What's in store for this edition:

• Digital PR

  • Core Objectives:

  • Examples of Digital Channels:

  • Digital PR various promotional activities:

• NEWSWORTHY: 2 Crashes in 3 Days

• COOL or CRINGE: Air Ambulance has no PR plan?

• TOOLKIT 🧰 —50+ Brand New Digital PR Statistics and Trends For 2025

• Attention Seeker of the Week 🐶

Digital Public Relations

I’m a little nervous writing this particular episode, knowing that a master of digital public relations will be reading, however I’ve learned a lot from him, and know you can too!

What does digital public relations mean?

It is a marketing practice of building and managing your brand’s online presence and reputation. It’s a combo of traditional public relations principles and digital channels to reach a bigger audience and achieve measurable marketing goals.

If you’ve been following this series you have already been putting into practice and finding success in your PR Plan, which includes a mix of digital and traditional.

Core Objectives:

• Boost brands online awareness and visibility

• Build trust with your audience

• Drive traffic to your website

• Increase your search engine ranking

• Create social media engagement

Examples of Digital Channels:

• Online news publications

• Social Media platforms

• Blogs and websites

• Digital magazines

• Podcasts and video platforms

Digital PR various promotional activities:

• Press release distribution

• Content creation

• Influencer partnerships

• Crisis communication

• Social media engagement

The biggest difference between traditional PR and digital PR is the channels or vehicles that your message is delivered in, and the ability to measure the performance.

Measurable metrics include backlinks, website traffic, social engagement and online brand mentions.

Do this now:

Check your website’s backlinks.

The simple way:

A hidden feature of Google search is the operator Link: that helps you find pages that link to a specified URL. 

How to do it:
In Google Search, use the Link: operator, and specify the URL you want to search for. 

For example, in a google search type this link:yourwebsite.com 
for my site, you can see what it looks like here.

A better way:

Use a tool that offer a more comprehensive look at your backlinks.

SE Ranking Backlink Checker is a great place to start since they have a nice tool that doesn’t even require you to make an account to use it, unlike more well-known tools like Google Search Console, ahrefs and Semrush.

Get PR techniques from recent news.

Newsworthy

2 Major Plane Crashes in 3 Days

There were two terrible plane crashes within 3 days last week. An air ambulance crashed into a neighborhood in Philadelphia, and helicopter collided with American Airlines flight in DC, killing all on board.

By having a crisis plan when the unthinkable happens, a fatal crash, American Airlines was able to make a quick announcement about the tragedy.

Essential strategy:

• Get the message out fast.

• All hands on deck.

• Use multiple channels for updates.

• Be the source of truth.

• Stepping up immediately and making no excuses.

• Admitting the mistake, apologizing, and opening an investigation.

• Expressing empathy and gratitude to those affected.

• Issuing a statement clarifying what happened and taking full responsibility.

💫 Pro Tip: Provide need-to-know information, no fluff required. Use a 3rd party to provide reliable trustworthy messages and make an FAQ section on company website.

✍️ Key PR Takeaway: Be proactive, transparent, empathetic, well prepared, and have established relationships with the media.

Learn from others.

0% Cool : 100% Cringe

Air Ambulance involved in deadly crash.

I would assume that the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, aka MED JETS SA, company would have a crisis plan, and yet I’m not sure they do, considering I can’t find any information about the crash on their newsroom or website. 🤦‍♀️ What a terrible example.

Thousand of people will be looking at your website for more information, if your company is in any way involved. You are missing the boat to be the source of correct information about your company, to show your commitment to learning and changing from tragedy, show empathy and gratitude.

The Chinese word for crisis is 危机, with 危 meaning danger and 机 meaning opportunity. That’s right, every crisis is a potential risk to an organization, but it is also a potential opportunity, if handled correctly.

Kuddos to MedJet, a similarly named air craft company for promptly making sure, through a press release, there was no mistaking that their company was involved in the accident. I also appreciate that they expressed their sympathies.

✍️ Key PR Takeaway: Have a crisis plan in place so when one does arise there is no scrambling.

Useful PR Resources.

🧰 TOOLKIT

50+ Brand New Digital PR Statistics and Trends For 2025

A very comprehensive study of Digital PR stats were gathered in this article, and it is the source of inspiration for today’s lesson.

These are stats I feel that you, my valuable audience, may need to know. (I may have missed some, so please feel free to read the entire study.)

• Stat #1 search term for digital PR growth

• Stat #14 cost per link

• Stat #24 46% believe a digital PR campaign takes 3-6 months to see measurable results.

• Stat # 34: 77% of journalists agree that spamming a journalist with irrelevant information is the top way to get them to block you or add you to their “don’t call” list.

• Stat #40: 72% never use newswire services to distribute press releases.

• Stat #47: 74% of journalists named news announcements/press releases as the kind of content they want from PRs

Thanks BuzzStream and Vince for the comprehensive list!

Attention Seeker of the Week

Diggy, the adorable dachshund corgi mix doggy loves going to the play ground where his short little legs seem to run at speed of light to catch the little ball. When he wants attention he will stare you down, until he gets what he wants.

You can find Diggy’s owner at SkinLab in Winter Park if you want to stop in and say hi!

Tough week for air tragedies and I sincerely hope none of you were affected personally.

Until next week, keep your shades on and stay cool.

Your fellow Seeker,
Keren

🕶️