Why is digital PR important?
It helps brands establish authority, connect with their audience(s) and stand out in a crowded marketplace. By earning high value backlinks, generating media coverage and creating shareable content, digital PR can significantly boost your brand’s online visibility and credibility.
- The key components that make a digital PR campaign successful are:
A clear understanding of your target audience: Knowing who you’re speaking to and where they consume their news and information, ensures your message resonates. - Strong relationships with relevant journalists: Building trust with the right media contacts helps your stories get picked up and gives your brand a prominent platform to influence and/or inform the audience.
- An in-depth understanding of how and when to provide content: Timing and content relevance are critical for successful outreach.
If you’re a busy in-house marketer with limited time and budget, having the right tools at your disposal can simplify the process and maximise your efforts. We’ve put together a handy a roundup of some free tools that can help with everything from keyword research to monitoring website performance and tracking the success of your campaigns.
1. Google Keyword Planner
What it does: Google Keyword Planner is a go-to tool for uncovering search trends and finding relevant keywords to target in your campaigns.
How to use it:
- Use it to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords for your PR content.
- Discover new keyword opportunities based on your target audience’s search behaviour.
2. AnswerThePublic
What it does: AnswerThePublic generates a visual map of questions and phrases people are searching for online for a given topic or product group.
How to use it:
- Use it to understand the questions your audience is asking.
- Craft content that directly addresses these queries to improve engagement and visibility.
3. Google Analytics
What it does: Google Analytics tracks and reports website traffic, offering deep insights into user behaviour.
How to use it:
- Integrated directly into your website, to give live and accurate information about customer traffic on your website.
- Monitor the performance of your campaigns by analysing traffic sources and user behaviour.
- Identify which pieces of content are driving the most engagement.
4. BuzzSumo
What it does: BuzzSumo helps you discover trending topics and analyse content performance across various platforms.
How to use it:
- Use the free version to identify popular content in your industry.
- Monitor competitor activity and find influencers to amplify your message.
5. Google Alerts
What it does: Google Alerts keeps you informed about online mentions of specific keywords, including your brand name, key spokespeople and products/services.
How to use it:
- Set up alerts for your brand, competitors or industry terms.
- Stay on top of media coverage and join conversations as they happen.
6. Ubersuggest
What it does: Ubersuggest offers keyword insights and domain analytics.
How to use it:
- Find keyword ideas and track search volume trends.
- Analyse competitors’ websites for content opportunities.
7. Hootsuite (Free Plan)
What it does: Hootsuite helps you schedule and manage social media posts across platforms. The free version offers three channels in one handy platform.
How to use it:
- Schedule posts and content, aligned with your campaign calendar.
- Track mentions and engagement metrics to measure success.
8. SEMrush Free Tools
What it does: SEMrush offers a suite of free tools for keyword research, SEO audits and more.
How to use it:
- Perform a basic SEO audit of your website.
- Identify backlinks and monitor your site’s search visibility.
9. Moz Link Explorer (Free Version)
What it does: Moz Link Explorer helps you understand your backlink profile and discover new link-building opportunities.
How to use it:
- Analyse your domain’s authority and backlink quality – bearing in mind that backlinks from low quality or black listed websites will be potentially damaging your site’s performance.
- Research competitors’ link-building strategies to enhance your own.
These free tools can provide powerful insights, helping you craft campaigns that deliver real results. It is key, however, to remember that no matter how many tools you use, digital PR relies on getting the fundamentals right by understanding your audience, their behaviours and how to reach them through their chosen media channels.
Have you got questions about digital PR and how it can help your business? Drop us a line via hello@adpr.co.uk or via any of our social channels. You can also check out some of our recent work: www.adpr.co.uk/work.