Book a free call
← All PR questions

What is PR link building?

Book a free 20-min call
Short answer

PR link building means earning backlinks through press coverage. Instead of asking site owners for links, you give journalists stories, data, or expert quotes, and the articles they publish link to your site. These editorial links come from trusted publications, which makes them among the most valuable links for SEO.

What is PR link building illustration by Classy Media

PR link building vs traditional link building

  • PR link building: earns links from news and trade publications through stories journalists choose to write.
  • Outreach link building: asks bloggers and site owners to add a link, often through guest posts or resource pages.
  • Paid links: buy placements on sites. Google's spam policies treat links bought to manipulate rankings as a violation.

Tactics that earn editorial links

  • Data studies: publish original research on your site and pitch the findings. Reporters link to the source.
  • Expert commentary: answer journalist requests with specific, quotable insight.
  • Tools and calculators: useful resources that writers reference.
  • Unlinked mention recovery: find articles that mention your brand without a link and ask politely for one.
  • Bylined articles: contributed pieces in trade outlets, usually with an author bio link.

Why brand mentions matter too

Not every article links. Brand mentions on trusted sites still help: they build branded search, and AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity learn which companies to recommend from the sources they cite. That is why Classy Media pairs media relations with AEO.

How to measure PR link building

  1. New referring domains from editorial sites.
  2. Rankings for the pages the links point to.
  3. Referral traffic from coverage.
  4. Brand mentions and AI citations.

Common questions

Are PR links better than guest post links?

Usually yes. Editorial links from news sites are harder to get and signal more trust than guest posts.

Are PR links nofollow?

Some publications mark outbound links nofollow. They still drive traffic and brand signals, and many outlets do pass normal links.

How many links does a PR campaign earn?

It varies widely by story strength and outlet. A strong data story can earn coverage from many sites at once.

Related guides

Get help from Classy Media

Classy Media is a PR agency that earns coverage for companies and leaders across every industry, with daily outreach to the journalists who cover your market. See our plans, which start at $4,000/month, or book a free 20-minute consultation.

Related

People also ask.

Is PR link building safe?

Yes, when links are earned through real editorial coverage rather than bought.

Does PR link building help AI search?

Yes. Coverage on trusted sites is what AI answer engines tend to cite.

Let's talk

Our clients are changing the world. We make sure the world knows it.

Ready to elevate your story, sharpen your strategy, and get the attention you deserve?

Book a 20-minute consultation. We'll review your goals and map the stories and outlets that fit your business.

Book a free consultation

Prefer email? Send us a note.

So we can check which outlets fit your story before we reply.

We compile information about you when you request information from us about our services and products. The type of information that we save from you includes your name, your company, and your email address. The information compiled will be used to send you the advertising/marketing information you have requested from Classy Media PR and also to carry out informative communications of our current and future products and services and from third parties. Your data will be saved indefinitely until you express your desire to revoke our permission to use it. Your personal information will never be shared with external companies.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.