Winning The Link Game: How To Create & Pitch Content That Attracts Incredible Links
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If your link building strategy hasn’t evolved with the times, you may be stuck with ineffective backlinks or wondering if “links are dead.” Meanwhile, top brands are leveraging powerful linkable assets to earn high-quality links that truly impact search rankings. Your brand can too. Watch us as we unveil Resolve Marketing’s proven approach to earning incredible links from authoritative domains using data-driven linkable assets. Here’s what you’ll learn: -Link Diversity & Relevance Are Key – Learn why a strategic mix of high-quality links matters more than ever. -Digital PR Will Help You Move the Needle – Discover how digital PR can secure impactful backlinks. -The Keys to Building Your Own Digital PR Campaign – Walk away with a step-by-step framework to implement immediately. With Michael Johnson from Resolve, we’ll dive into the state of link building in 2025, exploring evolving trends and Google’s latest ranking factors. You’ll also hear the key elements of great content that’s converting this year, with the strategies that worked for Resolve.
Winning The Link Game: How To Create & Pitch Content That Attracts Incredible Links
- 2. Winning The Link Game: How To Create & Pitch Content That Attracts Incredible Links MICHAEL JOHNSON | CEO @ RESOLVE
- 3. WHO AM I? • Michael Johnson • CEO @ Resolve Marketing • 13 Years in the SEO Industry • Developed Strategies for 100’s of companies • From SMBs to Fortune 500 Brands • Husband, Dad, Tragic Sports Fan.
- 4. I HAVE URGENT AND HORRIFYING NEWS! LINK BUILDING IS DEAD. RIP LINK BUILDING 1998?-2025
- 5. PSYCHE! LINK BUILDING IS DOING GREAT! (With or Without You)
- 6. LINK BUILDING IN 2025.... • It’s still VERY MUCH alive. • But it’s changed ⚬ Just buying a bunch of guest posts... DEAD. ⚬ Brute forcing your way to rankings with just links... DEAD. ⚬ Selling links based on easily manipulated metrics (DA/DR, etc)... DEAD. • It’s about demonstrating the value your content, website, and your brand at-large provides to the web.
- 7. GOOGLE ALGO LEAK - MAY 2024 With the 2024 Google document leak, we discovered that one of the primary ranking factors behind Google’s algorithm is not the number of links a site builds, but the quality of the links it builds. This means you’ll see more positive effects when you build a link with one highly authoritative site versus 10 low-quality sites. https://searchengineland.com/google-search-document-leak-ranking-442617
- 8. A 2025 Study from SEMRush shows that Backlink Related Factors Make up 8 of the top 20 most strongly correlated ranking factors.
- 9. LINKABLE ASSETS: What They ARE and What They ARE NOT
- 10. ● Content created for the primary purpose of earning links ○ Original, accurate, and tailored to a well-defined audience. ● Informational/educational in nature ○ NOT created to primarily lead to sales or conversions ● Connects your website with relevant audiences/niches ○ EXPAND YOUR SPHERES OF RELEVANCE beyond your buying audience ● Top of the Funnel ○ This means the primary focus of the piece is to provide value to the searcher. ○ This can then strengthen a searcher’s relationship with a business’s company or product, but this is not the primary goal. What is Linkable Content?
- 12. SPHERES OF RELEVANCE With good prompting, ChatGPT can help you identify these relevance spheres that you should be tapping into!
- 13. ● WAIT, IS LINK BUILDING ALTRUISTIC? It can be… kind of. - At its core, good link building is a mutually beneficial situation for THREE parties: - The User gets introduced to valuable information - The Site Owner Positions Themselves as a Source for Providing Valuable Resources - The Creator Gets a Backlink That Sends SEO Signals and Relevant Traffic
- 14. GUT CHECK. Ask yourself these questions: - Who does this content apply to? - Why should they care? - What unique information does it provide? - What problems does this solve? - Is this page promotional? - BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MOST PEOPLE DON’T LIKE GIVING AWAY FREE ADVERTISING. - How would someone link to this? - Can they mention it in an article? - Can they include it in a list? - Add it to a resource page?
