The Link Building Secret: How to Use Earned Media to Boost Your SEO

If you have a website, you know how important it is to appear at the top of search engine results. The higher you rank, the more traffic you’ll get and the more business you generate.

One way to improve your ranking is through link building, a strategy that involves getting other websites to link back to your site. Links have always been essential for SEO. And Google’s spam update requires links to be from high-quality sources.

So link building is vital.

There are three essential link-building practices (earned media, guest blogging, and broken link-building), but we’ll focus on earned media for this article.

Using sites like Help a Reporter Out (HARO), Terkel, and Sourcebottle allow you to build high-authority links from credible publications like TIME, CNN, and The New York Times (among others).

Remember, high-authority backlinks are inbound links from established sources.

What is Link Building?

Link building is acquiring links from other websites to your own. The more high-quality links you have pointing to your site, the more search engines will view your site as authoritative and the higher it will rank in search engine results.

In addition, your links will boost your E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).

However, not all links are created equal. You want links from reputable websites in your niche, and you want those links to be contextual and natural, meaning they fit seamlessly into the content.

Now, let’s look at three sites that can help you build links through earned media:

HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a free service that connects journalists with expert sources. It’s a popular tool with over 75,000 users.

Journalists post queries seeking sources on specific topics, and experts can respond to those queries to potentially be featured in an article. By responding to relevant queries, you can earn media coverage and a link back to your site.

How to Use HARO for Link Building

To use HARO for link building, sign up for a free account and select your areas of expertise. You’ll receive emails with queries from journalists, and you can respond to those queries that fit your expertise.

Be sure to provide helpful information and demonstrate your knowledge. Then, if a journalist decides to use your quote, you’ll get a valuable link back to your site.

Terkel

Terkel is a content marketing platform (and a question-and-answer site) that connects businesses with bloggers and influencers.

Companies can submit a request for a blog post or other content, and bloggers and influencers can respond to those requests to create content for the business.

You can earn media coverage and links back to your site by working with bloggers and influencers.

Terkel offers people the chance to share, get published, and be heard while giving experts a voice and a platform.

When someone joins Terkel, they can anticipate being asked questions and having their responses considered for publishing on one of their partner websites. When brands work with Terkel, they can count on high-quality content informed by professional expertise.

How to Use Terkel for Link Building

To use Terkel for link building, sign up for a free account as either a business or a blogger/influencer.

As a business, you can submit a request for a blog post or other content, and as a blogger/influencer, you can respond to those requests that fit your expertise.

Be sure to provide helpful and knowledgeable content that fits the business’s needs. If your content is accepted, you’ll get a valuable link back to your site.

SourceBottle

SourceBottle is a free online platform that connects journalists with expert sources. Journalists post queries for sources on specific topics, and experts can respond to those queries to potentially be featured in an article.

How to Use SourceBottle for Link Building

To use SourceBottle for link building, sign up for free to be a source and select your areas of expertise. You’ll receive emails with queries from journalists, and you can respond to those queries that fit your knowledge and background.

Be sure to provide helpful information and demonstrate your expertise. Then, if a journalist decides to use your quote, you’ll get a valuable link back to your site.

SourceBottle is free, but for $25 a month, you can create your own “Expert Profile.” SourceBottle will then pitch your profile to journalists and bloggers looking for experts with your credentials and expertise.

Other Link-Building Alternatives

In addition to the above three sites, here are some other alternatives for you to try:

• Qwoted: A network connecting journalists with expert sources. It’s a private network of users that can be screened by gender, location, credentials, and other factors. Because of this, it lets you eliminate PR spam.
• Twitter: Did you know you could use Twitter to connect with journalists? Look for the hashtags #JournoRequests, #RadioGuestList, #PR, and #PRRequests to find questions from journalists looking for sources. Often they include their personal email addresses in their profiles. If not, shoot them a DM if you fit the bill.
• Kiti: With two important exceptions, Kiti is essentially HARO. First of all, you cannot simply register; you must apply for access, and there is no assurance that they will provide it. Secondly, Kiti is primarily focused on journalism, lifestyle, and cultural magazines. Though it is selective, it can be a fantastic option for the right person.
• PitchRate: A free PR tool that connects journalists and the highest-rated experts. PitchRate sends media requests directly to your inbox. If you’re a fit, simply pitch the journalist easily through their platform.
• OnePitch: OnePitch is a tool for PR and communication professionals. They help you find relevant journalists to pitch to based on the story you tell them. Their AI matching technology delivers a specific media list for every pitch.

Summing It Up

In conclusion, link building is essential to any successful SEO strategy, and earned media can be a powerful tool for building high-quality links.

Using platforms like HARO, Terkel, and SourceBottle, you can connect with journalists, bloggers, and influencers to earn media coverage and links to your site.

Always provide valuable and helpful content and demonstrate your expertise to increase your chances of being featured and earning a link.

For Further Reading

For more information about SEO in general and link-building in particular, check out the Ultimate Guide to Link Building and Link Building Mastery on Amazon.

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Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Additional Disclaimer: The original version of this story was published on another platform. Link to original version: https://medium.com/@randymasters/the-link-building-secret-how-to-use-earned-media-to-boost-your-seo-d38abc0f3e?sk=576550602fe82fe5b3adfcc9cc8f10da