AMA Voices: Grow Your SEO Through Earned Media

The following is a piece by writer, marketer and SEO Chris Alexis, AMA Columbus President.

When people think of SEO, they typically think of keyword-rich content that checks the right
boxes. But there’s another powerful ingredient in the recipe for SERPs success: backlinks.

But how do you get backlinks? Some pay for them, but beware of Google. The scent of those
paid links will eventually reach Google’s nostrils, and you don’t want to face the wrath. Your
online visibility could soon be thrown into the dark abyss of obscurity. Instead, I urge you to
consider earned media.

Earned media is the free publicity you get when people or journalists talk about your brand
because it’s newsworthy or interesting, not because you paid for it. And sometimes writers will
include a link back to your site in the article.

A backlink.

Backlinks are important for SEO because they help improve a website’s authority and ranking in
search engine results by showing it’s trusted by other sites.

But how do you make this happen? In short, you need to find the right hook. It’s important not to
come across like a commercial for your brand. No journalist is going to give you the time of day
if you do that.

Rather, find a story that resonates. Something interesting that shows value for readers.
Something that will get clicks and engagement. Sprinkle in some emotion and potential solid
visuals, and you’re all set.

Finding earned media for clients is one of my main responsibilities at LANDE, the digital
marketing and public relations firm I work for. And I’ve had a lot of success. Why? Well, I’ve
been working as a journalist for many years. So I know what reporters and editors are looking
for.

I want you to have success too. That’s why I’m going to show you how I do it.

My first step is to meet with the client. I start asking strategic questions, looking for the story
behind the business. For example, I’ll ask if any challenge or life event was tied to the origins of
the organization.

Maybe someone was laid off and decided to start their own business. We’ll use that as an
example. Now, what’s the value to readers? Maybe the story can be about how to overcome
certain challenges as an entrepreneur.

Overcoming adversity always makes for great stories.

Another great angle is direct community impact. I successfully pitched a story for one client who
is very involved in the community, using humor. He sends out hysterical Christmas cards to
many of the folks in town and has a famously goofy float in the local parade.

He’s a plumber, but the story isn’t about his ability to fix toilets. It’s about the warmth he spreads
across town. People know him for his ability to make them laugh. An editor saw the facts,
including some goofy brand photography, and she thought it would make a great profile.

And guess what? It did. The piece practically wrote itself. And I would know, because yours truly
penned it. And that leads me to my next lesson:

Smaller publications may like your pitch, but they might not have the writers on hand to get it
done. I’ve run into this several times. So I simply offered to write the article myself, at no cost to
the publication, and gave them full editorial control.

It was an offer they couldn’t refuse.

OK, one more piece of advice. Don’t forget about guest blogs. There are plenty of bloggers who
will happily accept free content that adds value for their readers in exchange for a backlink. Just
start Googling blogs that are relevant to your industry and send them your best pitch.

It’s a bit of a numbers game, but I can tell you from experience that bloggers willing to work with
you are out there.

My list of successful earned media pieces is always growing, keeping my clients very happy.
Take my advice, and with a little luck and a lot of patience, your own list of earned media wins
will begin ballooning as well.

Good luck!