Reactive PR link building is one of the modern ways to gain more visibility and increase brand awareness for the sake of conversion. However, with this technique, you don’t take the initiative to start a discussion. Instead, you wait for an opportunity to arise.
This may not seem like a proactive way to achieve your goals. And that’s because it’s not. Proactive PR link building, which is the more common kind of PR link building, follows a different methodology. However, reactive PR can also offer excellent value for your brand, and we’ll discuss how in this article.
Reactive PR Link Building Explained
Reactive PR link building is a strategy that involves leveraging public relations (PR) opportunities to generate backlinks to your website. This tactic capitalises on existing news stories, events, or industry trends to gain media coverage.
This kind of link building can be a valuable strategy for acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. However, like any link building effort, it’s not a walk in the park. It requires constant monitoring, timely responses, and the ability to provide unique insights or perspectives to stand out in a crowded media landscape.
A Practical Example of How Reactive PR Link Building Works
Let’s say you run a cybersecurity company, and a major data breach occurs on a well-known social media platform. This breach has now become a hot topic in the news and attracted widespread media coverage.
By capitalising on the data breach news and offering valuable expertise, you can secure media coverage that includes brand mentions or better still, backlinks to your website. These backlinks not only improve your website’s search engine rankings but also generate traffic from interested readers who want to learn more about cybersecurity solutions. Since you’re hitting a targeted audience, there’s a higher chance of conversion.
Typically, applying a reactive PR strategy takes place over six steps:
- Monitoring news outlets and other online media platforms
- Identifying opportunities where you can contribute expertise
- Reaching out to journalists, bloggers, or influencers
- Creating engaging content in a natural and non-promotional manner
- Exposing your content by sharing it through your own channels
- Keeping track of the coverage and links earned
When and How to Use Reactive PR
While you can plan a proactive digital PR campaign and push a new message about your brand to your audience anytime, reactive PR isn’t always a feasible option. It’s all about the right time and the way.
Here are three questions to ponder before using Reactive PR:
Is the topic relevant to my brand?
Relevance is crucial when using reactive PR strategies. It’s important to identify and engage with news stories, events, or industry topics relevant to your brand, expertise, or target audience. You should focus on opportunities that align with your niche or industry to ensure your contributions are meaningful.
Here’s a practical example:
Suppose you run a fitness apparel company, and a new study is published on the benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Since HIIT is relevant to your brand, you can leverage this news to provide insights on the importance of comfortable and breathable workout clothing during intense workouts. Begin reaching out to fitness bloggers or journalists covering the study and offer your expertise on the topic.
Without relevance:
- Journalists may not be willing to pick up your story as you have no authority in the niche
- Google won’t rank you highly and may penalise you for such low-quality links
- You may alienate your brand audience, especially when the topic of discussion is controversial
Can I offer value?
To successfully engage in reactive PR, you need to offer something valuable to journalists, bloggers, or their audiences. This could be unique insights, expert opinions, data, or compelling content that enhances the existing story or adds depth to the discussion. Providing value increases the likelihood of getting featured and earning quality backlinks.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you manage a sustainable fashion brand, and there’s a growing discussion in the media about fast fashion’s environmental impact. You can create a comprehensive guide on how consumers can make more sustainable fashion choices and offer it to journalists or influencers covering the topic. This valuable resource positions your brand as an authority on sustainable fashion and increases the likelihood of earning backlinks.
Am I in time to respond quickly?
Speed is a crucial factor in reactive PR. News stories and trends can evolve rapidly. They become stale within a few days, sometimes within hours. So it’s essential to act quickly and reach out to journalists, bloggers, or influencers while the topic is still relevant. The sooner you can offer your insights or expertise, the greater your chances of securing media coverage and backlinks.
Here’s an example:
Imagine you run a travel agency specialising in adventure tourism, and a popular travel influencer posts on social media about a unique destination that’s gaining attention. You need to act quickly by contacting them and offering to provide additional information, insider tips, or a personalised itinerary for that destination. Being one of the first to respond increases your chances of being mentioned or linked to in the influencer’s subsequent posts or articles.
