The Complete Guide to Digital PR

Digital PR = authority + backlinks + visibility.

Digital PR earns authoritative coverage and backlinks that improve Google rankings and AI visibility.

If search engines and LLMs only see weak media mentions, thin brand mentions, and no authoritative sources, they have nothing solid to pull from when they generate AI Search answers.

Strong Digital PR fixes that by building a durable backlink portfolio and clear signals across media outlets, social media platforms, and online publications. 

In this blog, we'll cover everything you need to know about Digital PR. Here's a quick overview of what we'll be exploring: 

• What Is Digital PR?
• Digital PR for SEO and AI Search
• Ready to Launch Your First Digital PR Campaign? 
• Digital PR Campaign Types
• How Digital PR Works
• Why Would I Do Digital PR? 
• How Digital PR Differs from Traditional PR? 
• How Much Does Digital PR Cost?
• How Long Does Digital PR Take? 
• How Do I Know Digital PR Is Working
• Linked vs Unliked Mentions
• How to Run a Digital PR Campaign From Idea to Coverage
• Outreach and Relationship Building
• Tools, Example, and When to Bring in a Specialist Team
• How Do I Build the Business Case for Digital PR? 
• Final Word
•  After More Information? 
• FAQs

What Is Digital PR?

Digital PR (Digital Public Relations) uses online tactics to build and manage a brand’s reputation.

It borrows from traditional PR but focuses on digital channels, with goals like improving search rankings and growing online visibility.

Digital PR for SEO and AI Search

Digital public relations for search engine optimisation uses newsworthy content, expert insights, and online coverage to earn authoritative website backlinks and brand mentions that strengthen search visibility.

These same signals help AI systems like Google AI Mode, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Gemini recognise a brand as a credible source for answers and citations, improving ChatGPT search performance and visibility in AI search results.

How Digital PR Supports SEO and AI Search

• Authority signals: Editorial backlinks from trusted publishers increase domain strength and ranking potential.
• Entity building: Repeated brand mentions on reputable sites help search engines and AI models connect the brand with its niche, products, and expertise.
• EEAT reinforcement: Coverage from credible outlets strengthens expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness.
• Topical depth: Campaigns built around a brand’s subject matter help Google and AI search engines understand relevance across related topics.
• Citation likelihood: High-authority coverage increases the chance of being referenced in AI-generated responses.
• Relevance clarity: Data, commentary, and product-focused stories guide algorithms on what the brand should rank and appear for.

Search engines and AI models rely on trustworthy, authoritative sources when generating results.

Digital PR builds the editorial footprint needed for a brand to appear in rankings, summaries, comparisons, and AI-driven recommendations.

Ready to Launch Your First Digital PR Campaign?

The RAIDS Protocol shows you exactly what to do.

Clear steps. Simple angles. Straight templates to send to journalists.

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Digital PR Campaign Types

There are 4 main types of digital PR campaigns:

Data-Led

What it is
A campaign built from surveys, public datasets, or internal numbers that reveal a newsworthy insight.

Why it works
Journalists trust data. Clear stats create fast, repeatable headlines that earn high-authority coverage.

How to do it
Find a dataset, pull a clear angle, turn it into a simple ranking or insight, and package it with one strong chart or table.

Example
For Woodbury Furniture, we used property and housing data to show how much buyers pay for quality outdoor space and how it affects sale prices.

That angle tied directly into Woodbury’s premium outdoor furniture positioning and gave journalists a strong, data-backed story to run.

We secured links from Domain, realestate.com.au, news.com.au, Better Homes & Gardens, Nine.com.au, and Marie Claire for this data-led campaign.

Product-Led

What it is
A story built around a product, category, comparison, test, or feature.

Why it works
Editors need useful buyer-focused content. Anything that helps readers choose between options gets picked up fast.

How to do it
Highlight a feature, a test result, or a new release. Include clean visuals, specs, and a simple quote from the founder.

