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Why reach beyond English?

Everybody sort of knows about translation: books by international authors, certificates and diplomas for immigration purposes, even those cheap electronic gadget user manuals that sound like they were written by aliens from outer space… But what about business?

If your company is based in an English-speaking country, it feels natural to use English in business and to target English-speaking markets. As for creatives, so much of their work is tied with culture and words, that they feel more at ease operating in their mother tongue.

And yet, there is a world out there. So, gaining more visibility, and more customers, is worth the effort to reach beyond English.

Visibility abroad and new client profiles

While still using English in day-to-day business relations, all kinds and sizes of businesses can use translation to reach a bigger audience. Let’s look at a few examples:

An independent travel writer can pitch their articles for publication in more travel and in-flight magazines if they can also include the destination countries they write about.

Video game devs will get more players by having their games localized into key market languages. Or if sticking to English for the in-game content, there’s multilingual community management.

In film and video, foreign subtitles and dubbing open up new audience bases.

For artists, photographers, musicians, production companies, applying for an international award or exhibiting at a festival abroad will be a real visibility booster.

And agencies that are translation-capable are able to compete on a bigger stage: a lot of international groups and global charities need to work with PR, web and marketing agencies that can handle copy in multiple languages.

How best to approach your translation project

Once you’re clear on why you want to use translation, comes the how? question.

Choosing the best fit between a translation agency and freelance translators will depend on your project’s specifics: do you need a lot of different languages or only one/a couple? Is consistency in quality and tone of voice important? Do you need additional services like DTP and graphic design? High volumes translated with a short turnaround time? Or shorter, recurring pieces of copy where a long-term relationship will help?

Whatever the form your translation team takes, keep in mind these three essential tips.

  1. Prepare a translation brief: translation is writing, so even before starting, you need to decide on target audience and tone of voice. But to pick the right translator and to save time on edits, you also need to be clear on the region of the world you’re targeting (is it European French? Or Canadian French? Or international French that will work on both sides of the Atlantic?) and what sector your text will deal with (same as writers, translators will produce their best work in their specialist fields).
  2. Be smart about the budget: think about how much you want to invest in translation and for what return. If that budget is limited, remember it’s better to translate less, but to translate it well. Prioritise the really strategic content. And while “budget” does mean money, it’s also about time and human resources: set aside some time and plan who will deal with queries and edits, plus any other process the translated work needs to go through, like graphic design.
  3. Most of all, talk to people: before commissioning the work, to ensure the team you’re considering working with is the best fit. During the translation process and after delivery too: translators asking questions, you querying and clarifying translation choices, all that is good for quality. Because translators know their native language (the one they’re translating into) best. And you know your project and your business best.

Need translation help?

For help adapting your public-facing content for a French audience, or defining the scope and workflow of your translation project, get in touch for a chat (in English or in French): https://bristolcreativeindustries.com/members/sandra-mouton-french-translator/

originally posted to www.carnsight.com

 

January is a month full of fresh starts, big goals, and renewed energy. For us PR professionals, it’s also a great opportunity to tap into seasonal news hooks. If you’re looking to make your brand story relevant and timely, aligning with January themes like health, productivity, and sustainability could give your campaigns the boost they need.

Why seasonal hooks matter

Journalists are always on the lookout for stories that feel current and relatable. Seasonal hooks give your pitch context and urgency, making it more likely to land coverage and hopefully more quickly too. In January, the conversation is dominated by resolutions, wellness, and planning for the year ahead. So why not join in? Or, alternatively, push back. Either way you’re getting involved with the conversation.

There’s an art to it

The hook has to be relevant, interesting, and authentic to your brand.  Just like any PR, seasonal hooks need to be considered. Here are some tips for best practice when it comes to working on a PR campaign with a seasonal hook:

Seasonal hooks aren’t just about hopping on the bandwagon of what’s trending. It’s about finding creative ways to connect your brand to conversations that matter. When done well, they can spark fresh ideas, open doors to new audiences, and even inspire long-term content strategies beyond January.

Looking for more new year PR tips. Check out or blog – why you should start the new year with PR.

Why work on your social media strategy?

With an estimated 5.6 billion people using social media worldwide, you’re probably aware that maintaining your brand’s presence across multiple platforms is critical if you want to compete in this ever-progressing digital landscape.

A strong social media presence not only offers new opportunities for leads and sales, but also strengthens customer loyalty, enhances your networking, and opens the door for more partnerships and customer feedback – all the while driving traffic to your website and raising awareness of your brand.

However, the steps needed to assert or improve your presence on socials may feel unclear. Many businesses assume that social media management is easy to take on at first, due to the deceptively simple user experience on most platforms.

But in actual fact, it’s a very different, more intricate experience than managing a personal account. And, if handled incorrectly, it can even have a detrimental impact on your brand.

