In modern SEO, you can’t rely on backlinks alone to win over Google. You need to have a solid strategy in place for building brand authority, not just links.

I reached out to the SEO community to find the best digital PR campaigns. 

In other words: campaigns that got REAL results. 

I’ll share them below, so that you can apply the same methods to your own strategy to get more backlinks and boost your authority.

Why Use Digital PR?

Digital PR campaigns are a key part of any off-page SEO strategy. 

Unlike traditional link-building, digital PR is more comprehensive. It aims for more than just one-off backlinks. 

Its main focus is on building brand authority and trust through high-quality, engaging content that grabs the attention of influencers and journalists. (While also picking up some links in the process.)

The ultimate goal is to gain media coverage that potential customers will see.

Why does this matter for SEO?

Google’s algorithms don’t just count links. They’re also looking for signals that show experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. (Also known as E-E-A-T.)

Digital PR helps you send those signals by gaining media exposure through brand mentions, social shares, and features in reputable news outlets.

But there are other SEO benefits, too:

• High-quality backlinks: Digital PR can earn you backlinks from trusted, authoritative sites. These can boost your SEO, unlike bad backlinks from low-quality or spammy sites, which can actually hurt your rankings.
• Increase in organic traffic: Getting featured in top media outlets can also drive significant traffic to your site. This can improve your engagement metrics, potentially signaling to Google that your content has value. (And it can lead to more conversions for your business too.)
• Improve brand awareness: More mentions and shares of your brand across the web make you more visible to users, be it through search engines, social media, or elsewhere. This boosts brand awareness and keeps your company top of mind.

In short, successful digital PR campaigns help you build the kind of brand that customers and search engines trust.

12 Digital PR Campaign Examples to Level Up Your Strategy

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to digital PR. Depending on your goals, different types of campaigns will be more (or less) effective.

Below, I’ll break down some of the most effective types of digital PR, and how they work. I’ve included real life examples for each type to inspire your next campaign. 

The examples highlight some standout campaigns that made waves globally. And many of them are unique case studies from the SEOs and marketers who responded to my LinkedIn post. 

Interactive Content

Interactive content requires input or action from the reader. 

This could involve quizzes, calculators, games, or interactive infographics and maps. In my experience, this is one of the most effective types of digital PR. 

The reason?

They’re AMAZING for generating engagement.

How it works: Interactive content offers users a more engaging experience than static content. This makes it highly shareable across social media. In fact, interactive content generates 52.6% higher engagement rates than static content.

Benefits: These campaigns often go viral because they provide unique or surprising information in an engaging way. When they get enough traction on social media, online publishers and news outlets take notice. Additional media coverage (and backlinks) tend to follow.

Example 1: Concert Hotels Infographic

Goal: The goal of this campaign was to drive traffic and media visibility to Concert Hotels by creating a fun, interactive piece that appealed to both music fans and journalists.

What they did: In this (old but gold) example from 2014, Concert Hotels published an interactive infographic showing the vocal ranges of popular singers. Based on his vocal range, it declared Axl Rose the greatest singer of all time.

Results: This graphic gained extensive media coverage for the hotel booking platform, including features in People, Daily Mail, and The Telegraph. It also caught the attention of some of the mentioned singers, including Axl Rose.

Example 2: Vanarama’s Apple Car Visualization by UpShift

Shared by Lucy Dodds, Senior SEO Strategist at UpShift.

Goal: Increase Vanarama’s visibility and build brand awareness. Vanarama aimed to be seen as an expert in the technology and EV sectors, so they wanted a campaign that tied into that.

What they did: Based on publicly available patents, they created a 3D rendering of what an Apple Car might look like. The campaign included interactive elements that let users explore the car’s design.

Results: The campaign was widely shared across tech and automotive blogs, receiving coverage in HypeBeast, Mashable, Tech Times, and many others. 

It generated over 1,200 backlinks. This further strengthened Vanarama’s authority and positioned it as an innovative thought leader in the automotive industry.

Data-Driven Studies 

SEOs already understand the value of fresh data. But what makes it so powerful for digital PR campaigns is its ability to build high-authority links. 

Original research and first-party data analysis attract journalists and bloggers searching for the latest insights. So these campaigns often get a lot of attention.

Why it works: Data-driven content stands out because it offers new, helpful information that’s unavailable elsewhere. Publications typically prefer to cite fresh statistics and research, which leads to natural backlinks from reputable sources.

Benefits: You become the go-to source for anyone writing about the topic, positioning your brand as an authority.

Example 3: Reckon Startup Cities Campaign by Prosperity Media

Shared by James Norquay, Founder of Prosperity Media.

Goal: Increase Reckon’s online authority and brand awareness among Australian small business owners.

What they did: Prosperity Media launched the Startup Cities campaign, ranking the best cities in Australia for startups. They used data from government sources, ABS census data, and over 800 small business owner surveys. 

Focusing on local stories and targeting regional journalists, the campaign connected Reckon’s support for small businesses with media interest in “best & worst” comparisons.

Results: The campaign earned 91 media features, 73 backlinks, and reached 55.8 million people. It was covered by outlets like the Canberra Times and 7 News. And it even got attention from Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister. 

