The Digital Marketing Podcast: What Is Digital PR?

Release Date: November 11, 2024

Hosts: Ciaran Rogers, Daniel Rowles, and Louise Crossley
Guest: Jane Hunt, CEO and Co-Founder of JBH
Agency: JBH is a Manchester-based digital PR and SEO agency specializing in healthcare and personal finance, serving both B2B and B2C international clients.

1. Introduction to Digital PR

In this episode, Daniel Rollles introduces the topic of Digital PR, emphasizing its growing importance in today’s crowded digital landscape. He highlights how Digital PR differs from traditional content marketing by focusing on generating engagement and interest through strategic online placements and mentions. Daniel sets the stage for the discussion by introducing Jane Hunt, founder of JBH, who brings over 11 years of experience in digital PR and SEO.

Notable Quote:
Daniel Rolls ([00:00]): “We’re in an incredibly noisy environment, when everyone’s just pumping out content using generative AI tools… Digital PR helps us to stand out.”

2. Jane Hunt and JBH Agency Overview

Jane Hunt provides an introduction to herself and her agency, JBH. She explains that JBH transitioned from a general content agency to specializing in Digital PR in 2018. Over the past five years, the agency has focused on building a robust digital PR offering, leveraging their expertise in SEO and traditional PR tactics to serve a diverse client base.

Notable Quote:
Jane Hunt ([02:02]): “Digital PR is the intersection of SEO, content marketing, and traditional PR.”

3. Differences Between Digital PR and Traditional PR

Jane elaborates on how Digital PR blends elements of traditional PR with modern SEO techniques. Unlike traditional PR, which primarily focuses on building relationships with journalists to gain media coverage, Digital PR also emphasizes creating high-quality content that earns backlinks and improves search engine rankings. The dual focus on brand awareness and SEO distinguishes Digital PR as a multifaceted strategy.

Notable Quote:
Jane Hunt ([04:52]): “Digital PR is about building backlinks to support SEO and also about building brand awareness and credibility.”

4. Tactics and Strategies in Digital PR

Jane shares practical examples of Digital PR tactics, highlighting how JBH integrates traditional PR relationships with content-led campaigns. One notable campaign discussed is for Preply, an online learning brand. JBH utilized unique data insights to create a compelling story about the "rudest cities in the UK," which garnered significant media coverage and social media engagement.

Notable Quote:
Jane Hunt ([06:55]): “We found data that Manchester was the rudest city in the UK, which was unexpected, and we pitched this to national and local publications.”

Case Study: Preply Campaign

• Data Utilization: Combined insights from TripAdvisor to challenge assumptions about city behavior.
• Outcomes: Achieved widespread media coverage, including from Lad Bible, sparking online debates and enhancing brand visibility.
• Impact: Generated backlinks, increased brand credibility, and expanded social media reach.

Jane emphasizes the importance of a strong pitch, valuable data, and expert commentary to secure media placements that include backlinks. She also discusses balancing the use of existing PR contacts with expanding outreach to new publications to maintain a steady flow of high-quality links.

Notable Quote:
Jane Hunt ([08:29]): “We ensure our pitch is strong with data and expert comments, placing these elements at the top of our email pitches to journalists.”

5. Measuring Impact and Metrics

The conversation shifts to how JBH measures the success of Digital PR efforts. Jane outlines the key metrics used, both from an SEO perspective and broader brand awareness standpoint. These include:

• SEO Metrics:

  • Link Type: Follow vs. no-follow links and their respective values.
  • Brand Mentions: Tracking mentions as indicators of brand awareness and trust.
  • Domain Authority and Page Ranking: Monitoring changes in these areas to assess SEO impact.
  • Keyword Rankings and Organic Traffic: Focusing on specific keywords to demonstrate tangible SEO benefits.

• PR and Brand Metrics:

  • Coverage Quality: Analyzing the sentiment and relevance of media coverage.
  • Reach and Audience Alignment: Ensuring coverage aligns with target audiences.
  • Social Reach and Engagement: Measuring the impact of campaigns on social media interactions.

Jane highlights the strategic approach of targeting specific keywords and products to better attribute the impact of Digital PR activities.

Notable Quote:
Jane Hunt ([11:08]): “We look at domain authority, page ranking, and specific keyword impacts to demonstrate the value of our Digital PR efforts.”

6. The Digital PR Playbook

Jane introduces the "Digital PR Playbook," a comprehensive guide developed by JBH to educate marketers on effective Digital PR strategies. The Playbook was conceived to fill a gap in available resources, providing in-depth knowledge that bridges SEO, traditional PR, and content marketing. It serves as a valuable tool for both beginners and seasoned Digital PR professionals.

Notable Quote:
Jane Hunt ([15:49]): “There was nothing in-depth about Digital PR available, so we created the Digital PR Playbook to educate and provide actionable strategies.”

Availability:
The Playbook is available on Amazon in both printed and Kindle formats. It was a collaborative effort, with contributions from JBH’s senior team, ensuring a diverse range of insights and expertise.

7. Conclusion and How to Engage with JBH

In wrapping up the discussion, Jane provides information on how listeners can access the Digital PR Playbook and engage with JBH for their Digital PR needs. She encourages reaching out via their website or LinkedIn for further inquiries and collaboration opportunities.

Notable Quote:
Jane Hunt ([17:26]): “You can find us at jbh.co.uk or connect with us on LinkedIn for any questions about Digital PR.”

Final Thoughts

This episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast offers a comprehensive exploration of Digital PR, its integration with SEO and traditional PR, and practical strategies for executing successful campaigns. Jane Hunt’s insights and examples, such as the Preply campaign, illustrate the tangible benefits of Digital PR in enhancing brand visibility and search engine performance. Additionally, the introduction of the Digital PR Playbook provides listeners with a valuable resource to deepen their understanding and application of Digital PR tactics.

For more episodes and resources, listeners are encouraged to visit TargetInternet.com and leave reviews or reach out for further engagement.