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In this insightful session, we explore why reactive PR and content should be at the heart of your digital marketing strategy.
From spotting news hooks to amplifying your brand story, the video covers:
Key takeaway: Reactive PR isn’t just about jumping on trends, it’s about strategically positioning your brand to earn attention, links, and trust. By building a proactive framework for reacting to the right opportunities, you can drive meaningful traffic, grow your brand authority, and achieve sustainable SEO and PR results.
Video Transcript
Hello. Hi. My name is David, and today I am giving a presentation on the power of reactive SEO content and PR.
Before I go too far into the topic at hand, I would like to quickly introduce myself. My name is David Wilson, and I am Head of PR and Content Marketing at Koozai. We are an established agency with 19 years of experience, working with over 440 clients both big and small across many sectors. We have achieved an average rating of over 4.8 out of 5 stars on Google reviews and have excellent client testimonials. Our average client relationship lasts over four years.
My own expertise is in content marketing and PR. I have worked in traditional PR, then in digital marketing and content marketing, for over 14 or 15 years now, and I specialise in this area. I hope you find this session insightful and useful.
Before we delve too deeply into the ‘how’, I would like to quickly define what we mean by reactive SEO content and PR. Essentially, it is the art of responding to breaking news or trending topics online with content assets, content pieces, and PR campaigns that can capitalise on that increased interest, driving better brand exposure through national media coverage and more articles, of higher quality. It can also drive more traffic to your website.
That is what I mean by reactive SEO content and PR.
On this slide, I just want to give you a quick overview of what we will cover. First, I will talk about why it is valuable. Then, I will share some examples of where it has worked for us in practice. After that, we will look at how to do it, with some tips on how to create content, how to approach digital PR, and what not to do, including some common pitfalls to avoid. Finally, I will provide you with a summary sheet that you can take away and put into action.
So, why is reactive SEO content and PR valuable to a marketer? The first thing to say is that it increases PR opportunities. When you run PR campaigns that are relevant to the news agenda in the moment and react quickly, you will often achieve much broader and better media coverage. That in turn leads to better brand awareness and stronger brand exposure.
That does not mean that things like product PR, brand PR, or thought leadership are not important. They certainly are. However, when it comes to search marketing, it is worth considering more reactive approaches that integrate with your content marketing and SEO.
Secondly, from a content perspective, publishing content or ensuring your content ranks well for key events or trending news can be extremely effective in driving more visitors to your site. That means more widely read articles and more people introduced to your brand.
Thirdly, all of this has a halo effect on your SEO. For example, having well-read articles on your website increases the chance of those pages getting traction and also acquiring natural backlinks from third parties who find your content useful. Similarly, PR campaigns that generate strong coverage on topical issues often result in more backlinks, which strengthens your site’s domain authority and subject matter expertise. In both the short and medium term, this will improve your site’s competitiveness for search terms and keywords generally.
Fourthly, reactive PR helps position your brand as a thought leader. If your company is seen to be responding to breaking news or key industry trends, people will begin to view you as a leader in the field. That has a very positive impact on how your audiences perceive your brand and how they will engage with you in future.
A final point I want to make on this is that giving journalists and audiences what they want, when they are most interested in it, drives far better results. We have included some quotes from journalists to underline this. For example, the Evening Standard said, “If you catch me on a busy day, I am not reading past the first paragraph.” The Daily Mirror remarked, “We deal with breaking news every day. Your bubble bath is not going to make the grade, I’m afraid.” Harsh, but often true.
Reach PLC, which owns the Express and many regional titles, made the point that their editors will only publish something if their readers would genuinely want to read it, even in their spare time. And when PR professionals ask journalists, “When do you need it by?”, the answer is always “as soon as humanly possible”. This really underlines the importance of speed and reacting quickly to the news agenda. Being able to deliver relevant, good-quality material quickly is hugely beneficial for building relationships and securing coverage.
On this next slide, I want to talk about what reactive content and PR actually look like in practice. First, there is reactive commercial content. This is rarer but might involve identifying a new keyword group that is suddenly ranking due to a change in the news agenda, and targeting it. More commonly, however, it is about reactive editorial. When people start asking questions off the back of news stories, you will want to rank for those queries where relevant.
For example, if you are a financial services company specialising in mortgages, and there is a major news story about rising interest rates, you might see a surge in searches like “Can I still get a mortgage?” or “What are the best fixed-term mortgage deals?”. Similarly, when there are changes to the energy price cap, you often see search spikes around “How to save on your energy bills” or “Best fixed-rate tariffs”.
When looking at commercial pages, you can also research trends from previous events. If you can plot a timeline of news events over the past year, such as changes in interest rates or the launch of new government schemes, you can then look at your keyword research to see if those stories caused spikes in search volumes. That will help you be more selective about what topics to react to.
On the PR side, reactive activity often involves spokesperson commentary in response to breaking news or planned events such as the budget. If you work in tech, for example, and there is a major cyber attack, you might offer a commentary piece on the importance of preparing for cyber threats and what businesses can do to mitigate them.
