_____ DIGITAL PR IN THE US

The US is home to some of the world’s most coveted media titles, making it a prime target for any digital PR agency aiming to secure high-authority coverage for clients. However, while the rewards are great, it remains a tough nut to crack in terms of actually getting cut through.

Muck Rack recently reported that as of 2021, there were more than six PR experts for every journalist, with that number increasing due to layoffs and major changes within the media landscape in more recent years.

Ultimately, this means that getting your campaigns picked up by journalists and securing high-authority links and coverage can be a challenge for even the most seasoned PR experts.

When you consider that the US is made up of 50 individual states, each with contrasting cultures, regional preferences, and a strong set of beliefs when it comes to everything from fast food outlets to political opinion, it makes sense that a well-planned digital PR and outreach strategy is key to successfully navigating the US media.

Benefits of getting US coverage for digital PR campaigns include:

• Competitive differentiation: Many UK brands still focus on UK media coverage, so cracking the US can give your backlink profile a boost with links your competitors don’t have.
• Boost in global authority: Securing links from publications like The New York Times or Forbes signals worldwide credibility, it can also be appealing to potential investors when they see global buy-in.
• SEO impact at scale: US sites often carry high domain authority, meaning backlinks can significantly improve organic visibility across international search markets.

Digital PR in the USA: The media landscape

In order to understand digital PR in the US, we must first understand the media hierarchy and how that is affected by the geography and local audience.

If we zoom out, we can see the power and presence that national publications have in the USA - and these websites often offer the highest authority. So it can be tempting to fire off a campaign to publications such as The New York Times (DR95), The Washington Post (DR94), and CNN (DR94) and call it a day.

However, there are a few reasons why reaching out to big, national news shouldn’t be the only digital PR strategy you use:

• Competition is fierce: National outlets are flooded with pitches, making it extremely difficult to get picked up without a truly standout story
• High rejection risk: Even great campaigns may be overlooked if they don’t align with the tight news agenda of mainstream titles.
• Lack of niche focus: Nationals cater to broad audiences, so your campaign may not resonate deeply compared to pitching a more specialised or regional outlet.
• Resource-intensive: Tailoring campaigns for nationals often requires more budget, time, and creative firepower, which may not deliver proportionate ROI.

If this were your approach, you would also be missing out on a goldmine of untapped link potential from regional publications.

These outlets range from a state-wide, city-wide, or even town-wide focus. With more localised authority and audience engagement, this often means a higher chance of coverage, resulting in a more cost-effective link acquisition tactic when compared with their national counterparts.

Top tip

In the US, local radio stations often have their own webpages. These sites have the same focus on reporting news and stories of regional interests, making it another great localised outreach potential to tap into.

Apart from news publications, the US also boasts many industry-specific media titles, such as Harvard Business Review (DR90), Forbes (DR93), and TechCrunch (DR91), that all offer a great return on investment (ROI) by providing high domain authority within more specific niches, while being much more accessible in terms of placements. These also provide a chance for placements to get in front of a much more relevant audience from your client’s target niche.

Key characteristics of the US media

Thousands of agencies and brands are competing for the same pool of journalists, and as a result, gaining coverage in those top-tier publications is not easy.

While it may be true that the fundamentals of PR remain the same, there are significant differences in terms of being successful in the UK market with a digital PR strategy, versus across the pond in the US.

• A strong focus on data-led stories, with original research holding high value
• Large media landscape with lots of localisation
• Diverse regional audiences which require a highly tailored approach
• A fiercely competitive market, with many talented professionals and innovative campaign ideas vying for attention
• Fast-paced turnarounds that require rapid responses
• A range of top-tier publications from a range of sectors that provide significant SEO value

What works in US digital PR: Campaign strategies & real results

In digital PR terms, campaigns that are designed to resonate with both the media and their audiences alike are the key to success.

By examining our own internal data and analysing the success rates of hundreds of our US campaigns, we’ve found that there are several strategies and approaches we utilise that consistently succeed and overachieve within the US market.

Data-driven research campaigns get the most traction

Our research shows that campaigns with a strong accompanying dataset are around 43% more effective at generating links than those without any data included.

Similar to their UK counterparts, US media, especially national outlets, are particularly data-focused and time-poor.

While this can sometimes be a more time-consuming process compared to analysing UK-centric data on a regional or city level (due to the sheer volume of outlets you’re looking to target), it also increases the level of opportunity when it comes to earning links - if executed thoroughly.

Example campaign: "Healthiest places to live in the US"

This campaign analysed a total of nine different health factors, including:

• Number of gyms
• Health food stores
• Parks per 100k population
• Running/walking routes per 100k population
• Pollution levels
• Hospital readmission rates
• And more.

This was then weighted per state and factored into an index score out of 10 by which each state was ranked.