So here are seven steps that any modern business can take to ensure their brand is making the most of social media.

7 proven steps to strengthen your social media strategy

1. Keep an eye on the competition

By monitoring the performance data of your competitors, you can gain insights into what works and what doesn’t, driving smarter decision-making and building a more robust strategy.

Researching and analysing competitor behaviour means you can stay one step ahead and be inspired by new ideas. You can detect any threats to your business by identifying gaps in your strategy, emerging trends, and missed opportunities.

After all, why reinvent when you can circumvent?

There are a number of social competitor analysis tools you can use to do this, including FanPageKarma, Awario, Brandwatch, and Iconosquare. You then need to decide which audience, engagement, and content metrics are useful to you.

Some of those metrics might be percentage of engagement per media, followers gained, follower growth, comments, likes, the most used hashtags, average posts per day and so on – whichever insights will help you define your own goals.

2. Get to know your audience

If you don’t know who your social media audience is, how can you serve them the content they want to see? It’s important to learn your audience’s needs and motivations, as well as their behaviours. What social media platforms do they use? When and why do they use them? And what are they looking for?

With the answers, you can tailor your content to ensure you are serving the right message, at the right time, in the right place.

Different audience demographics – for example age, gender, geographical location – will exhibit different behaviour online. So knowing who uses which platform aids your researching, advertising and marketing decisions, and ensures you’re providing the most relevant content to achieve your business goals.

3. Choose the right channel

Once you have an understanding of your audience’s needs and preferences, as well as those of your competitors, it’s time to select which social media channels are most suited to your audience, products/services and business needs.

Each social network provides unique delivery opportunities for you to entice your audience. For example, Instagram is a highly visual, creative platform. It can be a great place to showcase your products and services in a more imaginative or artistic manner.

It’s also considered to be less formal than other platforms– perfect for showing off your brand personality and company culture. Similar with TikTok: this is a platform popular with Gen Z, so it’s a great place to share fun, short videos.

LinkedIn, on the other hand, is arguably the most useful social platform for B2B marketing or targeting a professional demographic.

Consider your channel selection carefully to ensure your messaging is broadcast in the most effective way, reaching the right prospects and generating leads.

It’s common for marketers to spread themselves too thin, so bear in mind your staff resources as part of the selection process. If you have only one team member, attempting to establish a brand presence across six different social media channels may be unrealistic.

4. Consistency is key

Your presence on social media is an extension of your brand. It should, therefore, align with all your other brand messaging. Maintaining a consistent voice across every platform helps your brand strengthen its trust and reliability, creating a distinct personality among your competitors.

To help you adhere to this, developing brand guidelines can be a helpful tool when maintaining consistency in your tone of voice. Consider why your brand exists, what its values are, and how you want customers to feel when interacting with your brand.

The overuse of internet terms or trendy slang can actually damage your reputation, making you appear out of touch or ‘cheap’, and subsequently hurting engagement.

In your guidelines, you may consider creating an emoji palette or limit their use if your tone of voice is less playful. Without such consistency, there’s a lot of room for error.

A content calendar is also a good way to ensure you’re maintaining consistency. Viewing all your upcoming posts at once will give you a sense of how they fit together. Plus, it ensures you’re posting regularly enough that your audience (and, importantly, the algorithm) don’t forget about you.

5. Engage

Arguably the most important aspect of social media strategy is your willingness (or availability) to engage with your audience.

Posting regularly and capitalising on customer interest is a necessity in today’s social climate if you want to keep your followers invested in your brand – and it’s crucial for the growth of your business. As we all get more and more used to interacting with generative AI and chatbots, human to human engagement and community building will help brands stand out and retain share of voice.

No one wants to receive an automated message or talk to a robot. So, interacting with customers and responding to them quickly is essential if you want to humanise your brand, nurture relationships and increase customer loyalty.

Ensure your account looks active with real-time updates, through Instagram stories or updated YouTube videos, for example. Avoid cheesy iStock imagery, and instead opt for authentic, original content that reinforces your brand personality and culture.

In order to remain active and engage, you’ll need to monitor your channels as often as possible, at least daily, and post regularly. There are plenty of social media management tools that can help you do just this. Pre-scheduling social posts is a huge time-saver, rescuing you from posting manually at all hours of the day.

6. Stop, look, listen

It’s also good practice to keep your ear to the ground, through social listening. Social listening is the process of monitoring social media channels for mentions of your brand, product, competitors, and more, providing the opportunity to track, analyse and respond to conversations.

Understanding how people feel about your brand helps you keep your marketing and product/service development efforts on track.

Without social listening, you might be missing out on a big piece of insight about your brand or industry that people are talking about.

