Digital PR terminology: Seven things you need to know

If you work in marketing or SEO, or perhaps you own your own business and are exploring ways to build your brand online, understanding the impact that digital PR can have on your organic performance and website traffic is essential.

Alternatively, you might be kick starting your digital PR career and looking for a cheat sheet that covers some of the relevant terms you’ve heard floating around. 

Digital PR isn’t just another marketing trend – it’s a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your online visibility, build backlinks from authoritative sites across the globe, and boost your brand’s credibility. However, if you’re new to digital PR, it can be a bit overwhelming to grasp the goals, tactics, and general ins-and-outs.

By familiarising yourself with key terms like follow and nofollow links, media lists, and pitching, you can streamline your digital PR campaign efforts and boost your SEO in no time. While there are countless terms and phrases involved in planning, executing, and reporting on digital PR activities, this article highlights seven fundamental terms that you’ll likely encounter as you begin to dive into the wonderful world of digital PR. 

What’s in this article:

• Seven digital PR terms you should know
  
  • Follow links and nofollow links
  • Media list
  • Domain Rating (DR) & Domain Authority (DA)
  • Earned media
  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
  • Press release
  • Pitching
• Key takeaways

Seven digital PR terms you should know

1. Follow links and nofollow links

Despite the fact that around 94% of content on the internet does not any receive backlinks, earning those all-important links remains a top priority for digital PR and content marketing professionals. But this statistic highlights just how challenging that task can be! 

In digital PR, two key types of backlinks are targeted: follow and nofollow links. Follow links, also called dofollow links, instruct search engines to pass along SEO value, which can positively impact search rankings. These links are especially valuable when sourced from trusted news sites as they enhance your site’s authority.

Nofollow links, on the other hand, include an attribute that tells search engines not to pass SEO value to the linked site, so they don’t directly affect rankings. However, they still hold value, as they can drive traffic and contribute to a diverse backlink profile, which Google favours for appearing organic. Since their introduction by Google in 2005, nofollow links were created to combat spam. A balanced mix of follow, nofollow, and brand mentions is ideal for building a robust and credible backlink profile.

2. Media list

A media list, or press contact list, is a document (usually a spreadsheet) containing the information of media professionals who might be interested in your press releases or pitches.  This includes journalists, editors, freelancers, broadcast presenters/hosts and producers, bloggers, and even podcasters relevant to your industry or topic. Having a well-organised media list allows you to distribute information efficiently to multiple contacts at once, streamlining the outreach process. Around 64% of PR professionals use dedicated PR and comms software like Vuelio, Roxhill, or Cision/Gorkana to build and store their media lists.

The main goal of a media list is to connect with the right contacts who are likely to cover your brand’s story, product, or service. By targeting relevant individuals, a media list enhances the impact of your outreach efforts and improves the chances of securing meaningful media coverage.

3. Domain Rating (DR) & Domain Authority (DA)

Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority are two terms that essentially mean the same thing. DR is a metric developed by Ahrefs, whereas DA was developed by Moz. These metrics are used to estimate the strength of a website’s backlink profile, and its ability to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher the DR or DA, the stronger the website is considered to be in terms of its backlink profile, which can positively impact its ability to rank in search engine results.

These scores take into account several factors including the quality and quantity of backlinks linking to a site, the relevance and authority of those links, and domain age. These metrics don’t influence Google’s ranking directly, but they are a good indicator of a site’s relative strength and overall performance.

4. Earned media

Earned media refers to the publicity that a brand, individual, or business gains through organic means rather than through paid advertising or owned channels. It includes mentions, shares, reviews, reposts, and media coverage achieved through positive customer experiences, PR efforts, and valuable content, rather than through direct payment and marketing activity that is paid for, like advertisements. 

Earned media is often seen as highly credible because it’s generated by third parties rather than the brand itself. It can play a crucial role in establishing trust, building authority, and increasing brand awareness without the direct costs associated with paid media and traditional advertising. In the case of digital PR, this activity is classed as earned media because it involves securing mentions, backlinks, and features across reputable sites and platforms through creating high quality content and campaigns, and outreach efforts, rather than paid placements. This type of coverage not only extends reach but also builds long-term credibility for the brand.

5. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is all about getting your website noticed by search engines like Google so more people can find you organically – that means without paid ads. Around 53% of all website traffic comes from organic search, so it’s important that your website and wider SEO strategy is well optimised. This involves creating strong and useful content, using the right keywords, and making sure your site is technically sound so it ranks higher in search results. 

SEO techniques range from researching what your audience is searching for to building backlinks and improving user experience. When done right, SEO activity can drive a steady stream of traffic your way, helping strengthen your brand’s online presence and giving your digital PR efforts a solid boost.

6. Press release

A press release is basically written material you send out to share news with the media. It could be about a big company milestone, a new product launch, or expert tips you want to get out into the world. Think of it as a way to catch journalists’ attention and score media coverage and backlinks for your brand on authoritative news sites and in publications that matter to your audience.

You can read more about mastering the press release here.

7. Pitching

In terms of PR and digital PR, “pitching” means reaching out to journalists, editors, or influencers to suggest a story idea, news angle, or piece of content about your brand or client.

The goal is to spark their interest so they’ll cover it in their publication or platform. PR pros often craft short, compelling emails that outline why the story is relevant or newsworthy for the journalist’s audience – and there’s definitely some skill to it! Successful pitching can lead to valuable media coverage, backlinks, and increased visibility for your brand or products. Many journalists prefer to receive pitches by midday, with 81% favouring this time, as it coincides with their morning routine of checking emails – so bear that in mind when scheduling your pitches and distributions!

If you’re looking for more pitching tips, read this post.

Key takeaways

1. Digital PR isn’t just another marketing trend – it’s a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your online visibility, build backlinks from authoritative sites across the globe, and boost your brand’s credibility. 
2. Familiarising yourself with essential digital PR terminology – like follow and nofollow links, media lists, and earned media – can enhance your marketing strategies and improve your SEO efforts.

‍Ready to put these terms into practice? Check out our blog posts for more actionable tips and strategies on boosting your digital PR efforts, or get in touch with us to have a no obligation chat about how we can help further.

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