--- title: "Reactive PR" url: https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/reactive-pr type: Page --- # Reactive PR Reactive PR agency that monitors the news daily and gets your experts quoted in breaking stories, earning links, mentions and AI citations between campaigns. ## Reactive PR Agency That Turns Breaking News Into Links When a story breaks, journalists need a credible expert quote within hours, and the first usable comments are the ones that run. Our reactive PR service watches the news every day, drafts comment for your spokespeople and gets it to the journalists writing the story, earning links, brand mentions and AI citations between larger campaigns. Why brands with spokespeople choose us ## Key Takeaways - For Pretty You London, our digital PR earned 128 pieces of coverage, with 15 sites in one day for a single reactive story. - Your comment reaches journalists while the story is still live, because spokespeople, pre-approved positions, no-go topics and one named approver are agreed before the news breaks. - In regulated sectors such as finance and law, compliance signs off your positions once, up front, so each reactive comment needs only a quick check against them. - Monthly reactive PR reports show links and unlinked mentions separately, plus time from story to comment and the stories we declined and why. ## We’ve Helped Dozens Of Great Brands Grow Their Digital Presence Via Search Marketing ## Reactive PR rewards the brand that is ready first. Reactive PR, often called newsjacking, means adding something useful to a story that is already running: a figure, a prediction or practical advice from someone qualified to give it. It costs far less to produce than a hero campaign because the news supplies the hook. What it does cost is time and judgement, so the return depends on how quickly your experts can approve a comment and how carefully stories are chosen. We set that up before the first story breaks. Your spokespeople, approved positions and no-go topics are agreed in advance, so a comment can be drafted, signed off and sent while the story is still live. Reactive work runs alongside our [data-led Digital PR campaigns](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/digital-pr-campaigns) and keeps coverage coming between them, as part of our wider [Digital PR service](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr). Our article on [turning breaking news into links](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/reactive-pr-turning-breaking-news-into-links) walks through the daily routine. Reactive comment earns brand mentions more often than links, so we track the two separately. Links support rankings. Mentions in the publications AI assistants draw on shape how those assistants describe you, which is why reactive PR sits at the centre of our [Digital PR strategy for AI search](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/digital-pr-strategy-for-ai-search). Why Choose Us ## Quoted While The Story Is Still Live ## Ready Before The Story. Quoted While It Runs. ### The Spokesperson Brief Before The Headlines **Speed comes from decisions made before the news breaks, not from typing faster.** We start by agreeing who can speak for you, on which topics and with which pre-approved positions, plus the subjects you will never comment on. In regulated sectors such as finance and law, compliance signs off those positions once, up front. That turns a sign-off that might otherwise take days into one named approver checking a short comment against an agreed position, which is what lets a quote reach a journalist while the story is still being written. - Named spokespeople with clear areas of expertise - Pre-approved positions on recurring topics - A no-go list that protects the brand - One approver and one deputy for fast sign-off - Comment drafted ahead of scheduled news - Links and mentions tracked separately #### Daily News Monitoring We scan national front pages, sector titles and the Trending now view in Google Trends, which Google says refreshes on average every ten minutes and can show searches from the past four hours up to seven days. That shows which stories are gathering pace. A morning scan is followed by shorter checks through the day, and each story faces three tests: is your spokesperson genuinely expert, can they add something new, and is the story safe for the brand. #### Journalist Request Platforms Many reactive opportunities arrive as requests rather than headlines. The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service, now part of Vuelio, sends requests from journalists, bloggers and broadcasters straight to the inbox, and Qwoted lets journalists post requests for expert sources that PRs and experts pitch directly. We review requests every day, answer only those your spokespeople can genuinely add to, and reply in the format and length the journalist asked for, with credentials included. #### Planned Reactive For Scheduled News Not all news is a surprise. The ONS publishes a release calendar and aims to confirm dates at least four weeks ahead where possible, with standard releases at 9.30am. The Bank of England publishes its Monetary Policy Committee announcement dates well in advance, as do most awareness days and sector events. We draft comment the day before, so your reaction to inflation, interest rate or jobs figures is ready to send as soon as the numbers are published. #### Links, Mentions And AI Citations Journalists often quote an expert without linking, so we log every placement with its URL, date and link status, and ask for a link only where it gives readers useful context, such as a data source or a guide. We never pay for links or trade goods for them, which Google's spam policies class as link spam. Unlinked mentions are reported separately, because coverage in established publications is also what AI assistants draw on when they describe a brand. ### From Breaking Story To Published Quote ## Our Reactive PR Services #### Newsjacking When a story breaks that your brand has a genuine view on, we draft a short comment that adds a figure, a prediction or a practical tip, get it approved and send it to the journalists already covering the story. The aim is to add what the story lacks, not restate it. Stories about tragedies, or ones that would pull the brand into a controversy, are left alone however much attention they get. #### Journalist Request Responses We monitor journalist request services and social media every day and respond on behalf of your spokespeople where they have real expertise. Each response leads with the most quotable line, includes the credentials the journalist asked for and arrives in the format requested. Quality matters more than volume, because journalists remember which sources were useful and come back to them. Our former Reach PLC journalist explains what editors want in [how to pitch a journalist](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/how-to-pitch-a-journalist-what-ex-reach-plc-pro-thinks-of-your-pitch). #### Spokesperson Briefs And Approved Positions We write a brief for each spokesperson covering credentials, the topics they can speak on, approved positions and no-go subjects, and agree a sign-off route with