It also allows you to outline pain points, and better your crisis management tactics by responding right away to negative posts (should there be any). It can also help you identify social influencers, providing opportunities for partnerships and advertising.

7. Measure and optimise results

The final step in any digital marketing campaign is measurement. As with your initial data-gathering exercises, measuring the effectiveness of your social media marketing activity will help you to optimise your approach and guarantee ongoing success. And luckily, there are a range of analytics tools you can use to gain these insights.

Get in touch with our social media experts

Social media is a vital tool that all businesses should take advantage of in order to maintain optimum brand loyalty, reach, and engagement.

If you would like to fine-tune your business’s social media activity, boost your reach and get noticed, get in touch with us today at [email protected].

originally posted to www.carnsight.com

Ethical, organic link building is central to topping the charts when it comes to Google’s search engine ranking factors. Quality backlinks are a prized possession, and one of the ways that they can be earned is in the press and news media. However, while we as PRs will always strive to earn these SEO wins, we can’t always guarantee them. Before we explain how to approach backlinks in PR, let’s lay some groundwork for technical terms. 

Nailing the basics 

The world of SEO is full of technical terms and concepts that can be confusing at first, so let’s get the lingo down before we go any further. Here’s what you need to know:  

Emerging outlet policy trends 

 As SEO has squarely cemented itself into digital environments, more and more media outlets are introducing specific policies regarding backlinks and the inclusion of external links their content. For instance, some publications strictly adhere to a no-follow policy, meaning that any included links do not contribute to SEO efforts. Some might offer to include a link but limit its visibility – the link is embedded and clickable, but not coloured or underlined to differentiate the text and indicate link presence.  

Others – especially larger entities – have begun to monetise this service and may charge for including backlinks or only allow them within certain types of content, like guest articles or sponsored posts. Hence, these emerging structures/frameworks often mediate the relationship between PRs and journalists when it comes to including backlinks and must be respected to practice good media relations. 

Media relations and the unwritten rules of backlink etiquette 

It can be controversial, but the general consensus is that you there is a certain etiquette around asking a journalist to provide backlinks. We typically recommend taking a proactive approach. Offer up the links in a more appropriate, subtle way by linking them in your press release or correspondence so that they are there if the journalist wants them. We’ll discuss more about how a journalist might make this decision further down. 

Some journalists and outlets may also view PR attempts to secure backlinks as compromising the integrity of the news outlet and blurring the boundaries between advertising and independent journalism, while others consider it presumptuous and some even write off a PR as ‘asking too much’ when ‘free’ publicity and exposure of a story feature is already on the table. 

Journalist independence and discretionary decisions 

While a good PR agency will have forged strong, mutually beneficial relationships with journalists and often work with them to pitch a story, it’s important to remember that Journalists are independent individuals. They operate with their own principles and purposes and aim to satisfy and engage an audience of their own. PRs will always try to be strategic and work with Journalists and audiences who align with the story well to maximise coverage, but journalists ultimately determine the final content and format in of a piece for publication. They make decisions based on the newsworthiness of a story, its relevance to their audience, and their editorial guidelines.  

So, what this means, is that backlinks are often a grey area – the decision can be entirely discretionary and up to the journalist, or it may be mediated by editorial guidelines, outlet policies, or reader preferences. It’s important to remember that it is also increasingly difficult for journalists to keep smaller, niche publications going in an oversaturated news market. They often have to work hard to find new ways to fund their platform; hence, backlinks have become the latest resource for monetisation. 

A balanced approach 

Of course, we will always do our best to nurture a reciprocal relationship with journalists and the press to engender positive attitudes and encourage ethical backlinking. However, like many elements of PR, this is an art and not a science. We can’t guarantee a backlink in coverage, but we will certainly do our best to secure them. 

Each marketing tool you use as a business requires tailored copy, but no matter which channel it’s appearing on, all copywriting should be persuasive and motivating and establish a connection with the audience – this is what brings added value.

 

Most people could write copy about the company they work for. As long as they have a foundational level of understanding about the company and the features and benefits of the products or service it offers, they could put some words on a page. But how valuable is that copy?

 

Don’t underestimate good copywriting

Sometimes we underestimate good copy because it’s so easy to read that we don’t even think about it. It gives us the information we want quickly, and we may even enjoy reading it. But when we come across bad copy, we know it. It jars and you have to re-read sentences to understand their meaning, or there is so much jargon you don’t really know what the author is trying to say. Sometimes it’s more subtle than that and the copy is just a bit boring or has been written in a way that doesn’t sound right so we give up halfway through and move on to something else that is easier to read.

 

Here are some top tips for how to add value to your copywriting to make sure it hits the mark every time and gets you the results you want.

