Case Study: How PR Helped Me Get Quality Backlinks and Increase My Popularity

Building good quality backlinks is one of the oldest SEO tricks in the book and everyone does it. Every SEO expert worth their salt knows this.

But did you know that you can use PR for building links?

No, right?

PR and SEO go hand in hand and yet, they are seldom talked about together. After all, PR is all about managing a brand’s reputation and handling the media, while SEO is a different ball game altogether.

The fact is that, if done right, PR can give your SEO initiatives a boost by getting you some good quality backlinks.

Don’t believe me?

Read this case study on how I used PR to get good quality links and increase my popularity to see for yourself.

Objective

As a comparatively new player in a highly competitive industry, I was trying hard to make a name for myself. I wanted to establish myself as a reputable digital marketing consultant and gain popularity in the industry.

One of the best ways to do that is to earn good quality links from already established industry sources. I wanted to improve the quality of backlinks to my website and wanted to get backlinks from sources with high domain authority.

So, I decided to use PR to enhance my personal brand and earn good quality backlinks.

Challenges

Building good quality backlinks is not as easy as it sounds. It’s not as simple as submitting guest posts to a bunch of websites and earning backlinks.

To get established in the industry, I also needed mentions from other industry experts and established sources. This was the tough part.

Here are some of the key challenges that I faced:

Industry Competition

Digital marketing is a field that is highly competitive and there is no shortage of digital strategists and consultants looking to make names for themselves. It is difficult for anyone to enter such a competitive industry and be able to stand out in that crowd.

And there were already some established players in the industry that I had to compete with. People who have been in the industry for much longer.

Less Reputed Mentions

Although I was getting mentions and was starting to gain traction in the industry, the quality of mentions was not that great. I needed a few mentions from more reputable industry sources.

Image Source: Brand24

Solution

Participating in Events

I started participating in workshops, speaking engagements, webinars, and podcasts to build my industry presence.

Image Source: TBCasia

Reaching Out to Influencers

I reached out to several influencers in the field and built relationships with them. I used personalized emails and direct messaging and commenting on social media for my outreach.

Guest Posting

I actively posted articles on multiple websites and started contributing regularly to reputable websites like Forbes and Social Media Examiner. I posted over a 100 articles within a span of 1 year and I still write guest posts regularly.

Image Source: Google

Content Syndication

I also syndicated my articles and blog posts on reputable content syndication and curation platforms, such as Medium and the Upwork blog. This helped me broaden the reach of my content and get more people to read it.

Image Source: Medium

Image Source: Upwork

Post on Social Media Consistently

I also started being more active on social media and started posting regularly.

Image Source: Twitter

Reply to Questions

I also ensured that I replied to any questions on my social media posts, blog posts, and guest posts. This helped me connect with my audience and keep them engaged. I still reply to comments on my social media posts and try to connect with my audience and build relationships with them.

Image Source: Twitter

Results

Using these PR techniques, I was able to increase my popularity, build a brand, and earn good quality backlinks.

Here are the benefits that I experienced as a result of these PR initiatives:

1. I got featured on reputable websites like Forbes, Search Engine Journal, Social Media Examiner, HuffPost, INC, etc. I still regularly contribute to these and many other reputable websites.

2. I have been mentioned by some of the most reputable industry sources and have earned good quality backlinks.

Image Source: Forbes

3. The number of backlinks to my website has significantly increased in the last two years.

4. Now I am regularly invited to be a keynote speaker at reputable industry events and have established my personal brand in the industry.

Image Source: Influencer Marketing Days

5. This has also helped increase traffic to my website.

6. I was featured in the influence directory’s list of “The 100 Most Influential People in Influencer Marketing”, along with the likes of Kim Kardashian and Lilly Singh.

7. I am also invited to participate in podcasts, expert roundups, and workshops conducted by reputable industry sources.

Image Source: onalytica

Conclusion

Doing PR the right way can be really beneficial. Not just to improve your brand image, but also to earn good quality backlinks.

I used PR to do exactly that, and have successfully established myself as a reputable digital marketing consultant.

Are you also struggling to get good quality mentions and backlinks? Follow the techniques mentioned above and watch your popularity rise.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below.

Originally published at ShaneBarker