In a past life I worked exclusively in traditional print and broadcast PR, where digital coverage was viewed as a bonus. But since landing a job as a PR consultant at Distilled, all of that has changed. My goals have shifted.

Previously my goals were things like brand awareness and changing audience perceptions—and these were driven by press coverage.

But, while these goals still come in to play, I have a new goal too—to build links. And, as most of you know, link building is not easy.

So, eight months down the line, I feel it's time to share what I've learned.

An eight-step plan

There are a few tried and tested methods for PR driven link-building, like guest posting and pitching for by-lined articles, but these can be slow-burning processes.

What I'm going to talk you through is a process which, if invested in and executed well, is much more likely to result in multiple links from high quality, authoritative news sites.

There's no quick fix. Even before search was on my radar, I'd always believed in integrated communications. Link-building is just another component of what should be a multi-faceted approach, and as such, I believe that links are symptomatic of a well-executed PR campaign.

For any marketing campaign you should be looking to use multiple channels. However, the purpose of this post is to specifically explore ways of working with the media, and consequently how to build links on top-tier media sites.

Step one: Find the story

If you want to be in the media, you need to find a story. It's as simple as that. No amount of spin is going to see your latest annual review on The New York Times' homepage.

In a recent Distilled blog post, I wrote about the eight criteria that make something newsworthy. In brief, these criteria are:

Image: @Distilled

Head over to that post if you'd like more details and examples of each one.

Sometimes you'll have things going on that already fit the bill. Maybe you're launching a new product in time for Christmas. Or perhaps you've got a great case study which will help you tell a human interest story.

Relating to real people, like Batkid, will help you tell your story

(Picture: Bhautik Joshi/Flickr)

Oftentimes, though, our clients just haven't got anything newsworthy going on. And this is when you need to create your own story.

Step two: Create a story

There are a few different ways you can create a story, the most obvious being PR stunts. But these often mean spending big bucks. A cheaper way to create a credible news story is to conduct a survey.

For example, I recently ran a survey for our client Worldpay Zinc. We only launched it two weeks ago, but here are some of the results so far:

• An article on the website of one of the UK's national newspapers, The Telegraph, incorporating two links
• A write-up on The Guardian, which also included two links
• Daily Mail coverage
• 3 pieces of national print coverage
• 30+ pieces of online regional coverage
• A BBC Radio 2 appearance
• A mention on national TV

You'll notice that I've included results that don't include links, but that's to reiterate a point that I often make at Distilled: Links are symptomatic of great PR.

That's not to say there aren't ways and means to increase your chances of getting links, though, and we'll explore these in the steps below.

Step three: Conduct a survey

Once you've decided on a survey topic and incorporated as many of the newsworthy criteria as you can, you'll need to devise the questions. Here are some general rules for conducting robust PR surveys:

1. Start with the story and work backwards

It makes a good deal of sense to have an idea of your angle before you start, so always think about the story you'd like to tell. Each question should directly relate to this story, regardless of whether you get the results you expect or not. The aim here is not to manipulate, but to make sure the answers translate into interesting data points.

2. Choose a reputable market research agency

Journalists are much more likely to cover surveys if they come from a trustworthy company. The agency will also help you fine-tune your questions and make sure you're not being unintentionally leading.

3. Think about your demographic

Surveying the general public is fine but sometimes looking at a specific niche will strengthen your story. If your client is a parenting website, why not run a survey of parents? As an aside, if you poll the general public then you'll need to survey at least 2,000 people. 1,000 is generally fine for smaller niches.

4. Split your demographic

A great way of drilling down into a story is by splitting your demographic into subcategories. Most polling companies will do this by age, gender, and region as standard but, often at additional cost, it's possible to dig even deeper. A strong leading stat with lots of subsequent data points will help you create a much more robust story.

5. Ask as many questions as you can

As a rule, you should ask at least 10 questions. Along with the demographic splits, this should give you enough data to write a compelling news story with lots of interesting points. The more details you can add to a story, the more news copy you'll generate.