 

Seven top tips for added value copy

Experience in your niche – it stands to reason that the more experience someone has in the specific sector of a market your business operates in, the better their writing will be. They will understand the context of new legislation or market pressures, they will appreciate the impact of product launches, and they will be able to help to identify what topics to talk about to get your business noticed and ideally position you as an authoritative voice in the market. Whoever you have tasked with writing your marketing copy, make sure they have experience in the field.

 

Understand your audience – don’t try and write for everyone. If you are writing a press release that is appropriate for two sectors in the same market, it’s worth tailoring the press release for both audiences. If you are writing blog posts for different audiences on your website, it’s worth sectioning the blog off for different target markets so you can tailor the copy for each one. Otherwise, you end up with a piece that doesn’t really capture the attention of any of your audiences because the message gets confused.

 

Talk about the benefits – this may sound obvious, but so often I see copy written by companies that are focusing on the features of their products more than the benefits. You may be excited about the specific technical features you can offer in a product, and you may understand that these features are what differentiate you from the competition, but to add value to these features you need to talk about how they benefit your audience. Be obvious about how your business can make their lives easier. This is how you will persuade them to get in touch.

 

Write for a specific platform – as I said in the introduction, different platforms require different approaches to writing copy. Sales brochures and web copy should be more sales focused, while feature articles in trade magazines and blog posts should be more informative. LinkedIn posts meanwhile can offer a quick and immediate insight into the latest news from a business, while newsletters can be more friendly and chatty in their tone. Being able to identify what kind of copy is needed for each platform, adds value to your marketing copy.

 

If you wouldn’t say it, don’t write it – a common mistake in writing copy is changing the way you or the person you are writing for, would talk in real life. Of course, when writing copy, we might need to temper a passionate opinion or meet the professional requirements of a publication, but sometimes this is taken too far, and copy is written in a way that doesn’t reflect how that spokesperson would talk in the flesh. Sometimes words are used that people don’t normally say when talking in conversation, or unnecessary jargon is included. This makes it hard for the audience to identify with the copy and therefore less likely to absorb the message you are trying to get across and less likely to engage with you.

 

Imagine you are the reader – I have come to the conclusion over the years, that empathetic people are the best copywriters because they can really put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Even if they haven’t had the same direct experience, they can accurately adopt the voice of the person they are writing on behalf of, but they can also precisely imagine the pain points and needs of the audiences they write for. Putting yourself in the position of your audience can help you to write the most powerful copy to build a genuine connection.

 

Keep writing – in order to add value to copywriting, experience matters. Not just experience in a particular niche of a specific market, as I talk about above, but experience of writing copy for different platforms, for different companies, for different spokespeople and targeted at different audiences. The more you write, the more value you can bring to your copywriting.

 

Making a connection

Writing copy is not a quick and easy thing to do. Even with the use of AI the amount of editing needed to fact-check, and to make it sound like you, rather than a generic amalgamation of everyone else talking about the same subject, takes time and effort. But it’s worth taking the time to do it properly rather than making do. It could make the difference between your audience making a connection with you or moving on to one of your competitors.

 

 

 

originally posted to www.carnsight.com

 

As you may know, if you’re regular followers of the team here at Carnsight Communications, we’re all incredibly passionate about the written word. We love to write and writing is a huge part of what we do on a day to day basis.

We write all sorts of things. If you’d like to hear more about the specifics of that, then you can go check out our post ‘A day in the life of a PR’ in which I explain in more detail what the day to day looks like for us at Carnsight and what kinds of writing we get up to.

But for now, I want to focus in on the craft of writing. Writing is a skill to hone and practice. We’ve all been studying, learning and practising the craft of writing in various ways for a while now. As you can imagine, we’ve heard a lot of different writing advice over time.

Today I’ve compiled some of the best writing advice I’ve ever come across. A lot of these were given in the context of fiction writing, however, I assure you that they apply to writing across the board. I’ll go into a bit more detail about what I took away from each quote and how I think it applies to other forms of writing too.

In no particular order, here they are.

“The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying on the road. You pick the smallest manageable part of the big thing, and you work off the resonance.”

– Richard Price

Wow. Powerful, right? This really solidified the power of simplicity for me. I have a tendency to over-write and over-explain but this quote reminds me that the simpler I keep it, the stronger the emotional resonance and the clearer the key message.

 

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

– Toni Morrison

I love the agency in this one. I think it’s an agency that creatives and entrepreneurs and thought leaders all share. It can be easy to get wrapped up in trying to nail down your audience but if you write, or create, to solve a problem that you’ve experienced or seen first hand, you’ll create something that will inevitably ring true with others.

 

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”

– Robert Frost

It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about, you’ve got to be all in. If you’re excited, the reader is excited. If you’re having fun the reader is having fun. Equally, if you’re bored, then the reader is definitely bored. There will always be things that you love to write about and things that don’t spark that same enthusiasm, however, you have to bring that energy and that willingness to convey what’s great about something to every piece of writing you do.