You can also consider using snap polls with third-party polling companies in response to key events. For instance, following a budget announcement about changes to national insurance or minimum wage, you could poll 500 to 1,000 business owners to see how they plan to respond, and then turn that into a newsworthy story.
Journalist requests are another valuable source. There are media databases and alert services such as HARO or ResponseSource, where journalists put out calls for expertise, information, or statistics. Some journalists still use Twitter, or X, with hashtags like #journorequest. These services can be very useful for securing reactive PR opportunities, but it is also important to build relationships with journalists in your sector.
Let them know who your spokespeople are, why they are credible, and that they can respond quickly. This will make journalists more likely to come back to you in the future.
Finally, broader reactive campaigns could include launching products or adapting PR campaigns in response to changes in the market.
Moving on to some examples. We have had great success using polling data for reactive PR around events such as awareness days or even seasonal weather patterns. For instance, we worked with a holiday park and simply responded to a summer heatwave by gathering Met Office data on which parts of the UK had the best weather. We turned this into a piece of content and pitched it to regional and national publications. This resulted in a big spike in organic traffic and extensive coverage across outlets like MSN, The Sun, Timeout, The Mirror, The Express, The Telegraph, and the BBC.
Another example is an automotive client. We discovered changes were coming to MOT testing, so we used their in-house data to identify the most common reasons for MOT failures, as well as which towns and cities had the highest failure rates. We created a data-rich content piece and an interactive tool on their site, and supported it with PR. This again produced a big increase in traffic and great coverage in places like the Daily Express, The Sun, Auto Trader, and many regional titles.
A further example involves building fruitful media relationships through proactive expertise. We worked with a chain of private GPs and identified their key spokespeople. We then reached out to healthcare editors and offered expert commentary on any health topic they were covering. This worked very well, with ongoing requests from outlets like the Metro, Yahoo, The Sun, The Mirror, and others.
Similarly, with an online health testing company, we proactively pitched ideas around awareness days such as STI Awareness Week or Cervical Cancer Awareness Week. We offered both data stories and commentary, and this secured consistent coverage in publications like Cosmopolitan, Good to Know, Women’s Weekly, and many others.
For a price comparison site, we pitched commentary around the budget from personal finance experts. This generated coverage on the BBC, The Telegraph, the Financial Times, MSN, and the Daily Mail.
During the pandemic, we worked with a travel provider on the Isle of Wight. While lockdown was tough for their short-term business, we used it as an opportunity to pitch lifestyle stories about stargazing, cycling, and fossil hunting to features desks. This resulted in coverage in Country Living, Auto Trader, House & Garden, Yahoo, The Telegraph, and more.
To get the most out of reactive campaigns, there are a few key things to consider. First, plan for reactive PR in advance. News windows can be very short, so create a calendar of relevant events and prepare assets like press releases, comments, and media lists ahead of time.
Secondly, secure enough people to help. Reacting quickly is hard if the topic is complex, so make sure you have the resource in place to proofread and sign off quickly.
Thirdly, make sure your spokespeople are available and briefed so that they can comment at short notice.
Fourthly, proactively introduce your experts to journalists ahead of time so they know who you are and can look out for your contributions.
Fifthly, build a bank of assets, including data, press releases, and prepared commentary on different topics. That way you can react more quickly when news breaks.
On the content side, create a calendar of relevant awareness days and events. Do keyword research to confirm these events are genuinely driving searches, and be selective about which ones are worth covering. Ensure the topics are relevant to both your brand and your target audience.
Finally, do not neglect the fundamentals of SEO. If your technical SEO is poor, or if your domain lacks authority, reactive PR and content will struggle to perform. Keep up your link building, technical work, and broader content strategy alongside your reactive campaigns.
There are also some pitfalls to avoid. Do not try to react to everything, as you will spread yourself too thin and produce lower-quality work.
Always ensure audience and brand relevance. Make sure you have enough resources, and never comment on topics where you lack genuine expertise. Journalists want a new angle, not just a repetition of what is already known. Offer your interpretation of what a news event means for their readers. Avoid events that are extremely competitive, such as the budget, unless you are well positioned to comment. Always proof your work carefully, even if you are reacting quickly.
If you do not succeed at first, do not get disheartened. It can take time to find the reactive angles that work best for your brand. Keep learning and adapting.
I will leave you with a few final quotes from journalists. Global Radio warned not to offer spokespeople who then turn out to be unavailable. Bristol Live reminded PRs not to be overly familiar if you do not know the journalist, and instead be clear and direct about why your story is newsworthy. The Evening Standard highlighted the importance of being transparent about sample sizes in surveys. Reach PLC said there is no need to phone first to ask permission before sending a press release – just send it.
All of these reminders speak to the importance of acting quickly, delivering what journalists want, and respecting their time. That is the key to building strong media relationships and securing consistent coverage.
To quickly recap, reactive SEO content and PR can be a powerful tool for driving more traffic, more coverage, and more brand exposure. The key is to prepare in advance, make well-judged choices about what to react to, secure enough resources, and remain selective. Explore different tactics, including polling and creative content, and be persistent.
Thank you for listening. I hope you found this session insightful and interesting. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Thank you very much.