Example
Evolve Skateboards launched their electric BMX with clear visuals and a tight product narrative. Editors used it in “new gear” roundups and shopping guides.

We secured links from Gizmodo, Lifehacker, TechRadar, Man of Many, news.com.au, and Forbes Australia for this product-led campaign.

Expert Commentary

What it is
A spokesperson-led campaign where your expert is quoted on trends, breaking stories, or consumer questions.

Why it works
Journalists always need credible voices to explain what is happening. Fast expert quotes get placed quickly.

How to do it
Nominate a spokesperson, prepare short quotes, and monitor daily news cycles for topics you can speak on.

Example
Shiels' diamond specialist broke down viral TikTok jewellery-cleaning hacks with simple explanations and safe alternatives. Lifestyle outlets picked it up immediately.

We secured links from Pedestrian.tv, Mamamia, Marie Claire, 7News Lifestyle, Daily Mail Australia, and Body+Soul for this expert commentary campaign.

Reactive (Newsjacking)

What it is
Reactive or newsjacking is a rapid response to a fast-moving news event or trend that connects directly to your industry.

Why it works
Speed wins. When the news cycle is hot, journalists need expert insight now, not next week.

How to do it
Track trending topics, have pre-approved quotes ready, and send tight commentary the moment a story breaks.

Example
Simply Nootropics responded to a spike in “flight anxiety” stories with commentary from their neuroscientist. The timing and credibility delivered fast coverage.

We secured links from Yahoo News, 9Honey, News.com.au, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, and The Daily Telegraph for this reactive campaign.

Digital PR campaigns come in a few core styles, from data-led reports and expert commentary to product-led stories and fast reactive news angles, you can read more digital PR campaign examples here.

Each type earns coverage in a different way, letting brands pick the format that suits their niche, speed, and strengths.

How Digital PR Works

Digital PR is a content-driven approach that earns brand coverage, backlinks, and authority across online publishers.

It works by creating newsworthy stories, pitching them to journalists, and securing placements that help both visibility and trust.

Digital PR campaigns move through clear stages:

• Story creation. Developing a data point, expert angle, product insight, or unique narrative that a journalist can use.
• Asset production. Building supporting content such as reports, graphics, quotes, or product information.
• Media outreach. Sending targeted pitches to journalists, editors, and publications interested in the topic.
• Coverage. Securing an article placement that includes the brand as a source, quote, or dataset.
• Backlinks. Earning a link from the publisher to the brand’s website, strengthening authority and search signals.

Who can do Digital PR?

Ecommerce brands in any niche, and enterprise level.

B2B companies with insights or industry data.

SaaS companies with feature updates, trends, or user stats.

Service businesses that solve clear problems.

Professional firms like legal, finance, health, and real estate.

Marketplaces, local operators, and any brand with a strong point of view.

If your business has expertise, data, or products people care about, you can run Digital PR.

Why Would I Do Digital PR?

Brands use digital PR to grow authority, improve visibility, and earn trusted editorial coverage that strengthens their online presence. It supports both SEO and broader brand goals by putting credible stories in front of journalists and audiences.

Digital PR delivers several clear benefits:

• Authority and trust: Editorial coverage remains one of the strongest trust signals online.
• Stronger SEO performance: High-quality backlinks help pages rank and lift domain-wide visibility and website traffic.
• Brand credibility: Being featured by reputable publishers raises perceived expertise, enhances content marketing efforts, and influencer marketing.
• Referral traffic: Coverage can drive qualified visitors directly from articles and media outlets.
• Demand creation: Increased exposure often leads to more branded searches and higher engagement across all channels, and social media platforms.
• AI search visibility: Editorial signals improve how AI engines reference and summarise a brand.
• Competitive advantage: Few brands invest consistently, so strong PR can create separation in crowded markets and SEO strategies.

