturally.

• Broken Link Building: Find broken links on other sites using tools such as Ahrefs, and offer to replace the link with your URL.

Monitor Online Reputation

As we’ve said, digital PR is as much about managing perception as securing links. Leverage tools like Google Alerts or Mention to monitor mentions of your brand. Respond quickly to any negative reviews, and pump up positive press mentions in your channels.

Use Creative Stunts

Do not be afraid to get creative with PR campaigns. Viral-ready notions like flash mobs, clever giveaways or bizarre digital events also can draw online focus. Just make sure the return is commensurate with the effort.

Tools to Power Up Your Digital PR Strategy

The proper tools can facilitate the flawless implementation of these strategies. Here are a few that are worth bookmarking:

• BuzzSumo is what I use to find the ‘hottest’ content and potential people to outreach as well.

• Canva to help you make jaw-dropping visuals such as infographics and social graphics.

• SEMrush or Ahrefs for backlink tracking and link building opportunities.

• Social media scheduling and monitoring: Hootsuite.

• HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to get in touch directly with journalists.

Boost Your Brand Exposure with Digital PR

Good digital PR is about creating compelling stories, building good relationships, and choosing the right strategy to magnify your message. Whether you’re working to get traffic, grow brand awareness, or even just deliver an all-important news update, your efforts have pushed you a step closer to hundreds (or even thousands!) of people seeing your message.

Take some small steps, track what happens and then hone your strategy. Sustainable PR is a marathon, not a sprint. Soon you will witness the influence of your brand in high authority platforms, social shares and search engines.

Mastering digital PR tactics can help shape your brand’s online presence, while understanding your brand voice is essential for consistent and impactful marketing communication