Is it OK to demand links from a reporter?
Just how hard should a PR pro push to get a backlink to a client’s webpage?
A run-in with one PR pro sent Digiday’s Lara O’Reilly to Twitter to ask about a practice that is more and more common these days: asking for a link to your webpage.
I was just refused an interview because I declined to include a link to their company website in the article we publish. They told me some major news outlets *do* grant this. (I checked the outlets the company mentioned — and they had.) Is this more common than I thought?
— Lara O’Reilly (@larakiara) August 4, 2020
And no, I’m not going to name any names. Just wanted to get a sense of whether this was becoming more common practice than I had realised.
— Lara O’Reilly (@larakiara) August 4, 2020
Backlinks are an important part of building domain authority, a factor that helps improve search engine optimization (SEO). Services such as Moz can help you measure domain authority, which is a measure of how authoritative your website is. This is assessed by looking at how many websites are linking to your webpage as a resource. Did The New York Times link to your research? Your DA will go up.
That means PR pros are perfectly positioned to help their clients develop better SEO with link-building opportunities. However, how pushy should you be about asking for those links?
O’Reilly tweets that she is OK with adding links in particular instances.
There are some contexts where a link might make sense (like if you’re referring to a specific page on the company website, for example.) But I don’t see it as a news outlet’s job to boost another company’s SEO.
— Lara O’Reilly (@larakiara) August 4, 2020
And she seems to be OK with a PR pro asking for the backlink—though her answer is still probably a “no.” Instead, it’s the PR pro refusing the interview over the linking issue.
I’ve been asked for linkbacks before. But never denied an interview for refusing! Strange.
— Lara O’Reilly (@larakiara) August 4, 2020
When to ask for a link
There are some scenarios that will never fly for PR pros asking for a backlink. Here at PR Daily, we get emails every day asking us to add a resource to an article already published on our site—sometimes for content that was published years ago.
That’s not PR; that’s being lazy.
It’s more acceptable to push for a link if your research or content is being featured in a story. That’s what is behind the idea of a “link magnet”—content that is intended to draw a number of backlinks form influential sites. You could also get a link to a press release in your online newsroom.
But what about when you offer a source to a publication? Can you ask for a backlink to their organization’s homepage?
Serving the reader
Some online argue that a backlink is an essential service to a reader, helping them navigate quickly to find you.
It’s a service to the reader, unless the link is an obvious one. So for example, you don’t *need* to link to Amazon, but the underdog competitor that someone might not be able to find themselves? Useful link to include.
That said, say no to any demands about your content.
— Jeremy Kaplan (@SmashDawg) August 4, 2020
If you want to make that case in your PR pitch, be prepared for a savvy journalist to roll their eyes about a reader’s inability to use Google to find you.
I trust that if our readers have managed to navigate their way to our site, they’ll be able to figure out Google.
— Lara O’Reilly (@larakiara) August 4, 2020
What the client wants
PR pros must satisfy the client—and in a world of digital media, perhaps link building and measuring SEO is the future of how PR pros can demonstrate value to clients.
If I book a media interview for a client, and their company is NOT linked, I get an earfull. For smaller businesses, the interview is really important, but links are vital, to draw traffic to their sites. It’s the reality of #PR today. So please consider – helps everyone!
— David Thalberg✡️ (@davidthalberg) August 4, 2020
However, the interaction can leave reporters feeling annoyed.
This shouldn’t be seen as so transactional.
— Lara O’Reilly (@larakiara) August 4, 2020
It’s important to remember that reporters, and the media outlets they work for, are symbiotic partners at best and will not respond well to threats, intimidation or demands. Whether or not they choose to include your backlink is an editorial decision that they are allowed to make, and if they refuse—you have to be willing to go along.
After all, a mention in the publication is still better than a rant about your misdeeds on social media.
And lest you think this is just one reporter’s opinion, here’s what others have to say:
Not aware of it becoming more common. I never do outbound links unless there is a reason, like a piece of research or source that expands on what I’m writing. But certainly not to company websites. Our job isn’t to promote other organisation’s websites or direct readers away.
— Arvind Hickman (@ArvindHickman) August 4, 2020
No. Always no. Not our job to direct traffic to their website
— Ryan Browne (@Ryan_Browne_) August 4, 2020
No way… I’ve never done that unless the article was sponsored/partner content. That’s ridiculous.
— Lindsay Stein (@Lindsay_Stein) August 4, 2020
They clearly need an SEO boost.
— Benjamin Cohen (@benjamincohen) August 4, 2020
What do you think about asking for backlinks, PR Daily readers?