 

“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”

– Annie Proulx

I’ve not always been a lover of the rules when it comes to writing. But over time, I’ve really fallen in love with the craft of writing, right down to the tiniest details. I love how moving just a few words around or taking a comma from one place to another can completely change the meaning of a sentence.

If you’re a journalist, or a novelist, or a poet, or a business writer, or a speaker, or a leader, or anything of the sort, then you need to learn story structure. Story structure is history and science and philosophy all wrapped into one. If you want to know how to evoke a feeling or make an effective call to action, you have to know how to tell a story and you have to know how to tell it in just the right way.

 

“As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”

– Ernest Hemingway

Hemmingway had a lot to say about writing and out of all of the authors I’ve listed in this blog, I’ve read and heard the most advice from Hemmingway. Though ‘write drunk and edit sober’ is one of my favourites, I think this may be his best. I also think it’s just great life advice.

 

“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”

– Elmore Leonard

Simple. Effective. It’s something I try to keep in mind when editing my work, particularly when it comes down to how the piece flows. Read your work aloud. If it sounds like writing, try again.

 

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”

– Madeleine L’Engle

So I know I said there was no particular order, but this might actually be my favourite writing quote of them all.

Digital PR is the practice of using creative campaigns, content and outreach to earn online coverage that builds brand authority and improves search visibility (and also drives more awareness with LLMs and AI search).

This guide is written for marketers who want to grow their brand online, founders looking to make a splash in their industry and in-house SEOs keen to strengthen their off-page strategy. Below you will find a clear framework for building a digital PR strategy, practical tactics you can try straight away, tips on how to measure success, handy templates to save you time and real examples that show what works in practice. We will cover the trends in the industry for 2025, how you can go about creating a digital PR strategy and the tactics and campaign formats that can be part of that strategy.

What is the difference between digital PR and traditional PR?

To understand the difference between digital PR and traditional PR it helps to look at where many professionals in the industry have come from. Some started out in traditional PR, working mainly offline to build brand awareness, manage crises and develop strong media relationships. With the digital shift these same skills have been adapted to online channels, where press coverage now sits alongside influencer marketing, social media and content partnerships.

Others come from SEO backgrounds, having learned that optimised content strategy and link acquisition are crucial for search success. Digital PR brings these strands together, combining the creativity and relationship-building of PR with the data-driven mindset of SEO. The result is content that appeals to journalists and publishers while also meeting the needs of search engines, whether that content is survey data, an infographic, video or a thought leadership article. In many ways, digital PR can be seen as traditional PR expanded, giving businesses the chance to reach wider audiences while gaining measurable results. Indeed, with more value on the horizon for brand building moving  beyond just links within AI and LLMs, the lines are likely to become even more blurred.

Figure 1: Differences and Similarities between Digital and Traditional PR

What is a digital PR agency?

A digital PR agency is a specialist marketing partner that helps brands build authority, visibility and trust online through creative campaigns and targeted outreach. Unlike traditional PR agencies that focus mainly on print, TV and radio coverage, digital PR agencies concentrate on online publications, news sites, blogs, podcasts, influencers and social media.

A strong digital PR agency will also connect activity directly to measurable business outcomes. That includes improving search rankings through earned links, increasing referral traffic from coverage, and building brand reputation by securing placements in relevant outlets. Many agencies work closely with SEO teams to align campaigns with keyword targets, ensuring digital PR not only builds awareness but also supports long-term organic growth. At Varn, our digital PR and content is backed into the technical and wider SEO strategies we implement for clients, ensuring any messaging and campaigns are aligned to SEO and AI optimisation goals.

What are the benefits of digital PR?

As stated the industry is moving beyond just links, with brand mentions online, coverage in high-authority media and brand sentiment becoming more intertwined with digital PR. This creates a melting pot if benefits that many brands proactive in the space are taking advantage of:

SEO outcomes: rankings, topical authority, E-E-A-T
  • Earn high-quality backlinks from trusted publications to improve keyword rankings and expand topical authority.
  • Strengthen your site’s Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness by being cited in relevant industry coverage.
  • Drive consistent organic traffic growth through increased visibility across long-tail and competitive keywords.

Proof point: Digital PR is the most common modern method of ‘link-building’, being used by 67% of marketers.

Brand outcomes: awareness, trust, reputation
  • Secure media coverage that positions your brand as a credible and recognisable voice within your industry.
  • Build audience trust by appearing in respected outlets and sharing data-driven insights rather than promotional claims.
  • Amplify positive sentiment through repeated brand mentions across news, blogs and social platforms.

Proof point: Nearly 4 in 5 marketers say earned media is now more effective than traditional advertising methods when it comes to creating a point of difference.

