Downloaded 11 times
![Creating a Compelling Survey
5 Survey Concepts That Almost Always Work
- Generational Gaps: “How Gen Z and Boomers differ in [topic].”
- Regional Rankings: “The most [X] states in America.”
- Emotional Confessions: “What people secretly do or think
about [topic].”
- Tech Anxiety: “How comfortable are people with AI replacing
jobs?”
- Financial Behaviors: “What people regret most about their
spending habits.”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/searchenginejournalbrandmentionsvs-251119150841-36857514/75/Backlinks-vs-Brand-Mentions-How-to-Engineer-Campaigns-That-Earn-Links-Mentions-Citations-39-2048.jpg)
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Backlinks vs. Brand Mentions: How to Engineer Campaigns That Earn Links, Mentions & Citations
Backlinks alone no longer move the authority needle. You need mentions, too. Are your campaigns securing the visibility and authority they deserve in today’s competitive SERPs? Are you tapping into the full potential of brand mentions to amplify both SEO and recognition? What if your next campaign could strategically & simultaneously unlock: - Boosted rankings & visibility. - High-quality links & mentions. - Brand growth. Learn a proven framework that wins visibility, links, and authority in answer engines. In this session, Michael Johnson, CEO of GrowResolve, reveals a repeatable campaign design framework that aligns media outreach, SEO impact, and brand visibility, helping you turn every campaign into a long-term asset. Learn the Campaign Framework That Wins Links and Mentions Successful SEO campaigns must now capture both backlinks and brand mentions. These are the ones dominating SERPs and building lasting brand authority. In this webinar, you’ll learn: - The Resolve Campaign Framework: A step-by-step approach to ideating, creating, and pitching SEO-focused Digital PR campaigns. - The Dual Outcome Strategy: How to craft campaigns designed to earn both brand mentions and backlinks from top-tier media. - Real Campaign Case Studies: Examples of successful campaigns that generated a compounding effect of links, mentions, and brand recognition. - Techniques for Measuring Success: How to evaluate the SEO and branding impact of your campaigns. Register now to learn how to engineer digital PR campaigns that actually pair with SEO, GEO, and AEO to grow your brand.
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Backlinks vs. Brand Mentions: How to Engineer Campaigns That Earn Links, Mentions & Citations
- 1. Backlinks vs. BrandMentions: How To Engineer Campaigns That Earn Links, Mentions & Citations MICHAEL JOHNSON | CEO @ RESOLVE
- 2. 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, Fan of Mediocre Sports Teams.
- 3. What Is Resolve? Weare a boutique Digital PR & Link Building agency. Equipped to build & execute strategies tailored to your unique goals and organizational needs!
- 4. The New Debate: Whichis more important? Backlinks or Brand Mentions?
- 5. What Are BrandMentions? Brand mentions occur when a brand is referenced online — with or without a clickable link. They can appear in articles, social media, press coverage, forums, podcasts, AI answers, or any digital content. There are two primary types: ● Linked Mentions: When your brand name or URL is referenced with a hyperlink (traditional backlink). ● Unlinked Mentions (Implied Links): When your brand is mentioned without a link, but still recognized as a brand reference by search engines.
- 6. What Are BrandMentions? Why this matters: Modern search engines don’t just evaluate who links to you — they evaluate who talks about you, in what context, and how often. Brand mentions help search engines understand: ● What your brand is ● What you’re known for ● How trustworthy and visible you are in your industry
- 7. The Case forBrand Mentions - AHRefs AI Overview Visibility study showed a stronger correlation between the number of brand mentions and AIO visibility vs the number of backlinks.
- 8. The Case forBrand Mentions This isn’t NEW, Rand Fishkin tweeted about it 10 years ago: Google has long been able to detect “implied links” from brand mentions.
