1.
Link Building in 2021
When you’re a bit crap at PR
@staceycav
#brightonseo

2.
Or… “OMFG HELP ME I NEED TO
BUILD LINKS BUT I’VE NEVER DONE
PR AND I HATE EMAILING
JOURNALISTS”.
@staceycav
#brightonseo

3.
Mum. Binge Watcher. SEO.
Content marketing
consultant. Bad runner.
Excellent gin tester.
@staceycav #brightonseo

4.
PR Pro
@staceycav #brightonseo

5.
I do SEO.
@staceycav #brightonseo

6.
I love SEO.
@staceycav #brightonseo

7.
It often involves landing links on sites like
these.

8.
PR Pro
@staceycav
@staceycav #brightonseo

9.
@staceycav
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://twitter.com/darth_na/status/1353746384973926400

10.
I produce content and promote it to
journalists and other writers and it
achieves a combination of things…
@staceycav #brightonseo

11.
But I’d generally just consider it one tiny
branch of content marketing.
@staceycav #brightonseo

12.
Outreach skills and the creativity side of
digital PR/link bait are useful in link
building, for sure.
@staceycav #brightonseo

13.
But you do not have to be comfortable
emailing journalists to achieve links.
@staceycav #brightonseo

14.
Problem solving is the most valuable link
building skill I think I possess.
@staceycav #brightonseo

15.
“
I don’t enjoy outreach.
What can I do to
achieve the same or
better quality and
quantity of links while
doing less outreach?
@staceycav #brightonseo

16.
It came down to a mindset shift.
@staceycav #brightonseo

17.
Instead of my content always being
the story, my content can build as
many links by supporting someone
else’s story.
@staceycav #brightonseo

18.
Digital PR activity
results in
links/coverage
where you’re the
story.
@staceycav #brightonseo

19.
And that’s great.
@staceycav #brightonseo

20.
But you don’t have to be the story to
build links.
@staceycav #brightonseo

21.
@staceycav #brightonseo

22.
We can look to editorial-led sites to
see this at play
@staceycav #brightonseo

23.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a19434332/what-is-the-keto-diet/

24.
@staceycav #brightonseo

25.
@staceycav #brightonseo
But somebody
high profile
slating it is
news.

26.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/tax-calculator/

27.
@staceycav #brightonseo
An income tax calculator in itself
isn’t news.

28.
@staceycav #brightonseo
But tax increases are news.

29.
Link Building
WHEN YOU’RE CRAP AT PR
(OR JUST DON’T WANT TO DO IT)
@staceycav #brightonseo
Practical

30.
Reactive PR-ey Stuff
It’s a LOT less outreachy.
1
@staceycav #brightonseo

31.
This is about answering requests from
journalists. NOT cold emailing.
Or “inbound PR” as I prefer to call it.
@staceycav #brightonseo

32.
Securing links this way often involves
being a part of a larger feature and
generally isn’t about you being centre
stage.
@staceycav #brightonseo

33.
Placing Product:
@staceycav #brightonseo

34.
Placing Expertise:
@staceycav #brightonseo

35.
Lots of journalists are actively seeking
help with articles.
@staceycav #brightonseo

36.
On Twitter with #journorequest
@staceycav #brightonseo

37.
@staceycav #brightonseo

38.
@staceycav #brightonseo

39.
@staceycav #brightonseo

40.
@staceycav #brightonseo

41.
@staceycav #brightonseo

42.
@staceycav #brightonseo

43.
Anyone can build links this way.
@staceycav #brightonseo

44.
@staceycav #brightonseo

45.
Tips:
@staceycav #brightonseo
Respond fast and selectively.

46.
Tips:
@staceycav #brightonseo
Have a bio and headshots prepared.

47.
Tips:
@staceycav #brightonseo
Have a Dropbox or Google Drive folder
full of supplementary images or info
all ready to go.

48.
Tips:
@staceycav #brightonseo
Check these constantly. Often being
an hour late to the party means
someone took your spot already.