Digital PR works for businesses at any stage. Smaller brands can use it to gain initial exposure, while established companies use it to strengthen authority and maintain visibility against competitors.

How Digital PR Differs From Traditional PR

Digital PR and traditional PR share the same foundation of influencing perception, but they operate in different environments, use different channels, and create different outcomes.

Traditional PR focuses on print, television, radio, and in-person events. It prioritises long lead times, curated messages, and broad audience reach. These campaigns often aim to shape reputation or secure mainstream exposure without any requirement for measurable online action.

Digital PR focuses on online publications, industry news sites, digital magazines, blogs, and social-first outlets. The speed is faster, the targeting is narrower, and the results are more measurable. Brands see referral traffic, backlinks, visibility shifts, and direct search uplift.

Two examples highlight the difference:

• Traditional PR might secure a morning TV segment discussing a new product launch.
• Digital PR might earn an article on a major online publisher comparing the product to others, including a link that boosts SEO.

Used together, traditional PR and Digital PR strengthen each other. Traditional work grows broad brand awareness. Digital PR turns that attention into measurable search engine rankings, AI Search outcomes, and long-term online public relations value.

How Much Does Digital PR Cost?

Digital PR costs vary based on the complexity of the campaign, the amount of research required, and the level of outreach needed to earn high-authority coverage. In Australia, pricing ranges reflect whether a brand runs single campaigns or ongoing PR programs.

Typical cost ranges in Australia include:

• Single campaigns. $4,000 to $12,000 depending on data, design, and outreach requirements.
• Monthly retainers. $6,000 to $18,000 per month for consistent story production and media coverage.
• Enterprise or multi-market PR. $15,000+ per month when multiple campaigns and regions are involved.
• Add-ons. Surveys, reports, and custom design assets can increase costs due to data collection or specialist input.

Costs rise when campaigns require:

• Original research or statistically valid surveys
• Custom-built datasets or technical analysis
• Designed assets like infographics or interactive visuals
• Large outreach lists targeting national publications
• Reactive monitoring for rapid-response commentary

Digital PR has a broad investment range because each campaign type demands different levels of time, skills, and assets.

Well-planned PR can offer strong long-term ROI, especially when authority and backlinks support ongoing SEO performance.

How Long Does Digital PR Take?

Digital PR timelines depend on planning, story strength, and publication cycles.

Most campaigns require preparation time before outreach begins, followed by a window where coverage is earned gradually as journalists publish.

Typical timelines are:

• Campaign setup. 2 to 4 weeks for ideation, research, data collection, content creation, and asset design.
• Outreach phase. 3 to 8 weeks where pitches go out, follow-ups occur, and articles begin to publish.
• Full impact window. 8 to 16 weeks to see the broader SEO and brand effects of the coverage.
• Ongoing PR programs. Monthly delivery creates a consistent flow of stories and placements throughout the year.

• Story type (data-led takes longer than expert commentary)
• Whether surveys or datasets must be built
• Journalist responsiveness and publication lead times
• Seasonal news cycles that influence demand for certain topics

Digital PR is not instant. It builds momentum over time, and its strongest results come from consistent monthly output rather than one-off campaigns.

How Do I Know Digital PR Is Working?

Digital PR shows clear signs of impact when it earns placements, strengthens authority, and improves visibility across search and AI-driven platforms. Results appear through a mix of direct coverage and measurable SEO signals.

The core indicators include:

• Editorial backlinks. High-authority links from reputable publications.
• Coverage volume. Number of articles, mentions, and unique domains referencing your brand.
• Referral traffic. Increases from users clicking through news articles and features.
• Domain authority movement. Gradual rise in authority metrics measured by tools like Ahrefs and Semrush.
• Ranking improvements. Stronger visibility for priority keywords.
• Branded search growth. More people searching your business name after seeing coverage.
• Entity recognition. More consistent associations between your brand and your niche across Google’s Knowledge Graph.
• AI search visibility. Appearances in AI Overviews, ChatGPT responses, and Gemini summaries.
• Social signals. Social media engagement, social media posts that reshare your coverage, and responses across social media marketing campaigns.

