--- title: "Digital PR Campaigns" url: https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/digital-pr-campaigns type: Page --- # Digital PR Campaigns Digital PR campaigns built from original data, surveys and FOI requests, tested with journalists before launch and pitched to earn links to your revenue pages. ## Digital PR Campaigns Built From Data, Surveys and FOI Requests Journalists cover numbers they cannot find anywhere else. We build digital PR campaigns around original data, surveys, Freedom of Information requests and creative assets, test the headline before anything is commissioned, and pitch the story in waves to national, regional and trade press so the links land where they help revenue. Why marketing teams choose us ## Key Takeaways - For Custtom, our Digital PR campaigns earned 121 pieces of coverage across 98 publications and 147% growth in referring domains. - Budget only goes on ideas with a real chance of coverage, because headlines are tested against recent coverage before any survey or FOI request is commissioned. - Authority reaches the pages that sell because each campaign is planned around its target commercial pages and reported on their links, rankings and revenue. - National, regional and trade journalists receive pitches written the way newsrooms want them, from a team that includes a former Reach PLC journalist. ## We’ve Helped Dozens Of Great Brands Grow Their Digital Presence Via Search Marketing ## A campaign is only as strong as the headline it can prove. Most campaigns that fail were never a story. The idea sounded clever in a brainstorm, the research was commissioned, and only then did anyone ask whether a news editor would run it. We work the other way round. We write the headlines first, test the angles against recent coverage and with journalists where we can, and only build the campaigns that survive that test. Every campaign starts with the commercial pages it needs to support, so the data, the page that hosts it and the outreach are all planned around where the links should go. The research is held to the standards journalists expect, from published survey methods to a paper trail on every FOI response. We set out the full method in [how we build data-led digital PR campaigns](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/data-led-digital-pr-campaigns). Campaigns are the backbone of our [Digital PR service](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr). [Reactive PR](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/reactive-pr) keeps coverage coming between them, and the authority they earn is passed on to category, product and service pages through our [link building services](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/link-building). Why Choose Us ## Stories Journalists Want To Run ## Headline First. Data That Holds Up. ### The Story Before The Spend **We test whether a campaign is a story before any budget goes on research.** Ideation starts with your audience, your target pages and what the press in your sector has covered recently. We draft the headlines a campaign would need to produce, check them against existing coverage so we are not repeating last year's story, and sense-check angles with journalists where we can. Only then do we commission a survey, file FOI requests or build a dataset, which keeps budget on the ideas most likely to land. - Target pages agreed before ideas - Headlines drafted before research is commissioned - Angles checked against recent coverage - Data from surveys, FOI, public or first-party sources - Regional and trade cuts planned from day one - Every link tracked to the page it supports #### Original Surveys A survey gives you a number nobody else has, but only if the method stands up. The British Polling Council's disclosure rules ask published findings to state the client, fieldwork dates, method, sample size and geographic coverage, with full tables online within two working days. We work to the same standard for press surveys, keep questions neutral so the headline reflects what respondents said, and drop sub-groups too small to quote with confidence. #### Freedom Of Information Requests FOI requests turn public records into exclusive stories. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 a request must be in writing, give the requester's real name and an address for correspondence and describe the information wanted, and authorities should normally reply within 20 working days. They can refuse requests that would cost more than the appropriate limit, £600 for central government and £450 for most other public bodies, so we write narrow, specific requests that are likely to be answered in full. #### Public And First-Party Data Some of the strongest campaigns use data you already hold, aggregated and anonymised, or public datasets combined in ways nobody has tried. Official statistics run to a timetable: the ONS aims to publish release dates at least four weeks ahead where possible, so a campaign built on public data can be timed to land when journalists are already writing about the topic. Every figure is checked against its original source before it goes to press. #### Creative Assets And Hosting Data needs a form journalists can use: a ranked index, an interactive map, a calculator, a set of charts or a regional breakdown. We host it on your main domain, close to the commercial page it supports, rather than on a separate microsite, and link from it to those pages. Google says it uses links as a signal of relevance and that every page you care about should