Results:

There are a few ways to use data to build a story for your campaign. Below you’ll find a small snapshot of just some of the types of data that have worked particularly well for us in the US market.

• Government & other official databases: US Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve Economic Data
• Consumer and market research: Surveys with 1,000+ respondents, Nielsen, Statista
• Industry trends and economic insights: Market trend reports, SEC filings for financial data, McKinsey insights
• Social & digital behaviour analysis: Google Trends, Pinterest, Reddit, Influencer & Engagement Metrics
• Seasonal, key events & trending: Seasonal opportunities such as Christmas, Black Friday, Spring Break, and the election season
• Visual or interactive assets: Calculator tools, maps, quizzes, infographics

While strong data is usually a good sign that a campaign is likely to perform well, there is naturally no one-size-fits-all approach. Tailoring your strategy and approach based on a client’s specific goals is pivotal.

Surveys are still a solid strategy for US outreach

Analysing the almost 6,000 links we have earned from US publications has revealed that almost 2 in 10 links were for survey-based campaigns. This proved more popular than infographics, expert commentary or even index-based data.

Whereas the power of the humble survey may have dwindled in recent years in the UK, it still remains a viable strategy for landing US coverage. Because the US is such a diverse nation, there is a real desire from the media to harness and understand public opinion.

Surveys work particularly well when demographics info is collected, so you can create multiple angles, such as:

• Male vs. female
• State comparisons
• Generational opinions

However, it is important to bear in mind that conducting a survey for the US, with regional breakdowns, will likely be costly. In order to really be representative of the US, you’ll need respondents to be in their thousands, with good numbers from each of the 50 states. Surveys of this size will likely cost upwards of £3,000.

Tech takes topical top spot

Analysing every link we have landed in the US has told us a lot about which sectors work well in the States. We discovered that 22% of our American coverage was on tech topics.

From innovations in AI to cybersecurity concerns and consumer gadgets, US publishers are consistently hungry for data, stories, and insights tied to tech.

But it isn’t just tech that cuts through. Other sectors that perform well stateside include:

• Society (13%): US media outlets are particularly receptive to stories that explore cultural issues, social behaviour, or shifts in public opinion. Campaigns that touch on pressing societal debates (from work-life balance to generational trends) often spark coverage.
• Business (11%): With Wall Street as a global financial hub, it’s no surprise that business and economy-related stories resonate strongly. Campaigns that provide fresh data on consumer behaviour, workplace culture, or entrepreneurship perform well.
• Travel (6%): Travel stories may not dominate, but they remain a dependable hook. US outlets are drawn to unique destination insights, quirky tourism trends, and stories tied to seasonal spikes like summer “vacations” or holiday travel.

Interestingly, sports topics have a harder time landing coverage. But we still have managed to land “soccer” links despite this! Sport is big business in America, and timing your campaign to tie in with big events, like the Super Bowl, is a good way to guarantee more coverage.

Top tip

if you’re targeting US publications, lead with tech, society, and business angles.

SEO and the business impact of US links

For old-school SEOs, link-building is all about authority.

However, a good SEO agency will know that relevancy is just as important. While a natural link profile will consist of links from all over the world, and a link from highly authoritative sites from outside of the client’s market is still valued, there is no denying that authority links from publications operating in the same market as the one our client works in are highly sought after.

Top 3 benefits of US links

1. Exposes your brand to relevant traffic

Gaining a link within your client’s local US market offers the chance to increase relevancy and local authority signals, links from prominent domestic publications, and also increase the chances of driving referral traffic and conversions.

2. Builds brand authority and trust

Exposure to a local audience via sources that are recognised and respected builds brand authority and trust for your clients over time.

3. Sustainable competitive advantage

Links from your client’s target market and within their niche directly reinforces their expertise. This strengthens your client’s position as a voice of authority and creates reliability that can not be easily replicated by competitors.

Below, we offer some data that gives a more tangible example of the results that earning links from relevant regional websites can generate.

Mastering outreach to American journalists

Thanks to our years of experience working within the US market, we’ve learnt a thing or two about the best communication style and approach with American media, as well as some key considerations to keep in mind:

1. Personalisation & timing

Personalised pitches tend to go down well with US journalists, but rather than being overly familiar in your approach, opt instead for showcasing your knowledge of aspects such as the topics they cover, or local news and insight that is more likely to resonate with them.

The campaign below features data broken down by state.

Simple changes to the headline and introduction to be more personalised to the region can lead to greater interest, even with the same data and findings. As a result, the interest is reflected in the promising open rates of the pitches. Not only that, but segmented regional outreach also maximises the potential of the full dataset.

When outreaching your press release, it’s important to remember that time difference plays a part. And whilst it’s not a one-size-fits-all model due to the six time zones across the country, on average, we find the morning sendouts received in the first few hours of work offer the highest chance of success - just ensure you convert UK time to the correct US time zone when in promotion phase.