- 9. The Case forBrand Mentions https://searchengineland.com/guide/brand-mentions
- 10. What Are Backlinks?(if you’re here, I really hope you already know) Backlinks are links from one website to another. They act as votes of confidence, signaling to search engines that other websites trust, reference, or endorse your content. When a website links to yours, Google interprets that link as a sign of authority and relevance — helping your pages rank higher in search results. There are three main types of backlinks: ● Follow (DoFollow) Links: The default type of link. These pass ranking authority, or “link equity”, from the linking page to the destination page. ● NoFollow Links: Include a rel="nofollow" tag that tells search engines not to transfer ranking authority. Common on social media, blog comments, and sponsored content — still valuable for visibility and traffic, but don’t directly impact rankings. ● Sponsored Links: Include a rel="sponsored" attribute to indicate that the link was paid for or part of an advertising arrangement. These comply with Google’s guidelines by disclosing financial relationships.
- 11. The Case forBacklinks The correlation still remains strong, the more linking domains you have. The better chance you have to rank.
- 12. The Case forBacklinks Backlinks remain one of the strongest and most measurable ranking signals in SEO. They act as votes of confidence from other websites, signaling authority, trust, and relevance. Backlinks help search engines determine: ● Domain authority & trustworthiness ● Topic relevance & expertise ● Content quality & credibility ● Which pages deserve to rank first Not all links are equal — links from credible, authoritative, topically-relevant publications carry the most weight. And critically, backlinks are a quantified, trackable, & competitive metric — essential in high-competition industries.
- 13. The Case forBacklinks The correlation still remains strong, the more linking domains you have. The better chance you have to rank.
- 14. SO WHAT SHOULDYOU BE DOING?
- 15. But We NeedTo Change The Context Through Which We View Off-Page SEO Stop thinking of links/brand mentions as a commodity and instead think about your Off-Page SEO through the lense of……………… BRAND BUILDING.
- 16. Link Building ismore than a Magic Quantity & DA/DR of Links. It’s About Building Your Brand. Digital PR is the best way to combine the SEO value of backlinks with the branding power of PR!
- 17. Links + BrandMentions Are Crucial To AI & Search Rankings: Surveys and Correlation studies like the one conducted by AHrefs and this one reported by Danny Goodwin demonstrate this….
- 18. So How CanYou Develop Strategies To Get Brand Mentions & Backlinks?
- 19. MY GOAL ISALWAYS TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE, REPEATABLE STRATEGIES FOR CLIENTS. TO MAKE DIGIPR SUSTAINABLE/REPEATABLE YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND LINKABLE CONTENT.
- 20. LINKABLE ASSETS: What They ARE andWhat They ARE NOT
- 21. ● Content createdfor 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?
- 22.
- 23. SPHERES OF RELEVANCE Withgood prompting, ChatGPT can help you identify these relevance spheres that you should be tapping into!
- 24. SPHERES OF RELEVANCE Whathappened with this client? We knew that Eyeglasses had a cross-section with fashion which relates to dating… How you present yourself, what styles people find attractive, etc.
- 25. OVER 500 BACKLINKS+ BRAND MENTIONS AND COUNTING!!!
- 26. WHY DID THISWORK??? We created a piece of content that real people would find interesting…. We presented to journalists who write for those people… It’s almost as-if… it worked because it was actually useful/helpful/interesting content.
- 27. ● WAIT, IS LINKBUILDING 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
- 28. GUT CHECK. Ask yourselfthese 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?
- 29. NOW WHAT YOUREALLY CAME FOR… HOW DO I CREATE & PROMOTE LINKABLE ASSETS THAT HELP ME GET LINKS FROM TOP TIER PUBLICATIONS?!?!
- 30. GIVING THEM WHAT THEYWANT. 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.
- 31. 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.
