1.
Tactics for Landing Big Links on a
Shoestring Budget

2.
@shannonmcguirk_
#PintSizedMarketing

3.
A small budget doesn’t mean small links

4.
Having a big budget means more
time for ideation, design and
outreach

5.
But it doesn’t mean those ideas
will be good and get links

6.
So tonight...

7.
Debunking the myth:
You need big budgets to get big
links

8.
A story about when I
proved my boss
wrong with a small
budget campaign…

9.
5 tactics for building links on a
shoestring budget

10.
Tactic 1:
Find spokespeople & case
studies

11.
Why are spokespeople
important?

12.
Journalists love them

13.
Journalists need to show
multiple points of view using
opinions from credible
sources

14.
Stories need voices through
case studies

15.
Businesses have people at
their core

16.
And people have stories to
tell...

17.
Starting a company is a good
story to tell

18.
People care: 103 likes & 17 comments

19.
Flashpack was founded on a 1st date

20.
It’s not the fact that they
started the company, it’s the
story around it

21.
Who else can tell stories at
your business?

22.
Are they female?

23.
How did they overcome
hurdles?

24.
What inspires them?

25.
Where are they from?

26.
In action...

27.
Stories are
free...

28.
All you need is a few hours
time

29.
TIP:
Use a traditional PR tactic and
profile people within business
to generate links

30.
Tactic 2:
Free & low cost data sources

31.
Most ‘big’ campaigns are
created around data

32.
There are budget friendly
options

33.
Create a survey

34.
Freedom of Information Act

35.
Free data sources

36.
Let your data guide the visual
design

37.
Aira’s own analysis

38.
Top three most successful visuals

39.
Keeping it simple works

40.
TIP:
There are lots of free & low-cost
data sources available, and
simple executions can work
really well

41.
Tactic 3:
Create evergreen content

42.
What do we mean by
‘evergreen’ content?

43.
Evergreen content is content
that is always relevant

44.
A campaign pinned to one
day or event can be risky

45.
It can work...

46.
But success isn’t a given

47.
If you’re investing in creating
content make sure it’s
‘pitchable’ throughout the year

48.
It’s more time and cost
efficient

49.
This shows gender disparity
on the boards at some of the
world’s biggest companies

50.
How often is this talked
about?

51.
All the time...

52.
The data was free and
sourced online

53.
The asset is now more than 2
years old

54.
It’s got 37 links and it’s still
going...

55.
TIP:
Create evergreen content as
it allows you to secure links
over a longer period of time

56.
Tactic 4:
Build relationships with the
media

57.
When you’re not in the circle…

58.
Why is this so important?

59.
When journalists start to trust
you, they come to you…

60.
A realtime request with a deadline

61.
This will take a little time

62.
Start with your niche

63.
Meet deadlines

64.
Think about...

65.
Tailored outreach lists

66.
What sites does you care
about most?

67.
TIP:
Start by saying hello to
journalists

68.
Tactic 5:
Use newshooks effectively

69.
What is a newshook?

70.
“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

71.
So how do you use a
newshook?

72.
Seasonal events

73.
Awareness days & months

74.
There are 16 in January

75.
National Beer Can Day

76.
Keep the 29th March in
mind

77.
What does this look like in
action?

78.
Story time: November 2016

79.
2 hours in design

80.
Launched on a Friday
afternoon

81.
That evening…

82.
It just keeps on giving

83.
Risk:
You’re tying the content into
one day

84.
Minimise risk by reaching out to
journalists before you create
content

85.
This is super low investment so
super low risk

86.
How can you plan this
properly?

87.
Editorial Content Calendar

88.
TIP:
Create an editorial content
calendar to plan your campaigns

89.
In summary...

90.
These tactics aren’t mutually
exclusive

91.
Be prepared to invest time in
creating your stories, content and
doing outreach

92.
Flashpack was founded on a 1st date

93.
Free data sources

94.
Link building and digital PR can
be hard

95.
But budget doesn’t have to be the
limiting factor

96.
And if you do one thing
tomorrow…

97.
Work out what tactic will help you
tell your brand’s story.

98.
Thank you!