Commercial outcomes: assisted conversions, pipeline influence, CAC efficiency
  • Generate referral traffic from authoritative sites that introduce new audiences into your sales funnel directly.
  • Influence pipeline by nurturing prospects who discover your brand through third-party validation before reaching your website.
  • Reduce customer acquisition costs by relying on earned visibility rather than high-spend paid campaigns.
  • Track how PR-driven sessions assist conversions and attribute revenue influence through GA4 and CRM integrations. (Not a core KPI, but one worth monitoring, this is not performance marketing 101!).

Proof point: A typical PR placement can drive 100 to 500 referral visits, while high-performing ones often exceed 1,000 visits, directly contributing to conversions and revenue growth.

How to develop a Digital PR strategy

At its core, digital PR is a creative discipline but we find that a combined approach of systems and creative space develops the best ideas for our client. Broadly speaking all of our campaigns tend to follow the below structure with bespoke developments for more creative/off the wall campaigns:

Set objectives

Decide what you want to achieve, whether that is more backlinks, stronger rankings for a set of keywords, or broader brand visibility.

Define your audience and personas

Understand who you want to reach and build journalist, influencer and customer personas to guide content choices and pitching style.

Generate ideas

Brainstorming (where you use collective minds to ‘storm’ a subject) campaign concepts that are newsworthy, relevant to your industry and engaging enough to spark coverage. This can include seasonal hooks, data studies or creative stunts.

Gather research and data

Back up your idea with credible insights. This might involve running a survey, pulling figures from open datasets, or combining multiple sources into a unique story. Some stories may be more creative, so be mindful that in some instances less is more.

Build campaign content

Turn your research or idea into a tangible asset such as a press release, infographic, video, article or interactive tool that journalists can use.

Outreach and amplify

Pitch your story to the right journalists and influencers, share it across owned channels, and consider repurposing it for social media or other platforms.

Measure and iterate

Track results such as links earned, referral traffic, rankings and brand mentions. Feed these insights into the next campaign to refine what works best.

Relaunch (Bonus)

We find it is always good to have some campaigns within your editorial calendar that are repeatable over longer periods of time, not only is it quicker to update an older campaign instead of launching an entirely new one, you can also reuse the same (updated) media lists and tactics. A lot of digital PR is about timing, and we have had great results over a 2-3 year period with a campaign or idea that didn’t meet the coverage target in the first iteration, it’s all about thinking long term.

Key tip: When planning ideation sessions or shaping client campaign pitches, bring in a mix of team members but remember that everyone’s brain works differently. Some people prefer doing research in advance, while others thrive on thinking in the moment. One person might come up with their best idea on a walk, another over a coffee or even a pint. The point is, variety matters, so give space for different working styles within the group.

What are the ‘best’ digital PR tactics?

Whilst it is difficult to definitively say a given tactic is better than another there are some that we have had greater success with at Varn and some that have better results in certain industries.

Data-led stories – proprietary surveys, FOI, APIs, desk research

When to use: Best for campaigns that need credibility, unique angles, or strong SEO impact. Data-driven content often performs well with journalists because it offers evidence rather than opinion.

How to pitch: Lead with one standout finding that is easy to summarise in a headline. Provide the full dataset and methodology so journalists can trust the source. Offer visual assets like charts or infographics to make the story easier to publish.

Link target: Whitepapers, landing pages, or blog posts that house the full data set or interactive content.

Risk watchouts: Ensure sample sizes are statistically valid and methodology is transparent. Weak or misleading data can harm brand trust. Always add a notes-to-editors section with research detail.

Product PR – reviews, gifting policies, embargoes, exclusives

When to use: Effective for ecommerce, retail, or lifestyle brands looking to get products in front of audiences with high purchase intent. Particularly useful around peak trading periods such as Christmas or seasonal launches.

Getting your brand mentioned online is crucial and for certain industries, reviews make all the difference. We run guest stay campaigns with Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks which are great at generating online reviews and coverage which is crucial for LLM appearances.

How to pitch: Offer products to journalists and influencers with clear gifting policies. For major launches, consider offering an embargoed press pack or exclusive early access. Provide high-quality images and usage guidelines.

Link target: Direct product pages or collection hubs where conversions can be tracked.

Risk watchouts: Be transparent with gifting to comply with ASA and advertising standards. Avoid over-pitching to irrelevant journalists which can damage long-term relationships.

Thought leadership and expert commentary – proactive and reactive

When to use: Works well for service-led businesses or industries where authority and expertise build trust. Use proactive thought leadership for planned campaigns, and reactive commentary (newsjacking) when timely events arise.

How to pitch: Build a bank of expert quotes that can be quickly tailored to breaking news. Proactively reach out with unique perspectives or data that add value to current debates. Media training ensures spokespeople stay on message.

