PR for the algorithm age: 5 tips to pitch stories that rank and resonate

Crafting PR campaigns that stand out to journalists while driving SEO value is more challenging than ever.

To succeed, brands must move beyond generic pitches and undercooked ideas, focusing instead on tailored strategies that resonate with journalists, meet editorial needs, and deliver content that both ranks and resonates.

Digital PR and SEO: A crowded, competitive landscape

Digital PR as an aspect of SEO is now well understood by agencies, brands, and – crucially – journalists. 

Five years ago, using creative campaigns to earn media coverage and links was novel, and many journalists appreciated the assistance with story creation.

Today, however, the landscape has shifted.

There is too much noise, with repetitive campaigns and outreach methods aggravating journalists who are now well-versed in SEO and may resent underdeveloped ideas aimed at securing free coverage.

Compounding this challenge, financial pressures have led many publishers to adopt “pay-to-play” models, making it hard to win free media coverage and SEO-boosting links.

To stand out, brands must craft pitches with unique, targeted hooks that align with journalists’ preferences and pressures, balancing creativity with practical relevance.

1. Empathize with journalists and their editorial goals

While understanding the seasonal preferences of different publications is helpful, being mindful of timing, clarity, and target audiences is even more critical. 

Too often, SEOs and PR professionals focus on what they want from outreach or what they find interesting about a campaign, confusing volume with quality.

Setting ego aside and focusing on the essential elements of a campaign (i.e., succinct hooks tailored to specific audiences) helps cut through the noise. You earn links when there’s a true match between the campaign and the readership.

Respecting journalists’ time is a subtle but effective form of differentiation. 

Customizing summaries and assets to align with a publication’s editorial style makes it easier to convey the story. 

Developing campaign concepts with versatile hooks also ensures relevance. 

For instance, consider pivoting from general data on holiday trends to a more specific angle like sustainable gifting for eco-conscious shoppers.

To avoid being overlooked, make life easier for journalists and demonstrate a clear understanding of their audiences. 

A compelling subject line can help, but if the pitch itself doesn’t align with their needs, it won’t lead to links.

The first step toward creating stronger, less transactional relationships is identifying the right journalists, particularly for publications increasingly leaning toward pay-to-play models.

Dig deeper: Why SEOs are killing digital PR

2. Use meaningful personalization – and avoid insincerity

Conducting thorough research to identify journalists in relevant sectors is crucial.

It helps gauge the potential contact pool and tailor press releases and messages to align with their style and focus, ensuring concise, skimmable communication.

However, personalization can backfire if it feels insincere, like a salesperson awkwardly overusing a first name or making superficial attempts at empathy. 

It’s often better to skip personalization altogether unless you’re confident it will come across as authentic; generic compliments like “I loved your recent article on X” tend to feel hollow and outdated.

Instead, focus on being personable rather than overtly personalized. 

Respect journalists’ time, priorities, and sensitivity to their readerships with genuine, succinct outreach that demonstrates real understanding.

3. Create rankable, more topically-relevant campaign content 

While much has been written about domain authority abuse and parasite SEO, it remains evident that many large media sites can quickly rank for terms that smaller, more topically relevant sites often struggle with.

Given this, it’s essential to consider the value of linked coverage from mainstream media and the potential traffic if the coverage itself ranks well. 

This may require focusing on campaign concepts that align more closely with the target brand’s niche rather than opting for tangential ideas designed solely to earn links.

For example, brands in “dry” or controversial niches like finance and gambling often employ PR campaigns unrelated to their offerings, such as dream job contests or visual puzzles. 

While these can earn links, they typically generate little meaningful traffic.

Instead, prioritizing campaign coverage that ranks can deliver more value by driving relevant traffic and increasing brand visibility. 

This requires SEOs to think more like traditional PRs and marketers, considering how their efforts fit into the broader marketing mix.

Dig deeper: 12 SEO metrics to add to your digital PR measurement program

4. Measure and manage non-SEO metrics

To determine the right approach, SEOs should track key metrics associated with digital PR campaigns, such as:

• The rankings of pages containing external coverage.
• The placement of follow and no-follow links.
• Traffic trends.
• Social shares.
• Overall impact.

Look beyond earning links. 

Focus on the value of PR coverage that ranks well and highlights your brand while still using audience-specific hooks to engage journalists.

To maximize topical relevance and potential traffic, consider outlets beyond traditional media like:

• Influencer accounts.
• Forums.
• Bloggers.

Many of these have demonstrated resilience through recent Google updates and can serve as valuable gatekeepers for meaningful coverage.

Dig deeper: Search, social and video: Evolving digital PR for 2025

5. Develop digital PR campaigns that stop audiences from scrolling

There’s no perfect campaign. Relying too heavily on certain formats can lead to repetition. 

However, some campaign types trigger emotional responses that grab attention and encourage readers to stop scrolling – content that journalists are more likely to embrace.

Consider campaigns with multiple linkable elements, such as:

• Original data journalism aligned with seasonal trends, current events, or breaking news.
• Human interest angles that evoke emotions like laughter, curiosity, or even disgust.
• Supporting assets like infographics, images, and photos that help journalists tell a story and justify a link back to your site.
• Interactive content, such as quizzes or tools, that keeps audiences engaged and enhances brand recall.
• Influencer collaborations or exclusive interviews that leverage the prestige and reach of celebrities or experts, creating inherently linkable campaigns.

Staying informed about trending topics in your industry and your target publications helps you respond quickly with insightful, concise commentary or campaigns that meet journalists’ immediate needs, driving both coverage and SEO benefits.

Dig deeper: Reactive PR & AI: How to capitalize on trending topics faster