be linked from at least one other page on your site. ### Data Journalists Can Trust ## Our Digital PR Campaign Services #### Ideation And Headline Testing Ideas are developed against three filters: relevance to your brand and target pages, news value for the publications your buyers read, and whether the data to prove the headline can be found. We write sample headlines for each idea, check what has already been covered, and drop anything a news editor would see as a repeat or an advert. You approve a short list of tested concepts, not a long list of brainstorm notes. #### Survey-Led Campaigns We design questionnaires that produce clear, quotable findings without leading respondents, commission fieldwork with a recognised research panel and analyse the results by age, gender and region. Every release states the sample size, fieldwork dates and method, which journalists often ask for before they run a figure. The Market Research Society Code also expects published findings not to be presented in a misleading way, and we write releases with that in mind. #### FOI Request Campaigns We identify the public bodies that hold the data, from councils and police forces to NHS trusts and government departments, and send consistent, tightly worded requests to each one. Responses are logged, chased and checked, and refusals or partial answers are reported honestly rather than filled with guesswork. FOI data suits regional press especially well, because each authority's figures become a local story with its own headline. #### Data Studies And Indexes Indexes and rankings, such as the best and worst places for a cost, a habit or a service, combine several public or first-party datasets into one league table. They give journalists a clear headline, a local angle for every town on the list and a reason to link back to the full methodology on your site. We document every source and weighting, so the index can be refreshed and pitched again next year. #### Creative And Seasonal Campaigns Not every campaign needs a dataset. Creative campaigns build on a cultural moment, a seasonal habit or an expert's knowledge, turned into visuals, guides or tools journalists want to share. For Custtom, one spider season campaign earned 23 pieces of coverage on its own. We plan seasonal ideas months ahead, so the asset is live and tested before journalists start writing the story. #### Regional, National And Trade Outreach We pitch in waves: national titles first, then regional cuts of the same data, then trade and specialist press with angles written for their readers. Our team includes a former Reach PLC journalist, so pitches are written the way newsrooms want to receive them. Each wave is shaped by what the last one earned, and follow-ups add new data rather than simply chasing a reply. Read [how to pitch a journalist](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/how-to-pitch-a-journalist-what-ex-reach-plc-pro-thinks-of-your-pitch) for the detail. #### Campaign Reporting On Links And Revenue We report the links each campaign earned to its target pages, unlinked mentions, referral traffic and the movement in rankings and revenue for those pages. Google Search Console's Links report is a useful cross-check, though Google says it is a sample capped at 1,000 rows per table, so we combine it with third-party link data. Coverage counts are included, but they are never the headline measure of success. Data-led campaigns are the core, but the right format depends on the story, your sector and the pages you need to support. These are the campaign types and supporting services we run, often in combination within a single campaign. Sector versions run through our [consumer PR](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/consumer-pr), [fashion and retail PR](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/fashion-retail-pr) and [B2B Digital PR](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/b2b-pr) teams. Featured Work ## Digital PR Campaigns That Earned Coverage ## What Digital PR Campaigns Deliver For The Business ### Links From Major Publications Original data earns editorial links from national, regional and trade titles that rarely link to brands otherwise. ### Authority For Revenue Pages Campaigns are planned around the commercial pages they support, so authority flows to the pages that sell. ### Assets That Keep Earning A strong dataset on your site can be cited again whenever the topic returns to the news. ### Brand Mentions AI Can Read Coverage in established publications gives AI assistants more trusted sources that name your brand. ### Research You Can Reuse Survey and FOI findings feed sales content, social posts and thought leadership long after launch. ### Lower Risk Per Campaign Testing headlines before commissioning research keeps spend on ideas with a real chance of coverage. A well-built campaign earns links from publications you could never buy space in, and leaves your site with an asset that keeps earning after launch. ## How Our Digital PR Campaign Work Runs, Step By Step ### 1. Ideate And Test We agree target pages, then draft and test headlines against recent coverage before anything is commissioned. ### 2. Source And Check The Data Surveys, FOI requests and datasets are run, analysed and checked against their sources. ### 3. Build And Host The Asset The story becomes an index, map, tool or report on your domain, linked to the pages it supports. ### 4. Pitch In Waves And Report National, regional and trade outreach runs in waves, and we report links, rankings and