6. Use lists

Where you can, compile lists. Journalists love a good "Top 10 list." In fact, the WPZ survey I mentioned earlier has two articles on the Telegraph site. The second was titled "The 10 jobs men don't trust women (or men) to do."

Step four: Make your story link-worthy

Once you've analysed your data and come up with a strong story, you then have to find a way to generate links. Increasingly, newspapers are reluctant to link out, and in my experience, the only way to get a decent link on a high-tier site is to create something of value to both the journalist and their readers. Digital journalists are crying out for great visuals and digital content; if you can create something that genuinely adds value to the story (and makes the journalist look good in front of their editor), then you're onto a winner.

For the WPZ story we created a report and an infographic, both of which garnered links.

Click image to open(via WorldPayZinc).

Step five: Present the story

The press release is something that is hotly debated in the PR industry, with arguments both for and against.

However, as David Hamilton says in the article linked to above, while the context may have changed, the need for press releases has not: "The key is to make sure that they are part of a proper strategy and are a supplement to, not a substitute for, proper relationships with journalists."

I use press releases to get my ducks in a line, to get to the crux of a story and to help me establish my key messages. I don't publish them on newswires. For me, the press release comes at the end of a conversation with a journalist. For the most part, it's a tidy way of sending them everything they need, after they've already expressed interest in a story. It's worth noting that I do still get asked for press releases. When written well, with your target publication in mind, they can really help out a busy journalist. You should also publish your press releases on your website, so journalists can find them online if they need to.

Step six: Writing the press release

Rather than trying to big-up your client with hyperbolic language that will surely piss off journalists, spend your energy trying to think like a reporter and find the most interesting elements of your story. You can do this by thinking about the "w's:"

Who? Who's involved in the story? Who cares?

What? What's the story? What's new?

Where? Where is the story taking place? Is there a local angle and/or local publications you can target?

When? Is the story relevant now? Can you tie it in with a current or forthcoming event or "hot topic?"

Why? Why should people care? Why are you telling this story? Why is it relevant to the media you're targeting?

Structuring your release

Think of a press release as an inverted pyramid—get as many of the w's as possible in the first paragraph. While doing this, get straight to the point and keep it simple. Remember to avoid jargon and hyperbole.

The reason for visualising an inverted pyramid is that, historically, editors would slash a press release from the bottom up if they didn't have space for the whole thing. So get crucial elements of your story in early. Your following paragraphs should flesh out the story and give more detail.

(Image: Wikipedia)

Be human: Quotes that'll get you quoted

The majority of the release should be factual and straight to the point. There is, however, room for some colour in the form of a quote or two. Quotes are where a little hyperbole is permitted. For survey stories, quotes should be used to say how you feel about the results. Are you shocked? Saddened? Thrilled? For further credibility you could also include a quote from an expert, or from a case study.

You should always include quotes in a press release but never quote someone who won't be available for interview. This is a guaranteed way to irritate a journalist calling for a follow-up with your spokesperson.

Most importantly, make sure your quote sounds like a real person. This is the ideal opportunity to get your passion for the story across. Don't spew mission statements or company visions, and don't sound like a robot—or worse still, an advert. Read it out loud, does it sound like something someone would actually say?

As an aside, if you can, try to ensure that your spokesperson has a profile page on their website. Journalists will occasionally link to this profile page if they feel the homepage is too commercial. Similarly, another trick that has worked for me in the past is to include the website's URL in a spokesperson's job title.

Freddie Starr Ate my Hamster: getting your headline right

Keep your headline as short and interesting as possible, but don't try too hard. Occasionally there's scope for a great pun or witticism, but if not, don't sweat it. It's more important that it actually makes sense and piques interest in the reader.

Try to keep your headline on one line, and if possible, short enough to be tweeted with a link. And, tempting as it is, avoid putting the company name in the headline. Remember, you're offering the journalist an interesting story, not an advert.

And you're off!

By now you should have a good idea of what makes a decent press release but here are a few extra pointers to help you on your way:

• Make sure you include your contact information (including a phone number), and make sure you're actually available to respond swiftly to any resulting enquiries.
• Double space your release so it's easy to read.
  
