Digital PR: To Play the Game You Need to Learn the Rules

As I’ve begun to take this newsletter seriously, I’ve discovered the importance of deep work, the power of getting into a flow state and sinking into a project with all my focus.

Sure, there’s a time and place for Silicon Valley’s move-fast-and-break-things style, but I prefer to be deliberate and dig into details with precision, really get into the zone.

Cal Newport's recent book Slow Productivity has helped me find my deep space with the techniques he teaches.

According to Cal, tackling a cognitively intensive recurring task should begin with a ritual, something that signals to your brain that it’s time to get in the zone.

Writing this newsletter is one of the most cognitively demanding tasks I do each week, and, putting this ritual technique into action, I’ve built a process around writing it. 

I don’t go to my office. Instead, I block out my Tuesday mornings and write in the business center of my apartment building. I find this breaks up the monotony and gives me a clearer head space because of it. 

I also don’t bring my computer with me; I use the building’s.

That way, I can’t be distracted by all the apps installed on my laptop. No Slack, no Zoom, no ClickUp, no Instagram. Nada. 

I know not to even attempt logging in to anything because of the inevitable 2FA.

It’s just me, a Core Power protein shake, a cup of coffee, a notepad, and a Google Doc that needs to be filled before I leave. 

I share all this because digital PR is a cognitively demanding task, so my first tip for building a successful campaign is to get into this sort of headspace.

Too many people rush into digital PR and don’t strategize enough to make it work.

As I outlined last week, big DR links are what’s going to move your rankings up. But to achieve those links you have to play the digital PR game.

But it’s hard and expensive.

Most digital PR companies charge $5,000+ per campaign, and while the ROI is often there, it’s just not feasible for many. It’s also a hard sell to executives because there is no direct ROI.

You don’t spend $5,000 on a campaign and get $10,000 back next week. It takes months to see the benefit and even then, it’s indirect.

This is why I’ve spent so much time trying to figure out how to bring this process in-house.

The way I see it, there are four steps:

1. Develop a topic.

2. Collect contact info.

3. Pitch your story.

4. Be available for follow-up questions.

Develop a topic

All right, now for the fun stuff. Grab a coffee and prepare for some deep thinking as you brainstorm topics.

Developing a topic is the first step in the process, and I find it to be the most difficult — and the most important.

I’ve asked Fery Kaszoni, owner of the biggest digital PR firm out there, Search Intelligence, to help me with this section.

The story and topic you write about will make or break your campaign. It needs to be newsworthy and interesting. I repeat: interesting. 

The number one tip I can give you is stick to state-specific campaigns, especially if you’re just starting out. It allows you to compare states and get hyper-personalized with your outreach email.

People from every state love bragging (or complaining) about where they rank, and it sparks a lot of chatter on social media. Journalists love to see convo on socials because it means more pageviews and coverage on their stories.

Remember: Many journalists are freelancers and compensated per story. If their stories continually produce above average pageviews and coverage, they keep getting work.

A great example is Lawn Starter’s guide, Best BBQ Cities in America.

At the top, they outline how they came across the data in a clear manner:

We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five categories. We looked at access to tasty barbecue vendors, consumer ratings, competition awards, and the number of barbecue festivals, among 20 total metrics.

Then get directly into the rankings: 

Also noteworthy are the 2–3 custom graphics they created for the article. Journalists love this shit and people also love sharing them on social.

Lawn Starter does a clever job of combining the website’s core topic — lawns — with something tangentially related that everyone loves — BBQ. Where do people BBQ? On their lawns.

Your content idea needs to be equally clever and relevant if you’re to convince someone to link to it.

Look, you won’t hit 100% of the time. I hit maybe 20% of the time. But don’t let it get you down. Review, analyze, and improve. When you win, the links you get make it worth it.

Do not keyword optimize this piece of content. It’s not made for ranking. It’s made for getting links. You want people to share this shit and no one wants to share your keyword- stuffed 2,000- word guide. You can always go back and optimize once you’re done pitching.

Note: The proof is in the pudding. I shared this particular data study because it ranked Kansas City, MO as number one, and since that’s where I currently live, I gotta represent.

Collect contact info

Collecting contact information is different from traditional outreach because you’re looking for journalists' contact information rather than a website owner's info.

There will be 20+ journalists at any given newspaper and you need to find one that writes about your topic.

If I’m pitching a story about a new fishing law in Kansas City, MO, I would pitch the Kansas City Star. But it would be pointless for me to grab any old writer’s email address. 

I need a journalist who covers laws and/or the outdoors.

Sifting through the website would be a PITA due to how many journalists they have…

Multiple this by 100 websites, and the story will be dead before you get a pitch out.

So, instead, I suggest you opt for a media database.

These databases speed up the contact-finding process and pinpoint journalists who write on a particular topic, i.e., find people who will actually write about your story. 

There are four main databases that will do this:

• Cision

• Muckrack

• Roxhill

• Prowly

I highly recommend going with Prowly. The others are going to lock you into a 12-month contract and are vastly more expensive — $5,000+ per year. 

Prowly will run you ~$300 per month and you can cancel anytime. Sure, the others might have a better database, but for the price, it’s not worth it.

Pitch your story

If you’re on a budget, I suggest using Prowly’s built-in outreach software. I’m not in love with it, but it gets the job done.

Pro tip: Do not track clicks, opens, etc. The best way to get into someone’s inbox is to send a plain HTML email with no tracking codes inside of it. 

When it comes to the email itself, I include a few key personalization fields:

• First name (put it in the subject line too)

• Name of publication (Prowly gives this to you)

• Topics they write about (Prowly gives this to you)

Outside of that, keep the email short and sweet while also highlighting a few key points.

Hey {CNT_FIRST_NAME}, 

First and foremost, it's a pleasure to e-meet you. 

My name is Alex Horsman and I wanted to reach out today because I recently completed a data study that found the most handsome guys in Missouri.

Funny enough, I ranked #1 on the list because:

• Cool Data Point #1

• Cool Data Point #2

• Cool Data Point #3

Just wanted to pass along the data to you given your reporting on {MRG_TOPICS} for {CNT_PUBLICATION}. 

I found the data told an interesting story and I thought you might as well.

Please let me know what you think, and if you have any questions about the data at all, just shoot me an email. I should be able to get back to you within 24 hours.

Make sure to also hit them with a follow-up email in 4–6 business days. 

Don’t say “Hey, just bumping this to the top of your inbox” — everyone hates that corporate shit. Put some personality in it and use the follow-up email as a second selling point. 

Convince them this story matters.

Be available for follow-up questions

As you can see above, I always end my emails with a call to conversation and specify how quickly I can get back to them. This builds trust should they be working with a deadline.

As soon as you start pitching, manage your inbox and be prepared to answer follow-up questions.

You might be asked to jump on a call, video or otherwise. Be prepared. 

Dr. Phil’s crew asked me to come on during COVID because of a piece we did. We didn’t take them up on it, but it’s amazing what a good piece of content can do. 

Focus on the work, and you’ll be on your way. All it takes is one “yes” for the dominoes to start falling.

That’s it for this week. 

While you build your digital PR strategy, keep the tips I’ve shared here handy by printing them out on paper if you need to. Remember to step away from technology and the busyness of life, and deeply engross yourself in your work. Develop your own ritual for getting into a creative, productive headspace.

As always, hit me up if you have any questions. 

I personally check all my emails and love hearing from you. I’m also happy to dive deeper into details should you have specific questions.