revenue. **4.9** from 130 reviews ## Don’t just take our word for it > “Marketing Signals is our kind of agency: they do what they say they are going to do. The team is responsive and has the ability to pivot onto different priorities throughout the yearly trading cycle. We are well on target to meet our own sales target on the back of their work.” > > Jamie Evans, Head of E-commerce > “I've worked with Marketing Signals on a few projects and always had great customer service, fast delivery and reliable quality. Definitely somebody who should be on your potential agency list for any future activity.” > > Rob Hughes, Director, Global SEO > “We have been working with Marketing Signals since 2015, after our previous agency had messed up. They helped reduce our average CPC and increase conversions, as well as helping us launch a separate site just for Drug Driving leads. We've never looked back and have referred them to many of our other business contacts.” > > Matthew Miller, Managing Director > “As a long-term client of Marketing Signals, I can confidently say their expertise in SEO and PPC is second to none. They deliver consistently good results from SEO and PPC and maintain excellent communication with us.” > > Sandra Carosi, Head of Marketing > “Gareth and the team immediately understood what we were looking for and the type of audience we wanted to attract. Through site changes, content improvements and lots of great PR pieces, we were able to significantly increase the number of leads we got from the organic channel.” > > David Weaver, Co-founder > “An excellent agency to work with and a perfect choice if you're looking to scale quickly.” > > Katie Owen, Founder ### What makes a good digital PR campaign? A good digital PR campaign has a headline a news editor would run, data that proves it, and a clear link to the commercial pages it is meant to support. It also has more than one angle, so national, regional and trade journalists each get a version written for their readers. Custtom's campaigns, for example, earned 121 pieces of coverage across 98 publications and 147% growth in referring domains. ### How do you use Freedom of Information requests in digital PR? We send consistent written requests to the public bodies that hold the data, such as councils, police forces or NHS trusts. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires a real name, an address for correspondence and a description of the information, and authorities should normally reply within 20 working days. Requests can be refused if they would exceed the cost limit, which values staff time at £25 an hour, so we keep each request narrow and specific. ### What is the difference between data-led and creative digital PR? Data-led campaigns are built on numbers: a survey, an FOI investigation, a public dataset or your own anonymised data, turned into a story only you can tell. Creative campaigns rely more on an idea, a visual or an expert angle tied to a cultural or seasonal moment. Many of our campaigns use both, with data giving journalists the headline and the creative asset giving readers a reason to click through and share. ### Do you follow polling standards for PR surveys? Yes. We follow the spirit of the British Polling Council's disclosure rules, which ask published findings to state who commissioned the survey, the fieldwork dates, the method, the sample size and the geographic coverage, with full tables available. We avoid leading questions and do not quote sub-groups too small to be reliable. Journalists and editors often check these details, and a survey that cannot show its method is unlikely to run. ### Where should the campaign data be hosted? On your main domain, on a page close to the commercial pages the campaign supports, rather than on a separate microsite. Journalists rarely link to a homepage, but they will link to a methodology, a full dataset or an interactive tool. Hosting it on your own site means every link strengthens your domain, and internal links from the campaign page then pass that authority on to the category, product or service pages that need it. ### How do you measure the success of a digital PR campaign? By the links each campaign earns to its target pages and what happens to those pages in search, not by coverage counts alone. For LeaseLoco, our Digital PR work contributed to a 135% increase in top three ranking keywords. For Vintage Cash Cow, 127 keywords moved onto page one and organic conversions rose 196%. Our guide to [measuring your agency on revenue](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/measure-your-agency-on-revenue-not-rankings) explains the approach. ## The Answers to Your Questions Visibility Playbooks ## Related Playbooks Trade and national press coverage that buyers and AI assistants trust, with links to the pages that drive pipeline. Consumer and fashion press coverage that links to your category pages, timed to your seasons and visible in AI shopping answers. Money, business and trade press coverage for financial brands, with trust signals for YMYL pages and compliance sign-off built in. Data stories from your product and founder commentary in tech and trade press, building authority for product and comparison pages. Consumer and lifestyle PR that lands gift guides, seasonal stories and commerce coverage, earning links, sales and mentions in AI shopping answers. More Specialist Services ## Ready To Run A Campaign Journalists Want To Cover? Talk to our senior team about the pages you need to grow and the stories your data could tell.