Get backlinks on the world’s top publications in 2024 without PR or cold email out: my “Lazy Link Building” approach

Creating content that naturally attracts backlinks from the world’s top publications is a cheat code.

I’ve created content that’s gotten links from Yahoo, the New York Times, the Guardian, and many, many more — without ever sending a cold outreach email.

We all know Digital PR is a way to get these links.

The problem?

Everyone and their mother are doing this, making it extremely difficult to succeed. Also, cold email outreach is a pain in the ass. 

Based on Q1 2024 numbers, only 3.15% of PR pitches got a response of any kind. That’s not a positive or negative response. Just any response at all. Even fewer pitches actually turned into a story and backlink.

Only 45.3% of pitches were even opened by journalists at all. So out the gate, you have less than a coin flip’s chance of even having your pitch read.

It’s no wonder Digital PR agencies charge more than $5,000 per campaign.

But there’s a way to stand out. A way to get journalists to find your content and link to it, naturally. 

If you want an effective way to get those high-authority backlinks we all desire, give me 3 minutes and I’ll explain a better approach.

My Lazy Link Building strategy has landed backlinks on HuffPost, NBC, PBS, and many more

Let’s talk about Lazy Link Building

Getting backlinks from the world’s top publications on the internet is harder than ever before due to the explosion of Digital PR. 

But things have never been better, in my eyes.

Journalists write, on average, one to six stories per day. That’s between 365–2,190 stories per year. And that’s just one journalist. Most media outlets have hundreds of journalists.

The New York Times has 1,700 journalists alone.

The Washington Post publishes an average of 1,200 stories, graphics, and videos per day.

These journalists are hungry for stories. And while writing these stories, they turn to Google to find data, sources, and information to cite within them.

That’s where you come in.

My approach is different

Because journalist inboxes are saturated with pitches, the solution is not to do the same thing as everyone else . . .

You must set yourself apart. 

While other companies chase trending topics, create stories, and blindly pitch to journalists, you are creating content they want. 

Content they need, so they can back up their claims within the articles they write.

And I can show you exactly how to create this sort of content that stands out.

To explain, let me share my story. 

How I failed at Digital PR and now get backlinks every week 

Hi, I’m Alex Horsman.

Two years ago, I was the head of marketing for one of the largest online ammunition retailers in the world. 

Due to the nature of the business, paid ads were not an option for marketing. We had to rely solely on organic growth strategies.

Also due to the nature of the business, backlinks were hard as hell to come by. 

Journalists don’t want to link to us. Many websites hate us. Digital PR agencies won’t touch us.

Fair. 

But I still needed to get high-quality backlinks to our website. My boss was adamant.

So I searched far and wide to see what others were doing. I eventually found the concept of “earned links,” which means creating linkable assets that naturally get linked to. 

We literally spent years testing different methods.

• Infographics

• Data visualization

• Awards and recognition

• And everything in between

All that but still couldn’t crack the code.

Then everything changed.

One of our articles finally got quoted by a big media company.

This wasn’t an article with sexy graphics or animations. 

Instead, it was an article that provided data and information that journalists wanted. 

Give journalists what they want

After I got this link, my mind-set shifted. I no longer created content that I thought journalists would be interested in.

Instead, I learned how to perform research to figure out topics, ideas, and data points that journalists were citing on a monthly basis.

There was no assuming anymore. I let the journalists tell me what they wanted.

Now, I didn't knock it out of the park the next day, but I knew I was onto something. 

I started creating more content and learned to zero in on what worked. 

I realized I got the hang of it when one of our articles produced 92 backlinks during a six-month period.

And of those 92 links, many were coming from the biggest media companies out there. 

How to create content that earns links

Creating content that naturally earns backlinks is like going to the gym.

If you’re brand new, you don’t know what to do. 

You move from one machine to the next, don’t have a routine, and just muck about testing different workouts. You don’t see much result.

So, you get a personal trainer. They tell you exactly what to do and take the guesswork out of it.

This is why most people fail at creating content that naturally earns links. They are guessing. You need to listen to the journalists (your personal trainer) and figure out exactly what data and information journalists continually cite.

The journalists are telling you; you just need to know where to look.

As you start to create content, you get better and better. 

You learn to think like a journalist. The information they need becomes clear. 

The dots start to connect, you create more content and you get more links.

Lazy Link Building outline

Lazy Link Building is a four-week group-coaching program that teaches you exactly how to build content that naturally earns backlinks.

Each week we have a 45-minute group call followed by a Q&A. Then you spend one to four hours implementing what you’ve learned before our next weekly call.

That’s five hours or less each week.

After each session I will personally review your work to make sure you’re set up for success.

What’s more, it’s designed for the busy entrepreneur or founder. If you don’t have time to take the cohort live, no worries.

All calls are recorded and you have lifetime access to them. If you can’t make the calls, have a team member join. Or rewatch the recordings and share them with your team.

1. Week one: finding articles within your niche that are naturally getting links

• Stop trying to create content you think journalists are interested in. Let’s find topics that we know are naturally getting quoted each month. 

2. Week two: reverse engineering those articles and finding the key data and information journalists are looking for 

• Not all data is created equal. Let’s figure out the specific info journalists want and give it to them. 

3. Week three: structure your page for success so YOU are the source they link back to

• You don’t need sexy graphics to make this technique work, but you do need to be professional.
  

• I will show you how to achieve this look and get journalists to trust you as a source.

4. Week four: learn to scale this technique and double-down on what’s working as the links roll in

• This strategy is not a one-and-done implementation. Once you start seeing this work, you’ll want to produce even more content and turn your website into a link-generating machine.

What Lazy Link Building will do for you

When I build these articles for clients, I charge $15,000 for five. That’s $3,000 per article.

Two years ago, if you asked me to pay $3,000 per article I would have said you were f*cking insane.

But that’s a testament to the power of these articles — they get the links you need.

That said, I realize that a $15,000 price point isn’t right for everyone. Also, many don’t want to rely on an agency and would rather bring implementation in-house.

For these reasons, I started the Lazy Link Building group-coaching program. It allows me to share my knowledge at a fraction of the price. 

I’ve also learned that I love teaching. I’m personally a course-aholic and this sort of “done with you” service is exactly how I learn best.

This cohort gives you everything you need to start creating content that naturally earns backlinks from the world’s top publications on the internet.

If this sounds fair, you can schedule a call with me at the button below.

I can answer any additional questions you may have around this strategy. This isn’t a sales call. But rather a get to know you call, so I can understand your situation a bit better and whether my solution is right for you.

Note: I only let six people in per cohort. And no, this isn’t some marketing gimmick. I legit can only work with six people at a time because that’s how hands on I am. 

Click the button above and you’ll be taken to my calendar page. From here, find a time that works for you, pop in your details, and I’ll see you in Zoom. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a team member join?

Yes! If you purchase the cohort and want a team member to learn the process, they are more than welcome to join. 

Are the calls recorded?

Yep. All calls are recorded via Zoom. You will also get access to all slides and course materials, as well, so you can share with fellow team members.

Does this work for every website?

No. Brand new sites will have a hard time implementing this. Stick to traditional link building until you’ve gained some authority and then consider this strategy.

Unless, you have a Google Ads budget. If you do, then you can run ads for these keywords and immediately rank above the number one slot.

What’s the time commitment?

For four weeks we have one hour-long weekly call. After each call you should expect to spend approx. four hours implementing the strategies you learned. So, only five hours each week is expected.