Going into 2022 with link-building in mind

By: Lily Germain | Senior Campaign Executive

Just like that, we’ve bid a fond farewell to 2021. So, we’re looking forward to what 2022 has to bring to our wonderful world of digi PR. And to do that sometimes you have to look back over your shoulder in that analytical type of way to get a better look ahead.  

What did we learn in 2021 as a digital PR agency, and what do we see on the digital horizon for 2022? 

Fame-making in a post pandemic world 

As we hopefully move to a post-Covid time, some trends in the online news media landscape are still set to continue. Even excluding Covid stories, it’s the ‘big issue’ news stories that dominate the digital column inches.  

And those news column inches are actually reducing. The overall number of pieces published in those titles has decreased by 20% - down from nearly 2.5 million articles in 2015, to below 2 million in 2020/2021. It’s not all doom and gloom though, journos are still picking up our stories, (and we know why)… 

Consumers' news-diets are flexitarian – a mix of wholesome stories and some tastier snacks and delights. Purpose-led brands can authentically lead in the big-issues space, and there’s still plenty of appetite for splashes of joy and entertainment.   

Online channel boundaries are increasingly blurred – influencer campaigns straddle socials and earned media, and social-first activations can jump into earned media (ahem, nice one - Weetabix and Heinz Baked Beans). More clients will want their brand stories planned across paid-social and PR channels. 

Still, one outcome of the tightening of the more traditional earned media real-estate is that digital PR opportunities are fewer – and the number of brand-fame-making, proactive and prominent articles in online leading media outlets has measurably decreased. 

Despite this shrinkage, in 2021 the majority of our clients’ coverage was in high DA sites, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of it in publications with a DA >40.  

In 2022 we know we’ve got to continually widen our media lists, to keep finding opportunities outside the ‘traditional’ news titles. Journalists are still chomping at the bit to bring original newsworthy stories to a readership that’s increasingly online and being served with stories from a greater diversity of titles.  

Is being Findable, frequently, the new move for 2022? 

So, we’ve spoken about hitting those big figures with DAs, and we’ve spoken about PR campaigns backed with £££’s, but are we slightly neglecting the mid-range DA titles? 

Everyone wants to be the best, but we believe you don’t have the always be the best of the best in a flash in the pan moment kinda way.  

Good work and consistency can overshine this. With that in mind, 2022 could be the year of creating more Findability Stories, more frequently in mid-range DA sites.  

These can be highly relevant – and more productive as a source of follow links than traditional titles.  DTC brands, placing a high-value on search-visibility, want backlinked coverage in a wide variety of referring domains. For us, clients like Gousto have an audience that browse through Daily Mail articles, scroll through online lifestyle blogs looking for the latest home cooked recipes, and listen to Katherine Ryan’s latest podcast. 

With audience targeting and brand building in mind, how can we take these stories further? Making Findability Stories adaptable, with different headlines that will appeal to different media verticals, you’re tailoring to fit the brief in a much snugger way. This should land more coverage, with more links, as well as broadening audience appeal for brands outside their usual box. So after having a pretty rough ride for the last couple of years, it’s good to know there are still plenty of digital PR benefits out there.

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