Reckon’s CEO was also interviewed on ABC NSW Drive, increasing brand visibility.

Example 4: Self Financial’s Life of Tax Campaign by Root Digital

Shared by Darren Kingman, Founder of Root Digital.

Goal: Increase brand awareness for Self Financial with data-rich content that resonates with both the media and the public.

What they did: Root Digital conducted a study analyzing how much tax the average person is expected to pay over their lifetime in each U.S. state. 

The study used data from the American Community Survey and Consumer Expenditure Report. It factored in various taxes and life stages, like home ownership.

Results: The campaign received widespread media attention, earning 727 backlinks from outlets like The Washington Press, Yahoo, USA Today, and CNBC. The data was even shared with the Governor of New Jersey, and the campaign won a US Search Award. 

It gained 26,000 page visits, and it boosted Self Financial’s national and local media visibility.

Surveys

Surveys gather unique data from your audience, which you can use to create highly shareable and linkable content. Whether it’s industry insights or fun votes, surveys offer fresh perspectives. 

Why it works: Surveys provide real-world data straight from the source. Depending on the topic, a survey can also spark an emotional reaction, increasing the chances of media coverage.

Benefits: This content is excellent for attracting backlinks when it offers original insights that can’t be found elsewhere. When the survey itself is highly shareable, it can provide a boost of direct traffic, engagement, and attention.

Example 5: Sexiest Bald Man Campaign by Reboot

Shared by Helena Maniglia, Head of Digital PR at Reboot.

Goal: Create a fun campaign that sparks conversation, drives engagement, and boosts Reboot’s brand visibility.

What they did: Reboot surveyed bald celebrities based on unique criteria like head shine and face symmetry. The humorous nature of the campaign attracted the attention of major celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Johnson, who interacted with the content on social media.

Results: The campaign generated 13.8K Twitter mentions, 348 TV and radio features, 620K+ total engagements, and over 13,800 visits to the campaign page.

Example 6: Siege Media/Wynter’s Content Marketing Trends Report

Shared by Ross Hudgens, CEO, Siege Media.

Goal: Publish a report with first-party data that ties into their offering and can be repurposed in different ways, providing long-term SEO value.

What they did: Siege Media partnered with Wynter, a B2B market insights company, to create a detailed report analyzing trends in content marketing. They surveyed 293 content marketers about their plans for content strategy, AI, and budgets in 2024 to understand the future direction of content marketing.

Results: The content marketing trends report attracted links from 190+ domains. 

But the original data also enhanced a post on content marketing statistics, which earned backlinks from 700+ domains.

This shows the power of creating one piece of great content and using it to improve other pieces of content in the process.

Besides boosting links and organic traffic, the campaign also helped position Siege Media as an authority in the content marketing industry.

Seasonal Campaigns

Seasonal campaigns tap into the excitement and sentiment of specific holidays, seasons, or events. Since these campaigns are timely and relevant, they’re more likely to catch the attention of media outlets, resulting in increased brand awareness.

How it works: The idea is simple—create content related to a season, holiday, or event. The key is timing. Launch your campaign when interest and visibility are highest to maximize impact.

Benefits: By tying your campaign (or even your brand) to a particular event or time of year, you can boost relevance. You’ll gain visibility as people share relevant content during the lead-up to the event, or throughout the season. If holiday-themed “soft news” stories pick up your campaign, you’ll gain additional brand awareness and potential backlinks.

Example 7: Coca-Cola’s “The World Needs More Santas” Campaign

Goal: Reinforce Coca-Cola’s brand identity during the holiday season.

What they did: Coca-Cola’s 2023 campaign, “The World Needs More Santas,” centered on spreading joy and kindness. The campaign content encouraged consumers to channel their inner Santa Claus. 

The campaign nailed the perfect blend of tradition and online interaction to reach a broad audience. It engaged people through a number of different methods, including:

• Video content: A heartwarming TV ad and online film, showcasing people embodying Santa’s spirit by performing small acts of kindness
• Online quiz: A Santa archetype quiz, encouraging users to share their results on social media
• Interactive content: AI-powered personalized holiday cards, where participants could design custom holiday cards featuring branded visuals

Results: The ad is available on Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel, where it has been viewed over 2.2 million times. The campaign played the emotional card, connecting the brand to the warmth and nostalgia of Christmas. It caught the attention of major media outlets worldwide, and generated tons of social media engagement.

Newsjacking

Newsjacking is another highly effective form of digital PR that involves jumping on recent trends or popular news stories. When done right, it can help you gain attention from the press and on social media. It can yield a high number of new backlinks in a short space of time.

How it works: By piggybacking on popular topics and trends in the news and online, you can quickly build brand awareness. It’s like riding the wave of increasing buzz around the topic.

Benefits: The biggest perk is rapid large-scale visibility, with the potential for media coverage across multiple outlets. 

Example 8: Parkdean Resorts’ Hedgehog Holiday Park by Rise at Seven

Shared by Carrie Rose, CEO & Founder of Rise at Seven.

