Tactics for Landing Big Links on a
Shoestring Budget

@shannonmcguirk_
#PintSizedMarketing

A small budget doesn’t mean small links

Having a big budget means more
time for ideation, design and
outreach

But it doesn’t mean those ideas
will be good and get links

So tonight...

Debunking the myth:
You need big budgets to get big
links

A story about when I
proved my boss
wrong with a small
budget campaign…

5 tactics for building links on a
shoestring budget

Tactic 1:
Find spokespeople & case
studies

Why are spokespeople
important?

Journalists love them

Journalists need to show
multiple points of view using
opinions from credible
sources

Stories need voices through
case studies

Businesses have people at
their core

And people have stories to
tell...

Starting a company is a good
story to tell

People care: 103 likes & 17 comments

Flashpack was founded on a 1st date

It’s not the fact that they
started the company, it’s the
story around it

Who else can tell stories at
your business?

Are they female?

How did they overcome
hurdles?

What inspires them?

Where are they from?

In action...

Stories are
free...

All you need is a few hours
time

TIP:
Use a traditional PR tactic and
profile people within business
to generate links

Tactic 2:
Free & low cost data sources

Most ‘big’ campaigns are
created around data

There are budget friendly
options

Create a survey

Freedom of Information Act

Free data sources

Let your data guide the visual
design

Aira’s own analysis

Top three most successful visuals

Keeping it simple works

TIP:
There are lots of free & low-cost
data sources available, and
simple executions can work
really well

Tactic 3:
Create evergreen content

What do we mean by
‘evergreen’ content?

Evergreen content is content
that is always relevant

A campaign pinned to one
day or event can be risky

It can work...

But success isn’t a given

If you’re investing in creating
content make sure it’s
‘pitchable’ throughout the year

It’s more time and cost
efficient

This shows gender disparity
on the boards at some of the
world’s biggest companies

How often is this talked
about?

All the time...

The data was free and
sourced online

The asset is now more than 2
years old

It’s got 37 links and it’s still
going...

TIP:
Create evergreen content as
it allows you to secure links
over a longer period of time

Tactic 4:
Build relationships with the
media

When you’re not in the circle…

Why is this so important?

When journalists start to trust
you, they come to you…

A realtime request with a deadline

This will take a little time

Start with your niche

Meet deadlines

Think about...

Tailored outreach lists

What sites does you care
about most?

TIP:
Start by saying hello to
journalists

Tactic 5:
Use newshooks effectively

What is a newshook?

“That critical piece of
newsworthy information that
will capture the attention and
interest of both the news
media and their audiences.”
Yopp, McAdams, & Thornburg, 2010

So how do you use a
newshook?

Seasonal events

Awareness days & months

There are 16 in January

National Beer Can Day

Keep the 29th March in
mind

What does this look like in
action?

Story time: November 2016

2 hours in design

Launched on a Friday
afternoon

That evening…

It just keeps on giving

Risk:
You’re tying the content into
one day

Minimise risk by reaching out to
journalists before you create
content

This is super low investment so
super low risk

How can you plan this
properly?

Editorial Content Calendar

TIP:
Create an editorial content
calendar to plan your campaigns

In summary...

These tactics aren’t mutually
exclusive

Be prepared to invest time in
creating your stories, content and
doing outreach

Flashpack was founded on a 1st date

Free data sources

Link building and digital PR can
be hard

But budget doesn’t have to be the
limiting factor

And if you do one thing
tomorrow…

Work out what tactic will help you
tell your brand’s story.

Thank you!