one approver and a deputy. In regulated sectors, positions go through compliance once, up front, rather than on every comment, the same approach our [fintech PR](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/fintech-pr) service uses to stay quick and compliant. This groundwork decides whether reactive PR works at all. #### Planned Reactive Calendar We build a calendar of predictable news for your sector: ONS releases, Bank of England rate decisions, budgets, awareness days, seasonal moments and industry events. Comment is drafted in advance and sharpened on the day, which gives national, regional and trade journalists a ready source when the figures land. It also gives smaller in-house teams a reactive programme they can plan and staff around. #### Reactive Data And Quick Turn Assets Some stories need more than a quote. Where a story has legs, we turn your first-party data, a short survey or a public dataset into a regional or sector breakdown that journalists can use in a follow-up piece. Hosted on your own site, these assets give journalists a reason to link rather than only quote, which is how reactive coverage builds links as well as mentions for your [link building](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/link-building) programme. #### Expert Comment For AI Visibility AI assistants form a view of your brand from what established publications say about it. Regular expert comment places your spokespeople and brand name in those publications, on the topics you want to be known for. We check which outlets AI assistants cite for your category and prioritise reactive opportunities in those titles, as part of our [AI SEO and GEO](https://marketingsignals.com/service/ai-search-optimisation) work. #### Reporting On Speed And Results Each month we report coverage, links, unlinked mentions and the pages they support, alongside the measures that show whether the routine is working: time from story to comment, time to approval, comments sent against comments used, and journalists approaching you directly. We also list the stories we declined and why, so you can judge the decisions as well as the output, and see trends over a quarter rather than a single week. Reactive PR works best as a steady daily rhythm rather than an occasional scramble. These are the parts of our reactive PR services, from monitoring to measurement, that we run for brands with spokespeople worth quoting. Featured Work ## Reactive PR That Landed Coverage Fast ## What Reactive PR Delivers For The Business ### Coverage Between Campaigns A steady flow of quotes and mentions fills the weeks between larger data-led campaigns. ### Experts Journalists Return To Spokespeople who supply useful comment on time become sources journalists approach directly. ### Links From News Titles Comment backed by data or a guide on your site gives journalists a reason to link, not just quote. ### Named In AI Answers Repeated mentions in trusted publications shape how AI assistants describe your brand and your expertise. ### Low Production Cost The news supplies the hook, so budget goes on judgement and speed rather than research and design. ### Protected Reputation Agreed positions and a no-go list keep your brand out of stories that could do it harm. Reactive PR keeps your brand and your experts in the news week after week, without building a full campaign around every story. ## How Our Reactive PR Work Runs, Step By Step ### 1. Brief The Spokespeople We agree experts, topics, approved positions, no-go subjects and a fast sign-off route. ### 2. Watch The News Daily monitoring of headlines, search trends, scheduled releases and journalist requests. ### 3. Comment And Send Short, quotable comment is drafted, approved and sent while the story is still live. ### 4. Log And Report Every placement is logged with its link status and reported against rankings and AI visibility. **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 is reactive PR? Reactive PR is the practice of responding to news as it happens, usually by offering journalists an expert comment, a relevant figure or practical advice for a story they are already writing. It is often called newsjacking when the story is a major breaking one. Done well, it earns regular coverage, brand mentions and links without the research and design costs of a full campaign, because the news itself provides the hook. ### What is the difference between proactive and reactive PR? Proactive PR creates its own story, such as a survey, a data study or an FOI investigation, and pitches it on a date you choose. Reactive PR responds to stories other people have started. Proactive [Digital PR campaigns](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/digital-pr-campaigns) tend to earn bigger bursts of links, while reactive PR keeps your brand in the news between them. Most brands with credible spokespeople get the best results from running both together. ### How fast does reactive PR need to be? Fast enough to reach journalists while the story is still being written. On a live national story the first usable quotes tend to fill the available slots, so time from story to pitch matters as much as the wording. That speed comes from preparation: agreed spokespeople, pre-approved positions, one named approver and comment drafted in advance for scheduled news. Without that groundwork, reactive PR usually arrives too late to be used. ### Does reactive PR earn backlinks? It can, but it earns brand mentions more often than links, so we report the two separately. Links come more readily when your comment points to something useful on your site, such as data, a calculator or a guide. Pretty You London is a good example: one reactive story was picked up by 15 sites in a single day, part of a programme that earned 128 pieces of coverage. Our [link building](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/link-building) work then passes that authority on. ### Can regulated businesses use reactive PR? Yes, with the right preparation. Financial services firms, law firms and healthcare providers can comment on the news if positions are agreed with compliance in advance and every comment is checked against them before it goes out. That keeps sign-off quick without cutting corners. Our [fintech PR](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/fintech-pr) and [executive PR](https://marketingsignals.com/service/digital-pr/executive-pr) services use the same approach for named spokespeople and senior leaders. ### How does reactive PR help with AI search visibility? AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity build their answers from sources they consider credible, and established news publications are among them. Each time your spokesperson is quoted in those titles, your brand is mentioned alongside the topics you want to be known for. Over time that shapes how assistants describe you. We track those mentions as part of our [AI SEO and GEO](https://marketingsignals.com/service/ai-search-optimisation) reporting, separately from links. ## 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 Be The Expert Journalists Quote? Talk to our senior team about which stories your spokespeople could own and what it takes to be ready when they break.