Media monitoring tools, brand monitoring tools, and social media analytics platforms help track these signals. Digital PR is working when you can see a growing footprint across reputable publications, stronger search performance, and clearer recognition of your brand across AI-generated answers.

Not sure where to start?

Get a simple Digital PR roadmap with the first steps already laid out.

Linked vs Unlinked Mentions

Digital PR creates two types of coverage: linked mentions and unlinked mentions. Both matter, but they play different roles in SEO and brand visibility.

Linked Mentions

A linked mention includes an actual hyperlink from the publisher’s article to your website. These carry the strongest SEO value because they:

• Pass authority from the publisher
• Strengthen your backlink profile
• Help pages rank more reliably
• Support entity recognition and topical authority

A high-quality linked mention is one of the strongest off-site signals you can earn.

Unlinked Mentions

An unlinked mention references your brand without a hyperlink. While weaker than a backlink, unlinked coverage still helps:

• Build awareness
• Signal brand legitimacy
• Strengthen semantic associations for Google
• Increase likelihood of future citations

There is evidence that Google and AI uses unlinked mentions as contextual relevance signals, especially when they appear consistently across reputable sites.

Both Matter

A link is ideal.

Coverage is still valuable.

And unlinked mentions can often be converted into linked ones by politely following up with the journalist.

Ready to run your first digital PR campaign?

Now that you want to do DPR, it’s time to get started on your campaign.

And here’s the good news. You don’t need to start from scratch or stare at a blank screen wondering what to send to journalists.

Use our RAIDS Protocol, a simplified process for running your first digital PR campaign. It’s built for beginners and removes all the guesswork.

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How to Run a Digital PR Campaign From Idea to Coverage

Running a digital PR campaign follows a clear sequence.

Each step builds on the last to create a story journalists want to publish and readers want to click. The process combines research, content creation, and outreach, supported by consistent follow-ups and tracking.

Ideation: How to Generate Strong Digital PR Ideas

Most digital PR campaigns succeed or fail at the ideation stage. Your story must be relevant, timely, and valuable enough for journalists to publish. A stronger ideation process creates more usable angles and increases your chance of earning coverage.

Here are the core methods to produce effective ideas:

1. Brainstorming sessions

Bring together your SEO team, creative team, and subject-matter experts. Each person throws ideas onto a shared list without filtering. You refine only after you’ve created volume.

2. Competitor and industry checks

Look at what campaigns have succeeded in your niche. You can:

• Build a fresher, stronger version of a proven idea
• Learn what failed and avoid it
• Spot gaps or angles competitors ignored

3. News and trend monitoring

Scan news sites, lifestyle publications, and industry blogs daily. This helps you:

• Spot rising topics
• Identify repeatable news cycles
• Understand journalist demand
• Match your expertise to stories already in motion

This single habit improves campaign timing dramatically.

4. Quick ideation frameworks

Use simple frameworks to spark new angles:

• Worst Idea: Ask, “What’s the worst possible angle?” and reverse it into something useful.
• Mind Mapping: Write your core topic and branch out into data, human impact, seasonal trends, or geographic angles.
• Sketching / Storyboarding: Good for visual thinkers; map the narrative visually.

5. Relevance filter

• Analysing public datasets
• Running surveys
• Reviewing internal company data
• Identifying patterns or anomalies
• Collecting quotes from experts

This step forms the backbone of the story.

3. Asset creation
Campaigns often need supporting content. This can include:

• A written report
• Visuals or infographics
• Charts, rankings, or maps
• Expert commentary or quotes

These assets help journalists understand the story quickly.

4. Outreach list building
A targeted media list is essential. Brands identify:

• Journalists covering the topic
• Relevant publications
• Editors or contributors
• Industry-specific outlets
• Local or national newsrooms

The goal is accuracy, not volume.