Link target: Author profile pages, company leadership pages, or service pages that reflect the expertise being highlighted.

Risk watchouts: Commentary must be relevant and aligned with brand positioning. Jumping on the wrong story can appear opportunistic. Always fact-check and align with compliance or legal teams before publication.

Content repurposing: infographic, short video, LinkedIn article, podcast, local angles

When to use: Ideal for squeezing more value from existing assets. Repurposing works when you have research, blogs, or thought leadership that could perform better in a new format or reach new audiences.

How to pitch: Share an updated or reformatted asset with media or on owned platforms, making sure it feels fresh. For example, turn a blog into an infographic for journalists, a LinkedIn carousel for professionals, or a short video for social media.

Our client BullionVault has had tremendous success with this, updating an infographics page with interactive content on the gold buying habits of the world’s central banks which acts as great content for outreach and is now driving organic links too.

Link target: Resource hubs, campaign landing pages, or evergreen blog posts that collate formats together.

Risk watchouts: Repurposed content must add value. A simple rehash risks being ignored. Ensure visuals are accessible and branded subtly so they appeal to journalists.

Social and influencer integration – creator briefs, disclosure, UTM tracking

When to use: Strong for campaigns targeting consumer audiences, especially in fashion, lifestyle, food, and fitness. Social content helps amplify earned coverage and can drive additional referral traffic.

How to pitch: Create detailed briefs for influencers and creators that outline the campaign narrative, disclosure requirements, and preferred hashtags. Pair influencer activity with earned coverage for a wider footprint. Use UTM links to measure performance.

Link target: ecommerce collection or lead generation pages.

Risk watchouts: Always comply with disclosure rules and platform guidelines. Vet influencers for audience authenticity and brand alignment. Track results carefully to avoid inflated metrics from bots or fake engagement.

Top tip: With all of the above campaign formats, be sure to consider timing and seasonality, some campaigns can work really well in the summer whereas others may be more suited to the winter. If you are looking for insights into what the press are writing about and how you can take advantage with a digital PR campaign, get in touch.

Ideation that lands coverage

Coming up with campaign ideas that cut through the noise is one of the hardest but most rewarding parts of digital PR. Strong ideas tend to share the same qualities: they are timely, relevant to the brand, easy to explain in a headline, and backed by credible data or insight.

Techniques to spark ideas

  • Trends scan: Use tools like Google Trends, Exploding Topics, and TikTok Creative Centre to spot what people are talking about now.
  • Gap analysis: Analyse competitor campaigns to see what has landed coverage in your sector and where you can approach from a different angle.
  • Seasonal hooks: Tie your story into predictable calendar moments such as Christmas, summer holidays, or industry-specific events.
  • Contrarian angles: Challenge accepted wisdom to create debate, provided your data can back it up.
  • Proprietary data: Use surveys, first-party analytics, or FOI requests to create original findings.
  • “X vs Y” comparisons: Simple head-to-heads (e.g. cost of commuting by train vs car) make for digestible coverage.
  • Rankings and maps: Journalists love league tables and local breakdowns that allow for tailored regional angles.

Pre-pitch testing
Before investing too much time in production, run ideas through a filter:

  • Draft 2–3 headline variants. If they don’t sound like something you’d click on, refine.
  • Do a newsroom litmus test by asking “would this fit in my target outlet’s newsfeed tomorrow?”
  • Apply a kill-criteria checklist: is it too niche, too brand-heavy, or missing credible data? If yes, it is time to cut it.

At Varn, we find scoring ideas also helpful when it comes to working out which campaigns to run; some may be more ‘linkable’ e.g the BullionVault example worked well because lots of people were after useful content and found it through Google, whereas others may be more ‘newsworthy’ e.g our campaign on the impact of weather forecasts on the hospitality industry with our client Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks landed with regional journalists due to topical relevance and timing around the bank holidays.

Idea scorecard

Scoring ideas against these factors helps keep creativity grounded in strategy, ensuring you back the stories most likely to deliver coverage and links.

Best practices for digital PR Outreach best practice

Even the best ideas fail without effective outreach. Successful campaigns depend on building relationships and pitching stories in ways that respect how journalists work.

Targeting: media lists & beat lists, relevance over domain authority, exclusives and firsts

Start by mapping beat lists (what journalists are covering) for each journalist rather than chasing high Domain Authority sites alone. Relevance is always more valuable than size. Consider offering exclusives to top-tier outlets or a “first look” to a journalist you want to build trust with.

Pitching: subject lines, five-line body, and assets

Subject lines should be clear and concise, ideally under 60 characters, and highlight the hook. Keep the body of the email to five lines:

  1. Hook
  2. Why it matters now
  3. A killer data point or angle
  4. The asset you are offering (dataset, infographic, product, quote)
  5. Simple call to action (“Would you like the full dataset?”)