- 15. Great But How Do I Make My Money Pages Rank? …. INTERNAL LINKS!!! If you commit to a philosophy of developing linkable content. You will have a sustainable approach to earning organic links, a constant flow of authority coming into your website. Channel that authority into your money pages through internal linking.
- 17. Tools/Calculators Resource Guide Survey/Poll Article How-To Guide/Tutorials List of Resources Infographics White Papers Videos Podcasts What Kind of Content Can You Create To Get Links?
- 18. 1. This is tough sledding…. but you can still get some pretty sweet links. .edu’s, .gov’s, .org’s, & more! 2. What kind of business are you running? a. Payday Loans → Likely doesn’t matter how good your guide is… resource pages won’t link to it. 3. In general, when we create a guide we can usually get 5-15 links for each guide. Resource Guides
- 19. 1. Long-Form: 2,000 - 3,000 words long 2. Audience-Focused: They cannot be about your product, company, or even your industry. It needs to be about a group of people that has resource pages dedicated to them ie. Veterans, People with Disabilities, Mental Health, College Students, etc. 3. Solves a problem or provides unique valuable information 4. Should include plenty of links to external resources. Think of it as a hub! ex. https://www.developersforhire.com/career-guide-for-women-developers https://www.tebra.com/theintake/checklists-and-guides/patient-care/helping-retirees-na vigate-the-healthcare-system Resource Guides
- 20. Women’s Career Guide for Software Developers 17 Backlinks (13 from .edu) Retirees & Medicare Guide This guide pulled in 27 links. Including: Here’s a few examples!
- 21. LGBTQ Guide for Coming Out at Work 13 Backlinks, including: College Student Addiction Resources Just 5 links (so far) but really good start: Here’s a few examples!
- 22. NOW WHAT YOU REALLY CAME FOR… HOW DO I CREATE LINKABLE ASSETS THAT HELP ME GET LINKS FROM TOP TIER PUBLICATIONS?!?!
- 23. WHAT IS DIGITAL PR LINK BUILDING? Digital PR is a marketing strategy in which you contact journalists, news agencies, and other authoritative media outlets to build brand awareness and authority and earn authoritative backlinks. Digital PR takes link building to the next level — instead of reaching out to website and blog owners, you contact journalists by presenting them with press releases, infographics, and data from your own content that will incentivize them to cite your brand on their own publication.
- 24. Earning a link from a highly authoritative news source nowadays is no simple task. Around 75% of journalists receive up to 100 email pitches a week — that’s a lot of emails! These emails come from other brands, think-tanks, commentators, and everyday people, so you must find every way to stand out. Journalists get A LOT of emails
- 25. WHY DIGITAL PR MATTERS When well-respected online publications feature a brand, they lend credibility and trust in the eyes of readers, making it a more reliable source of information in its industry. Build Credibility STRENGTHEN VISIBILITY Improve Rankings AI Search Success Digital PR is a mix of quick wins and lasting impacts. When you publish topics covering trending news, you can boost visibility to your website. Covering recurring themes or publishing data-driven content can intrigue high-authority news websites, which can provide stable and consistent authority over a long period of time. Search engines derive value from who you connect with. When authoritative sites, like news agencies, link to you, it signals to search engines that other users can trust you, as well, when searching for relevant keywords. Google notably uses AI overviews now, primarily using reputable online sources to provide users with accurate information. With digital PR, you can increase your chances of being included in these same
- 26. GIVING THEM WHAT THEY WANT. Surveys, reports, meta-ranking, and other unique insights for data-driven storytelling and PR effectiveness. Proprietary Data & Research JOURNALIST-FRIENDLY FORMATS MULTIMEDIA Compelling stories with media hooks that align with journalist interests. Data visualizations, interactive charts, and expert commentary.
- 27. DIGITAL PR MAGNET • EXCLUSIVE According to a 2024 Cision report, 61% of journalists want original research reports. This allows them to write unique stories that engage readers. • NEWSWORTHY If journalists know that your data-driven content is trending in the news, they’ll want to cover it to gain more readers. • WHO CARES? Who actually cares about the information that you are providing? Is it a beat that is regularly covered by journalists? Does it affect the readers of these journalists? What Should It Include? DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS EXCLUSIVE INDUSTRY REPORTS, SURVEYS, ETC. EXPERT COMMENTARY INTERACTIVE VISUALS TIES INTO RELEVANT STORIES IN NEWS CYCLE And sometimes.... IT’S JUST A LOT OF FUN.