5. Pitch creation
Pitches are short, factual emails explaining the story, the data behind it, and why it matters now.

The press release will include:

• The headline angle
• The strongest stat or insight
• A link to the asset
• Quotes if relevant
• Clear next steps for the journalist

Outreach and Relationship Building: What Most Brands Miss

Strong outreach is more than sending pitches. The best digital PR teams build relationships, personalise angles, and understand what each journalist actually covers. Poor outreach gets ignored. Good outreach builds long-term trust.

Here are the essentials:

1. Relevance first

Journalists get hundreds of emails daily. Sending irrelevant pitches risks your emails being ignored, or worse, flagged.

A relevant pitch respects:

• The journalist’s beat
• Their previous stories
• The type of sources they quote
• Whether they cover national or local angles

Relevance beats volume every time.

2. Build a light-touch relationship

You don’t need deep relationships, but small interactions help. Use platforms like LinkedIn to:

• Follow journalists
• Comment thoughtfully on their posts
• Share stories you genuinely liked
• Message occasionally with value, not requests

This creates familiarity before you pitch.

3. Track journalist preferences

Maintain a simple sheet noting:

• What topics they accept
• Their preferred format (data, expert quotes, product angles)
• How often they respond
• Any do-not-contact notes

This becomes invaluable as your team grows.

4. Warm up your domain before big sends

Bulk outreach is risky. To avoid deliverability issues:

• Use a warmed email domain
• Avoid sending too many identical emails at once
• Personalise at least the opening line
• Space sends across multiple days

Small technical mistakes can put you in spam.

5. Follow-up respectfully

Most journalists won’t reply on the first send. Send one or two short, helpful follow-ups. Never guilt-trip or pressure them. Your tone should be:

• Direct
• Helpful
• Easy to skim

Consistency wins, not pushiness.

7. Coverage monitoring Tools like Google Alerts, Ahrefs, and Semrush help track:

• Articles published
• Backlinks earned
• Referring domains
• Brand mentions
• Traffic movement

Monitoring ensures placements are logged and performance is measured.

8. Post-campaign evaluation

Teams review what worked, what didn’t, how journalists responded, and whether the idea has further potential. Some campaigns can be expanded into multi-angle stories.

Digital PR succeeds when each step is executed cleanly. The process turns raw ideas into stories journalists want to cover and readers want to share.

Tools, Examples, and When to Bring in a Specialist Team

Digital PR works best when it’s supported by reliable tools for research, outreach, and performance tracking.

These platforms help teams find data, monitor news cycles, build media lists, and measure coverage across search and social.

Tools for Digital PR

Research and data

• Google Trends
• ABS datasets
• Statista
• YouGov
• Public APIs and government open data portals

Media list building and outreach

• Muck Rack
• Propel
• BuzzStream
• Prowly
• Hunter.io for email verification

Monitoring and performance

• Google Alerts
• Ahrefs
• Semrush
• Originality.ai (source credibility checks)

These tools help teams work faster and ensure campaigns meet the quality expected by modern newsrooms.

When to Bring in a Specialist Digital PR Team

Hiring a specialist makes sense when:

• Your team lacks the time to produce consistent stories
• You need original datasets, surveys, or designed assets
• You want coverage from top-tier publishers
• Your industry requires subject-matter expertise
• You need digital PR tied directly to SEO outcomes
• You want a predictable monthly cadence of stories and links

Specialist teams already maintain journalist relationships, know what newsrooms respond to, and understand how to align PR with long-term search performance.

For brands wanting consistent authority building and competitive visibility, expert support can accelerate results.

How Do I Build the Business Case for Digital PR?

A strong business case for digital PR links coverage, authority, and visibility to measurable growth outcomes.

Stakeholders want to see how PR supports rankings, conversions, brand reputation, and AI search presence.