Goal: Raise awareness for Parkdean Resorts’ Lake District lodges while aligning with a trending topic in wildlife conservation.

What they did: Parkdean tapped into the UK’s buzz around hedgehog conservation by creating a “holiday park” for hedgehogs. The campaign replicated their real lodges in tiny versions to provide a safe place for hedgehogs to hibernate. 

They also released a video showing them off.

Results: The campaign earned 227 backlinks from outlets like Mashable and CNN, and generated 50,000 video views. It also led to a 27% increase in branded search for Parkdean’s lodges.

Viral Content

Viral content campaigns start with creating highly shareable content, often playful or emotional in nature. The goal is to “go viral” and spread organically across social media. A viral campaign can become a trend, meme, or captivating story, boosting brand awareness in the process.

Example 9: Moo-Deng, the Pygmy Hippo

Goal: Khao Kheow Open Zoo aimed to increase awareness, attract more visitors, and generate funding. They also wanted to raise awareness for their conservation efforts for endangered species like the pygmy hippo.

What they did: Khao Kheow Open Zoo shared adorable photos and videos of baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng on social media. Her playful personality provided plenty of highly engaging, adorable clips. The zoo also created a fan poll to choose her name, an interactive element that increased engagement.

Results: Moo Deng stole the hearts of people around the world. It went viral, generating millions of views on X and TikTok, along with coverage in mainstream media outlets like The New York Times.

As a result of Moo Deng’s popularity, Khao Kheow Open Zoo had a massive influx of visitors, to the point of causing traffic jams.

According to zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi, the zoo has received over 4,000 visitors during weekdays, up from around 800. On weekends, it’s up to 10,000 per day, more than tripled from before the campaign. Illustrating the power of digital PR for what might seem like an unlikely industry.

Example 10: Wendy’s National Roast Day

Goal: Grab attention from social media users and mainstream media through humorous and engaging content that (hopefully) goes viral.

What they did: Wendy’s is a prime example of a brand that nails viral content. Their social media team is known for jumping in with funny takes on trending memes and topics.

One example is their participation in “National Roast Day,” where Wendy’s invites followers to request a roast, sparking viral interactions. 

Results: This clever use of humor tied to a trending format has led to widespread media attention and significant brand visibility across social media in particular.

Taking a Stand

Another way to attract attention with a PR campaign is by taking a stand on a current political or social justice issue. It’s risky when the issue is polarizing, or the message is inconsistent with a brand’s practices. But with a thoughtful approach, it can be highly effective.

How it works: Socially responsible campaigns often strike a chord with audiences. They can align a brand’s values with a cause that consumers feel strongly about. By taking a risk, with transparency and courage, they create an emotional connection.

Benefits: The main benefit here is building brand trust and loyalty, while sparking genuine engagement on social media. Plus, these campaigns tend to attract attention from media outlets for culturally relevant stories. The results can significantly boost visibility and credibility.

Example 11: Dove’s Real Beauty Prompt Playbook

Goal: Reinforce brand values and raise awareness.

What they did: Dove, known for championing “real beauty,” addressed the issue of stereotypes in AI image generation. The brand released a video showing how AI images often reinforce stereotypical beauty standards. Dove also pledged never to use AI to alter or distort human features in its content.

It released a “Real Beauty Prompt Playbook” to help others develop inclusive AI visuals. 

Results: This campaign generated over 3 million views on social media and earned media coverage from outlets like TODAY and Fox Business. 

By tackling the timely concerns about AI and beauty standards, Dove connected with a new generation of consumers and reinforced its reputation for authenticity.

PR Stunts

PR stunts are bold, attention-grabbing campaigns designed to generate media buzz and public interest. 

How it works: These campaigns aim to engage a widespread audience, usually by surprising or entertaining them in a unique and memorable way. 

Benefits: The main benefits of a PR stunt are the resulting media coverage, social shares, and backlinks. While it starts with a real-life stunt (or realistic CGI in the example below), the resulting content can go viral.

Example 12: Maybelline’s Mascara CGI Stunt

Goal: Create buzz around the “Sky High” mascara by surprising audiences and generating viral conversations.

What they did: In the summer of 2023, Maybelline released a TikTok video showing London buses and underground trains with fake eyelashes. The vehicles received a swipe of mascara as they passed a giant mascara wand on a billboard. 

The realistic video fooled viewers into believing the stunt was happening live, prompting many to search for the location around London. The twist? It was entirely CGI, and no such installation actually existed. The campaign played on the product’s theme: “Are the lashes real or fake?”

Results: The TikTok video went viral, earning thousands of views and significant engagement before people realized it was a digital stunt. When people realized that it was all CGI, press coverage poured in from major outlets. 

The Evening Standard, Metro, My London, Creative Bloq, and Cosmetics Business all covered the story.

Build Your Authority with Digital PR

Digital PR is a powerful way to build brand authority and earn high-quality backlinks. 

Whether you’re creating interactive content, conducting original research, or tapping into viral trends, these strategies can help you get noticed by media outlets and search engines.

Want to learn how to master digital PR and link-building? 

Join the Traffic Think Tank Academy and check out our Link Building Course to level up your brand’s authority.