Most Popular Reactive PR Techniques
Reactive PR is all about taking advantage of opportunities. This may be an opportunity that has just presented itself or one that is likely to do so. Reactive PR techniques involve specific approaches and tactics to effectively leverage news stories, events, or industry trends for public relations purposes. Here are some commonly used techniques in reactive PR:
Newsjacking
Newsjacking involves capitalising on breaking news or trending topics to insert your brand or expertise into the conversation. It requires monitoring news outlets and social media platforms to identify relevant stories and quickly crafting a response or offering valuable insights related to the news. By positioning your brand as an authority on the topic, you’ll be able to attract relevant media coverage and backlinks.
Expert commentary on hot topics
You can offer yourself or your team as expert sources for journalists or bloggers covering a particular industry or topic. You should be prepared to respond promptly to media requests for comments, interviews, or opinions.
It’s important that you or a team member is an expert in the relevant or a closely related topic, as providing thoughtful and insightful commentary will increase the likelihood of being featured and linked to in media coverage. Not to mention, it helps position your brand as a reliable source of information.
Create research and data-driven content
Another effective technique for reactive PR is to conduct surveys or gather data related to current industry trends or consumer behaviour. Such research-driven content is more likely to be a valuable resource for journalists covering the topic. Share this data while offering them exclusive access to the information in exchange for valuable backlinks to your website. Since timeliness is important for reactive PR, this is a great technique to plan out in advance for topics that regularly dominate the news cycle like the real estate market, politics, or tech.
Engage on Social Media
You can achieve so much on social media nowadays; for good or bad. Social media is also great for link building. Simply engage with conversations, news stories or trending topics on social media platforms. Don’t forget to share your insights, respond to questions, or provide additional information to users seeking knowledge. By establishing your brand as an active and knowledgeable participant in the discussion, you may attract the attention of journalists, bloggers, or influencers who monitor social media for story ideas.
Planning for Reactive PR
This digital PR strategy is difficult to predict, and as mentioned earlier, speed is of the essence. If the buzz dwindles, reactive PR will no longer be as effective. To avoid being caught unawares, here are some steps you can take to ensure you have the best possible chance:
- Proactive Monitoring – Actively monitor news outlets, social media platforms, industry-specific sources, and relevant hashtags to stay informed about the latest trends, breaking news, or relevant discussions. Proactive monitoring helps you identify timely opportunities for reactive PR and allows you to respond promptly.
- Relationship Building – Building relationships with journalists and influencers in your industry is a fantastic way to enhance your chances of success in reactive PR. Try cultivating professional connections by engaging with their content, sharing their work, and offering assistance even when you’re not actively seeking coverage. Services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and ResponseSource are also great for connecting with journalists. Strong relationships can lead to more receptive responses the next time you reach out. They may even come to you straight away for a contribution.
- Preparedness – Finally, be ready to act swiftly and effectively when opportunities arise. Make sure you have a clear understanding of your brand’s expertise, key messages, and differentiators. This enables you to respond promptly with relevant insights and increases your chances of being featured in media coverage and earning backlinks.
How Effective is Reactive PR for Link Building – Having Realistic Expectations
Using any digital PR strategy is all about the results at the end of the day. You don’t want to waste time and resources on a tactic that won’t yield benefits of the same proportion or larger. In reality, reactive PR may only bring a fraction of the quality backlinks that a proactive digital PR campaign can offer. However, it’s also worth noting that reactive PR is hardly as comprehensive and time-consuming and that having a varied PR approach provides balanced and well-rounded link-building opportunities.
If you take 1 hour for a reactive PR effort that brings 2 or 3 links, that’s not a bad return on your investment, especially if those are high-quality links from top publications.
It’s crucial to have realistic expectations of what you stand to gain. That way, you can make a strategic decision regarding how much time and resource to invest without harming other aspects of your business. Due to the nature of this digital PR strategy, you may not always get regular links. You can also receive no follow links or brand mentions.
Final Thoughts
Reactive PR is an excellent digital PR technique for getting high-quality backlinks but it’s not for everyone and it doesn’t work everytime. Remember that the success of a reactive PR link building strategy depends on timely and relevant engagement with media, providing unique insights, and ensuring the value you offer to readers and journalists. Understanding the level of impact of reactive PR link building will allow you to go in with realistic expectations.