The case becomes clear when digital PR is tied directly to performance metrics.

1. SEO and visibility impact

Digital PR earns high-authority backlinks, strengthens domain performance, and helps pages rank for competitive keywords. These links support:

• Higher ranking potential
• Faster indexation
• Greater topical authority
• Improved entity recognition

Framing PR as an authority engine helps justify investment to SEO-focused teams.

2. Brand authority and credibility

Coverage from reputable publishers increases the perceived expertise of both the business and its spokespersons. This strengthens EEAT signals and improves how the brand appears on Google, in AI Overviews, and in knowledge panels.

3. Funnel performance and demand creation

Digital PR influences the top and middle of the funnel by driving:

• Referral traffic from major publishers
• Increased branded search
• Higher conversion rates due to improved trust
• More users entering your ecosystem from new channels

Story-driven traffic often includes users with strong buying intent.

4. Competitive visibility

A compelling business case shows how competitors use digital PR to build authority. If rival brands are earning consistent coverage, they are likely building link equity and trust signals faster. PR helps close that gap or establish a stronger position.

5. AI search and citation potential

AI search engines pull from trusted, high-authority sources. Digital PR expands your editorial footprint, improving the likelihood of:

• Being cited in AI answers
• Being referenced in product or service comparisons
• Appearing in Google AI Overviews for your category

This emerging metric is becoming a core justification point for many brands.

6. Long-term ROI

Digital PR delivers compounding value and ROI.

Each link strengthens rankings and improves future campaign success. Unlike ads, coverage remains searchable, indexable, and reusable across your brand assets.

A clear business case ties PR to search performance, brand equity, competitive position, and AI search visibility. This combination makes digital PR a defensible long-term investment.

Final Word

Digital PR gives modern brands a direct path to stronger authority, better rankings, and clearer visibility across both search engines and AI platforms. It earns coverage people trust and signals algorithms rely on.

Whether you want more backlinks, more demand, or a stronger digital footprint, consistent PR delivers compounding results.

The brands investing in it now will shape how their industry is seen online for years to come.

Want Digital PR that lifts rankings and AI visibility?

We’ve earned placements in over 5000+ publications for Australian and global brands.

If you want digital PR that actually earns links, moves rankings, and shapes how AI systems talk about your brand, our team can run the entire process for you.

We handle ideation, data collection, asset creation, outreach, and reporting with a clear focus on authority and search outcomes.

We’re trusted by brands across Australia for Digital PR

Officeworks, The Good Guys, New Balance, Bondi Sands, Mecca, Aje, Lifespan Fitness.

We can get your brand seen across SEO and AI.

Hit us up when you’re ready to launch your first Digital PR campaign.

FAQ

What is digital PR in simple terms?
Digital PR is the practice of earning online coverage and backlinks by sharing newsworthy stories, data, or expert insights with journalists. It helps build authority, visibility, and trust across search engines and AI platforms.

Is digital PR the same as link building?
No. Link building focuses on acquiring links directly, while digital PR earns links organically through genuine news coverage, expert commentary, or data stories. Digital PR links are usually higher authority and carry stronger trust signals.

How long until digital PR helps SEO rankings?
Most campaigns take 8 to 16 weeks to influence rankings. SEO impact depends on the number of links earned, the authority of the publications, and the competitiveness of your keywords. Consistent monthly PR accelerates results.

Can small businesses run digital PR themselves?
Yes. Many small businesses run their own campaigns by starting with simple ideas, using expert commentary, or analysing public data.

A structured SOP helps guide the process. Specialist support becomes useful when scale or higher-tier coverage is required.

How do I measure digital PR results?
Measure digital PR by tracking:

• Editorial backlinks and referring domains
• Coverage volume and publication authority
• Referral traffic
• Ranking improvements
• Branded search growth
• AI Overview or ChatGPT citations
• EEAT and entity improvements