- 28. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN THE WILD? Here’s an example of a piece that CouponFollow.com used to get some incredible Digital PR Links. Including: 1. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/01/30/thrifti ng-best-worst-cities-how-to-thrift/77903703007/ 2. https://www.mentalfloss.com/best-cities-for-thrift-shoppin g 3. https://www.aol.com/news/design-volunteering-program- workplace-121208585.html 4. https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consum ers/2025/02/05/thrift-shopping-in-arizona/78100104007/ 5. https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/shopping /things-to-avoid-buying-at-thrift-stores/
- 29. WHY DID THIS WORK? 1. Thrift/Vintage shopping is something that is trendy and has a dedicated/passionate audience. 2. They used a LOCAL angle to create more spheres of relevance to tap into. A local culture writer for one of the cities could easily pick up on this, along with the more nationwide journalists who cover budgeting, personal finance, fashion, style, etc. 3. Interactive table and graphics: Creates an opportunity for what DigiPR Expert Hailey Neff calls “Multiple #1's”
- 30. WHY DID THIS WORK? Multiple data sources including Yelp and Survey Data: Having this proprietary data means you are providing the journalist something that is exclusive and fresh.... thus helping to make it newsworthy.
- 31. Sometimes… You can just be weird.
- 32. 1. What are the relevant beats that are relevant to my piece and the data/headline we uncovered? 2. What journalists are in the cities/states/regions that rank well/poorly on my list? 3. Does the journalist cover studies/surveys, data, etc? 4. Use tools like: Muckrack, Prowly, Buzzstream, or Buzzsumo to find relevant journos. FINDING JOURNALISTS
- 33. 1. PERSONALIZED OUTREACH Just like Link Building is about quality over the quantity, so is outreach. No journalist wants to read a generic template that you’ve sent to hundreds of other journalists. Your pitch should be personal to them and their publication.
- 34. 2.TIMELINESS While time can be an insignificant factor behind a response, it can be influential depending on the journalist. According to the 2024 Muckrack report, 22% prefer to receive pitches on a Monday.
- 35. 3.FOLLOW UP! Most importantly, don’t forget to follow up! Follow-ups can be a gentle reminder that journalists need to respond. Muckrack additionally noted that 51% of journalists prefer only one follow-up, and 48% are more likely to respond if they receive it within three to seven days after the initial pitch.
- 37. MEDIA MONITORING & AMPLIFICATION Use tools like Ahrefs, MuckRack, and Buzzsumo to measure media pickups, backlinks, and audience engagement. These tools can be the pulse-check you need to rework your digital PR efforts. Tracking Media Pickups & Links ENGAGE WITH JOURNALISTS LEVERAGE SOCIAL MEDIA INTERNAL LINK OPPORTUNITY Building long-term PR relationships involves more than just pitching. Regularly engage with journalists by commenting on their articles, sharing their work, and providing valuable insights to become a trusted source. Share earned media placements across social platforms. By doing this and tagging journalists and publications, you can amplify the reach of the original placement and engage more people on different channels. In digital PR content, you can link to other pages on your website, increasing link equity and visibility for both pages.
- 38. BOOK SOME TIME FOR A FREE DIGIPR CONSULT Email : [email protected]
- 39. LET’S MAKE SOME DIGIPR CONCEPTS I'M WORKING ON COMING UP WITH A DIGITAL PR LINK BUILDING CONCEPT FOR (INSERT WEBSITE) I NEED TO FIND SOME COMPELLING ANGLES IN THE (INSERT INDUSTRY) INDUSTRY THAT WE COULD DO SOME RESEARCH ON TO COME UP WITH A HEADLINE THAT JOURNALISTS WOULD WANT TO WRITE ABOUT. CAN YOU HELP ME IDEATE SOME? CAN YOU ALSO PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN OF METHODOLOGY FOR HOW WE COULD GO ABOUT FINDING THE DATA AND AN EXAMPLE OF A DATA CHART FOR THE FOLLOWING TOPICS THE PROMPT I USED!