The rules around follow-up emails can often be cloudy and personal, with journalists preferring different approaches. However, when it comes to US media, our team of US digital PR experts have found that doing so after 3 or 4 days initially, with a maximum of two follow-ups on average, is the sweet spot for results.

2. Key dates & events

Familiarising yourself with national holidays, key dates, cultural events, and awareness days can be hugely beneficial to your digital PR strategy, not only from a campaign perspective, but also in ensuring you’re not wasting valuable promotion time, only for it to land in an office being run on overstretched, skeleton staff.

Before embarking on any promotion within the US - or any other country for that matter - creating a calendar that notes all crucial dates likely to impact promotion is highly advisable.

For example, the Super Bowl is a highly anticipated event that the population is tuned into. However, its popularity is almost exclusive to the US audience. To tap into this key cultural event, we created a campaign examining the best-rated Super Bowl halftime shows. Since 2021, this campaign has been refreshed almost every year and has gained a total of 58 links. Including some notable placements from:

• USA Today (DR92)
• Miami Herald (DR87)
• Mental Floss (DR87)
• Pop Culture (DR75)
• Wealth of Geeks (DR67)
• Yahoo (DR92)
• And more

In addition to gaining high-quality links, tapping into the niche of a nationally relevant event that takes place every year also means the campaign idea is evergreen. With a yearly update, this campaign can continue to earn links at Super Bowl time.

2025

2023

2022

3. Communication style & relationship building

Example headlines:

It's also worth noting that response and pick-up timing are typically much slower in the US than it is in the UK, so it’s often a bit of a waiting game. As such, it’s important not to come across as too pushy in your approach.

Whilst building strong media relationships is central to any digital PR role, as mentioned, avoiding over-familiarity in your approach is also something to keep in mind.

US media relationship - cheat sheet:

 

Tailor outreach and media lists to ensure all contacts receive a pitch that they are interested in

 

 

Deliver the most relevant data, information, and stories the local population would be interested in

 

 

Share relevant industry insights that could be useful to their work

 

 

Familiarise yourself with the remit and offer expert sources or quotes they can rely upon

 

 

Offer stories as an exclusive

 

4. Language, grammar & cultural considerations

Outside of the obvious differences between UK and US spelling and grammar, there are other elements to take into consideration before approaching the US media.

As is the case with any successful digital PR strategy, a deep understanding of America, its cultural nuances and, of course, the significant regional differences that all play a part in influencing the preferred media outlets and story angles is something that should not be taken lightly.

Taking the time to get to know the region, state, or even city you’re looking to target is likely to be beneficial in getting that media cut through.

Not only that, but providing an immediate connection with local media outlets can often come through details like amending language and grammar.

Things to take into consideration:

 

Use US English and spelling

 

 

Convert all currencies to US dollars

 

 

Use American terms and colloquialisms (e.g. not ‘hoover’ but instead ‘vacuum’)

 

 

Use US-specific data and statistics

 

Key US regional considerations:

 

Local culture and interests (such as sports teams, local stores, etc.)

 

 

Business, consumer, and finance

 

 

Political views

 

 

Health and wellness

 

 

Community, family, and traditional values

 

 

Messaging and tone

 

 

Innovation and technology

 

 

Lifestyle influences (such as hobbies, food and drink, etc.)

 

 

Diversity, growth, and emerging markets

 

Why Reboot Online? Your digital PR partner for the US

At Reboot, we’re proud of our long-term client partnerships, continuous adaptation to algorithm shifts, and measurable results - delivering authentic, impactful campaigns that outpace traditional vanity metrics.

We also pride ourselves on our extensive US market expertise:

• Over 5,000 US backlinks from over 1,000 referring domains delivered in total since 2018
• Over 1,000 DR80+ placements gained from authoritative sites across the US
• Established relationships with tier-one and industry-specific journalists in the US
• Regional expertise across major American markets
• A data-driven approach with comprehensive performance analytics
• Proven track record of earning links at scale for clients in the ecommerce, home & furnishings verticals
• Speed - over 12 years, we’ve finessed processes to deliver campaigns quickly, outpacing the competition
• Remote team - we have no fixed office, so we can hire the best talent
• 50 in-house specialists delivering digital PR, SEO, & Hyper Relevancy Projects
• A purpose-built team of FOI experts, who carefully craft your FOI campaigns from start to finish
• SEO heritage - we understand (and report on) the actual impact of our work, and use SEO insights to frame our digital PR strategy and inner page targeting
• Dedicated Account Director & team working to plan, execute and report on digital PR and HRP campaigns
• Established relationships with both national and regional specific journalists from across the globe
• Native outreach specialists who know how to successfully pitch to the media in France, Germany, Spain, Canada, Brazil - and the list goes on...

Ready to dominate the American digital PR landscape?