The digital PR industry has evolved significantly over the years, a transformation that can be attributed to the impact of search engine optimisation (SEO). 

SEO and PR are no longer separate tactics but intertwined and should be considered alongside each other. 

As SEO has evolved and revolutionised digital PR, two key pillars have arisen: authority and relevancy. Understanding the significance of these factors is crucial for any business aiming to improve online visibility, brand awareness, and credibility. 

In this post, we delve into the importance of authority and relevancy in digital PR, shedding light on why they matter and how they can be leveraged for success.

The power of authority in PR

Building credibility within your industry

As a brand, whether B2C or B2B, you must establish authority within your niche or industry to build credibility. Your target audience must trust you before investing their time and money in your business. When your brand is perceived as authoritative, consumers are more likely to believe in the authenticity and reliability of your brand messaging, services and products.

Using advice-led and thought-leadership digital PR and marketing strategies can be highly effective in building credibility in target industries (and your own) by positioning your brand and key individuals as experts and trusted sources of information. 

Combining this with a backlink strategy, attracting authoritative links to your website from authoritative publications and platforms is also crucial in the world of SEO. Digital PR campaigns that focus on securing mentions and backlinks from reputable sources and sharing credible knowledge can significantly improve online visibility and search engine rankings.

Here are ten tips for building brand authority and credibility:

• Identify strong key messaging and topics that align with your industry and expertise. These should be areas where you have deep knowledge and insights to offer; for example, if you are a sustainable e-commerce brand, core messaging could include empowering sustainable living. With this in mind, discuss global impact, educational resources and sustainability topics.
• Educate and empower your target audiences by offering educational resources, workshops, or webinars that motivate your audience to make informed decisions in line with your product and services. This positions you as an expert and fosters goodwill among your target audience.
• Build up high-quality online content on your website that showcases your expertise. This content could include case studies, blog posts, whitepapers, infographics, videos, and more. Ensure that the content is well-researched, well-written, and provides valuable insights to your target audience in line with key messages. This content can then be used as landing pages to support digital PR and link building activities. Here is a recent example from our work with Tricarragh Spirits where we developed the ultimate Edinburgh Bar Crawl.
• Implement a PR strategy to share your expertise beyond your website, placing articles in reputable industry-specific publications, journals, magazines, and blogs. Contributing to well-respected publications lends credibility to your brand, positions you as a thought leader, and strengthens your SEO profile and authority.
• Leverage social media to the max by promoting your blog, PR content, and insights on social media platforms where your target audience is active. Engage in industry discussions on other pages as well as your own, share your thoughts, and connect with industry peers. 
• Engage in public speaking or simply attend industry conferences, webinars, and panel discussions. Delivering insightful and informative conversations helps demonstrate your expertise, express personality and values to a broader audience and establish your brand and spokesperson(s) as thought leaders.
• Build relationships with journalists and key industry stakeholders, providing them with valuable insights and expert commentary. This can lead to potential partnerships, media coverage and brand mentions, further enhancing credibility.
• Utilise case studies and success stories in marketing materials (both online and offline) to provide tangible proof of how your advice and thought leadership have helped others succeed. 
• Stay consistent in your marketing and PR efforts by regularly producing valuable and engaging content and maintaining an active presence in your industry. Over time, this consistency will reinforce your position as a trusted, authoritative brand.
• Measure and adapt your strategy using platforms such as Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Google Search Console to monitor the impact of your digital PR and marketing efforts. If something is not working, don’t give up; adjust your strategy based on what’s working and what needs improvement, and keep going!

Remember that building authority through digital PR is a long-term endeavour. It requires dedication, consistency, and a genuine commitment to sharing valuable insights with your audience. Over time, these strategies can help you establish yourself as a trusted source and a respected figure in your industry.

This authority often leads to recognition from peers, industry experts, and media outlets, opening doors to further exciting and valuable opportunities, speaking engagements and partnerships. It also means Google will recognise the authority and credibility too!

The importance of relevancy in PR

Striking a balance between authority and relevancy is key

While it’s crucial to establish authority, it’s equally important to ensure that your messaging remains relevant to your target audience.

Successful PR and marketing strategies are flexible and reactive, adapting to changes in industry trends and target audience needs while maintaining authority and relevancy.

The digital landscape is ever-evolving, so staying relevant means keeping up with trends and customer needs, monitoring conversations in your industry, and adapting your PR strategies accordingly.

When your PR strategy objectives align with your target audience and industry interests, needs, and values, it captures attention and fosters a deeper connection. Brands must demonstrate an understanding of current events, industry trends, and developments to bolster credibility and authority.

Staying relevant to current news and trends and addressing pressing issues can maximise the visibility and impact of your message. This timeliness, in turn, helps build trust with your audience as you show that your business is reliable in consistently offering relevant, accurate, and helpful information.

What does this look like in practice?

To raise the brand profile of Specialist Glass Products (SGP) and position the brand as the leader in glass manufacturing, Wild PR developed a comprehensive marketing and PR strategy delivering an array of tactics, including social media, digital PR, traditional PR, press office monitoring and SEO-friendly blog content.

To date, we have achieved 189 pieces of press coverage across national, regional, industry and business publications, supporting the improvement of organic keywords (+208%) and increasing organic traffic by 68%. 

Our supporting social media strategy has also generated a 2,850% increase in social referrals to the website and a 100% increase in goal conversions from social media traffic.

This uplift in online visibility and authority has led to further opportunities and wider reach, including coverage on BBC, features on Channel 4’s Grand Designs and Remarkable Renovations, as well as seven award shortlists, two award wins and a feature in The Manufacturer 100 as an exemplar.

Campaign Example

We ran a recent campaign for SGP to build credibility and authority with construction and architecture audiences in particular. We noted that with the rise in inflation and energy prices plus supply shortages, these audiences faced various challenges. With this in mind, the leading glass manufacturer worked with various property experts to advise construction companies and architects on tips for achieving maximum profit when building homes.

The campaign included an SEO-optimised landing page with a top-ten listicle of advice from a range of experts, which could be shared across social media, collaborating and expanding reach via external experts’ own social platforms and audiences.

From this insight and landing page, we were able to start our backlink strategy, building a campaign targeting authoritative publications such as national and regional titles with strong domain authorities, plus, outreaching a more in-depth press release targeting industry publications.

So far, we have seen 47 pieces of press coverage in various regional and industry publications, including Design & Build UK, Manchester Evening News, UK Property Newsdesk and more. This has resulted in 34 new keyword rankings around building a high-value property, which is key for construction and architect audiences. 

Key takeaways:

1. Relevance and authority are not competing elements in PR but work together to strengthen your PR strategy. 
2. Relevance in PR is about understanding your audience’s needs and crafting messages that resonate with them to create a connection.
3. Authority builds trust and credibility over time by demonstrating expertise and deep knowledge in your field. When your audience views you as an authoritative source, they are more likely to trust and rely on your information and insights.
4. Journalists seek authoritative sources and your audience respects and values information from an expert. 
5. Achieving the right balance between relevance and authority is vital. Too much emphasis on relevance without authority can lead to shallow content, while overemphasising authority at the expense of relevance can alienate your audience. 

At Wild PR, we understand the importance of implementing strategies that focus on authority and relevancy while navigating the ever-changing digital landscape confidently, ensuring client messages resonate with the right audience and have a lasting impact.

Find out more about our PR and marketing work for a range of clients and industries here. If you’re interested in exploring Digital PR and marketing for your business, contact us today or book a 30-minute introductory call with Katrina Cliffe to see how we can support you.

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