- 32. Another Example Here’s anexample of a piece that Gusto.com used to get some incredible Digital PR Links. Including: https://www.inc.com/bruce-crumley/why-some-employees-are-paying-f or-their-own-ai-tools-to-use-at-work/91218473 https://tech.co/news/gen-z-most-likely-use-ai-boss https://www.investopedia.com/this-generation-is-secretly-using-ai-at-w ork-every-day-and-not-telling-their-bosses-11785140 https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/09/16/shadow -ai-in-the-workplace-turning-hidden-ai-use-into-a-strategic-advantage/ https://www.hrdive.com/news/employee-AI-worry-job-security-workplac e-skills/756144/ https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-ranks-high-ai-anxiety-stu dents-prepare-changing-workforce https://www.emarketer.com/content/workers-wary-of-ai-rely-on-daily-of ten-dont-disclose-usage
- 33. WHY DID THISWORK? 1. There’s a lot of concern in the tech/business world about job security and AI. This is a topic people are interested in. 2. Google trends data allowed for a state-by-state breakdown of where AI Anxiety is highest. This results in allowing outreachers to do location focused outreach as well, likely how this placement was landed: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-ranks-high-ai-anxiety-students-prepare-changing-workforce 3. Interactive table and graphics make you piece look legit and easy to digest for journalists
- 34. WHY DID THISWORK? Multiple data sources including Google Trends 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.
- 35. Creating a CompellingSurvey Start with the Headline — Not the Questions Before writing a single survey question, imagine what the headline could be if your data revealed something interesting. Ask: “If this result were surprising, would a journalist write about it?” “Would this make someone stop scrolling?” “Does it tie into a broader conversation or trend?”
- 36. Creating a CompellingSurvey Example: ❌ “What percentage of Americans like working remotely?” → Too broad, already known. ✅ “Nearly half of Gen Z employees admit they work from bed every day.” → Visual, surprising, relatable.
- 37. Creating a CompellingSurvey Focus on Human Stories, NOT Brand Stories Journalists write about people, not companies. Make sure your survey centers around human behaviors, opinions, and experiences — not your product. Example themes: Habits, fears, dreams, or regrets (“1 in 3 homeowners regret their latest renovation.”) Modern life trends (“Most parents now use ChatGPT to help with homework.”) Cultural divides (“Boomers vs. Gen Z on financial priorities.”) Emotional hooks (“Half of pet owners say they’d go into debt to save their dog.”) Tie the story back to your client’s niche only after you find the human angle.
- 38. Creating a CompellingSurvey Design for Visual Storytelling Think ahead to how the data will look in charts or maps. Visual data = more linkable. Examples: State-by-state maps Pie charts showing majority vs. minority opinion “Top 10” lists (e.g., most stressed cities, happiest states, etc.) Your team should brainstorm visual formats alongside the questions.
- 39. Creating a CompellingSurvey 5 Survey Concepts That Almost Always Work - Generational Gaps: “How Gen Z and Boomers differ in [topic].” - Regional Rankings: “The most [X] states in America.” - Emotional Confessions: “What people secretly do or think about [topic].” - Tech Anxiety: “How comfortable are people with AI replacing jobs?” - Financial Behaviors: “What people regret most about their spending habits.”
- 40. WHAT IF YOUDON’T HAVE A SURVEY??
- 41. Sometimes… You canjust be weird. Not recommended, but it CAN work.
- 42. 1. What arethe 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
- 43. 1. PERSONALIZED OUTREACH Just likeLink 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.
- 44. 2.TIMELINESS When inboxes arebeing hammered with pitches from all directions. You need to make sure your emails are sent at a time that they will be seen. ie. If you are in Pacific Time. Don’t send an email at 4 PM to a journo in Eastern Time where it’s 7 PM.
- 45. 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.
- 47. MEDIA MONITORING &LIFICATION 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.
- 48. Great But HowDo 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.
- 50. 4x’d traffic toone of their core product pages! Added 300,000 monthly visitors! Our B2B Software Client:
- 51. GET YOUR FREE DIGITALPR STARTER KIT! Email: Michael@GrowResolve.co m Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in /michaeljohnsonresolve/ X: https://x.com/Michael_Reso lve