• Try to keep the main body of the release on one side of A4 (roughly 8.5x11"). If you must write more, make sure you don't go over two pages.
  
• Copy the press release into the main body of an email—never include attachments.
  
• Similarly, if you have accompanying images, just let the journalist know rather than clogging up their inbox—they'll tell you if they want to see them.
• If you'd like to see an example, the Worldpay Zinc press release can be read here.

Step seven: Find journalists

The most important aspect of pitching a story is making sure you find the right journalist. And this is nothing that a good old-fashioned Google search can't help you with. Look at stories on similar subjects, or those written for similar audiences—and don't undervalue smaller niche sites.

Once you've found the journalists you want to target, finding their contact details needn't be too difficult. I'm fortunate in that I have the luxury of a subscription to a media database. If you can't afford this luxury, here are a few tips that could help:

• Take a look at this post from our COO Rob Ousbey—it contains tonnes of great tricks for finding email addresses.
• Call the switchboard of the organisation you're targeting. It's fine to call and either say, "I have a story on X and would like to know who best to pitch it to," or to simply ask for an email address.
• For UK-based journalists, take a look at journalisted.com
• For US-based journalists, take a look at helpareporter.com
• Contact journalists on Twitter. I've had success just by saying, "I have something I'd like to pitch to you, mind if I send an email?" Usually they'll reply with their email address, or at least tell you where to find it.

Step eight: Pitch to journalists

Now that you've got the best possible story and have created valuable, link-worthy assets, it's time to pitch. Pitching is something that I get asked lots of questions about and I've met many people that seem terrified of pitching to top-tier journalists. But let me tell you a couple of secrets:

Secret #1: Journalists are human too

Secret #2: If you've got a great story lined up, pitching isn't hard.

Here are my top pitching dos:

• Craft your subject line well. Don't waste space telling journalists who your client is, tell them about the genuinely newsworthy story you've so lovingly crafted.
• Be human and personable.
  
• Get their name right. You'd be surprised how many times I've heard a journalist moan about being wrongly addressed.
• Reference their work. Tell the journalist about an article you particularly enjoyed. But use flattery sparingly—be genuine.
• Build a relationship first. Journalists are more likely to read your emails if they recognise your name. Twitter's perfect for this.
• Leave a reason to follow up. "Just checking" emails don't go down well. Ask them if you can help with any more information or an embed code, for example.
• Pre-pitch. If you have a genuine news story, then you'll need to do all your pitches in one go. (Use Boomerang to schedule emails.) A tactic I've had a lot of success with is to pitch the story ahead of the release. Give the journalist enough information to pique their interest. Use an embargo if you need to. (But use sparingly and only for genuine news stories.)
• Keep it short and simple (KISS). Journalists don't have time to read long, rambling emails.

And don'ts:

• Take advantage. If you have success once, don't be tempted to go back to the journalist unless you're certain your story will interest them.
• Blanket bomb journalists with a press release. Press releases are still useful (and journalists still ask me for them) but they should come at the end of a conversation. It is ok to just send releases to general news@ addresses, but don't expect these emails to be fruitful.
• Call to follow up. Many a PR has been known to call a journalist to say, "Did you receive my press release?" Don't do it—it will only piss them off! Call ahead if you like, but never after.
• Use hyperbole or buzzwords. It's just plain annoying.
• Ramble. If you call them, don't launch into a pitch and ramble on. Ask if they have a moment to spare first.

A quick recap: remember

• The most successful digital PR campaigns incorporate a newsworthy element.
• However, they must contain complementary digital assets in order to get links.
  
• Surveys are a great way of creating stories, but be sure to use a credible research company.
• The press release isn't dead. But we'll kill it if we abuse it.
• Pitching isn't that hard—as long as you are pitching something worthy.
• Links are symptomatic of good PR.

I'm hoping that by now you'll have a better idea of the process of creating a story and selling it in to the digital press. Just remember that PR isn't an exact science and there are never any guarantees. When it does pay off, though, the results really do speak for themselves.

Success for Worldpay Zinc: Coverage (and 2 links) on the Telegraph