49.
Self Generating Content
Links from journalists. Without contacting
journalists. At all.
2
@staceycav #brightonseo

50.
See also: Link bait. Link magnets.
Or just useful stuff people cite as a
source.
@staceycav #brightonseo

51.
@staceycav #brightonseo

52.
@staceycav #brightonseo

53.
@staceycav #brightonseo

54.
@staceycav #brightonseo

55.
@staceycav #brightonseo

56.
@staceycav #brightonseo

57.
It works because journalists,
bloggers and content writers
within businesses research like
most of us do.
@staceycav #brightonseo

58.
@staceycav #brightonseo

59.
@staceycav #brightonseo

60.
Works for “statistics”, “trends”,
“downloads,” “calculators” and
“templates” amongst other searches.
@staceycav #brightonseo

61.
Mind map your topics
@staceycav #brightonseo

62.
Good old keyword research:
@staceycav #brightonseo

63.
Analyse what’s already ranking:
@staceycav #brightonseo

64.
Does it have links?
@staceycav #brightonseo

65.
Do they appear to be naturally
acquired over time?
@staceycav #brightonseo

66.
Can you improve on what ranks?
Better data?
More up to date?
Better imagery?
More geographically relevant?
@staceycav #brightonseo

67.
Can you rank it?
@staceycav #brightonseo

68.
Ads?
@staceycav #brightonseo
Outreach?
Just wait?

69.
“Stealable” Assets
Links from people who use things you’re giving
away for free
3
@staceycav #brightonseo

70.
Creative Commons Licensing of
assets like imagery, video and sound
lets people use those assets with
appropriate attribution.
@staceycav #brightonseo

71.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ast

72.
@staceycav #brightonseo

73.
@staceycav #brightonseo

74.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://gastronomiaycia.republica.com/2021/01/05/los-aceites-esenciales-vegetales-
pueden-reemplazar-a-los-conservantes-quimicos-en-la-carne/

75.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.whatsonstage.com/leeds-theatre/news/wyp-bronte-
season-2016_40250.html

76.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://rokokoposten.dk/2021/01/14/far-smed-soens-computer-i-havnen-i-protest-mod-
problematisk-hjemmeskole/

77.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.businessinsider.fr/amazon-est-autorise-a-entrer-au-capital-de-deliveroo-
fragilise-par-le-coronavirus-184349

78.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.ccn.com/did-pre-ipo-uber-lose-1-8-billion-in-2018-or-aggressively-invest-in-
its-85-market-share-dominance/

79.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2019/03/07/working-in-the-platform-economy-
what-is-it-really-like/

80.
@staceycav #brightonseo
Tested with Royalty Free sites like
Unsplash. But it felt a bit like
“tricking” people and positive
responses were lower.

81.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://unsplash.com/license

82.
This is won and lost at the planning
stage.
@staceycav #brightonseo

83.
What’s your topic?
@staceycav #brightonseo

84.
What already exists?
@staceycav #brightonseo

85.
What already exists free to use?
@staceycav #brightonseo

86.
Are they being used?
@staceycav #brightonseo

87.
Inspiration
@staceycav #brightonseo

88.
Production
@staceycav #brightonseo

89.
Distribution
@staceycav #brightonseo

90.
Self Host
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/image-license-metadata

91.
Tracking
@staceycav #brightonseo

92.
Tracking
@staceycav #brightonseo

93.
Chase Attribution
@staceycav #brightonseo

94.
90 minutes later…
@staceycav #brightonseo

95.
@staceycav #brightonseo
But before you create any new
assets…

96.
Start by looking at what you’ve
already got.
@staceycav #brightonseo

97.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.ctpa.org.uk/key-facts

98.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.ctpa.org.uk/key-facts
Original research from an industry
authority.

99.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.ctpa.org.uk/key-facts

100.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.finder.com/uk/beauty-statistics

101.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.finder.com/uk/beauty-statistics
A collection of other
people’s statistics

102.
@staceycav #brightonseo
https://www.finder.com/uk/beauty-statistics

103.
@staceycav #brightonseo
This is why.

104.
@staceycav #brightonseo
Have you any previous assets that
made the news and should have the
potential to continue to grow
passively?

105.
@staceycav #brightonseo
Has anyone stolen your existing
original imagery?

106.
@staceycav #brightonseo
“So are you saying I never have to
do PR work to build links??”

107.
stacey@macnaughtdigital.co.uk