Always attach or link to high-quality visuals, quotes, or embed codes. Make life easy for the journalist to say yes.

Timing and follow-ups

Factor in time zones if pitching internationally. For big announcements, use embargoes so journalists can prepare. Limit yourself to one or two follow-ups—more than that risks damaging relationships. If you are confident the story is a good fit and haven’t had a reply, a polite phone call can sometimes make the difference.

Publisher guidelines

Every outlet has its own style, image rights policy, and linking rules. Some will add a link as standard, others require you to request attribution. Check house styles before pitching and tailor your submission accordingly.

Measurement and reporting (beyond link counts)

Digital PR must be measured in a way that reflects its broader impact, not just the number of backlinks gained. A structured approach to reporting helps prove value to stakeholders and improves future campaigns.

Coverage quality

Not all coverage is created equal. Assess:

  • Tiering (national press vs niche blogs vs regional sites)
  • Topical relevance to your industry or keywords
  • Placement and anchor text of the link (body copy > footers)
  • Ratio of follow vs nofollow links
SEO/GEO impact

Look at how coverage influences search performance by tracking:

  • Visibility across rank clusters rather than single keywords
  • Growth in branded search queries after high-profile coverage
  • Referring domains and authority growth over time
  • GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) performance
Traffic and engagement

Measure what the coverage delivers to your site:

  • Referral sessions and engaged sessions
  • Time on page for visitors from PR placements
  • Assisted conversions where PR-driven traffic later leads to sign-ups or purchases
Commercial impact

Although PR and digital PR are not a direct performance marketing channel, it can support commercial outcomes. Useful approaches include:

  • Pipeline influence models that show how PR touches prospects before conversion
  • Revenue correlation windows (did revenue spike around campaign launch?)
  • ROI assessments that compare PR costs to attributable outcomes such as leads or media value
Dashboarding

Set up dashboards so reporting is consistent and visible:

  • GA4 events for referral traffic and conversions
  • Google Search Console queries to track keyword movement
  • Looker Studio templates for visualising campaign performance
  • UTM conventions for tracking influencer and social amplification
  • SEMRush or other tools to get backlink and coverage data

By measuring across these levels you demonstrate the full value of digital PR, from awareness and authority right through to commercial impact.

Looking to engage in Digital PR?

Has the above got you interested in running a digital PR campaign for your brand? Great. But there is one thing worth noting, it takes time, expertise and persistence to create and then land coverage with a great campaign. If you are looking to work with an expert partner that can earn coverage that supports your business and resulting SEO/GEO goals then contact a member of the Varn team today.

Latest Instagram update

Whether it’s changing the aspect ratio in the grid or remixing Reels to chase behind TikTok’s Stitch feature, Meta, Instagram’s parent company, is always evolving the photo and short-form video app.

The latest change, coming July 10th, 2025, is set to be the biggest update yet. Some users may have already noticed a notification for their professional accounts: “Your public photos and videos may soon appear in search engine results. From 10th July 2025, search engines will automatically be allowed to show all photos and videos on result pages.” 

What does Instagram’s update mean for my profile?

This new July update means that public content on a professional Instagram account will automatically be available for indexing within SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). Search engines such as Google already show short-form video content in the SERPs from Google-owned property YouTube and ByteDance-owned TikTok. However, previously, Meta has generally requested that search engines do not index Instagram users’ content, except for allowing indexing of public content uploaded from January 1st, 2020, onwards from criteria-meeting accounts. This is how you may see Instagram content in Google Image search, for example. The current criteria include:

  • The account holder is currently over 18
  • The account is currently public
  • The account is currently a professional account

This new update to Instagram content indexing means that Instagram is no longer discouraging search engines from indexing content and allowing for default consent.

Can you opt out of automatic Instagram indexing?

Users still have control over their professional account content and can opt out of search engine indexing by changing privacy settings preferences. Users can also opt out of automatic indexing by setting their professional accounts to private or switching from their professional account to a personal account.

Opt out of automatic Instagram indexing by following the steps below:

  • Go to Instagram Settings and Activity
  • Find Account privacy
  • Turn off “Allow public photos and videos to appear in search engine results”

How will Instagram indexing benefit professional accounts?

This automatic indexing update from Instagram may seem scary and overwhelming, especially for SMEs. However, it need not be. This can be a great opportunity for businesses to revolutionise their Instagram strategy and harness the platform as a new source of Organic Search traffic. Applying some SEO tactics to an Instagram upload can break the metaphorical glass screen and expand visibility beyond the Explore page.

Due to the limitations of Instagram, there are only so many technical SEO strategies you can apply to your posts to help them get visible. You can hardly apply an internal linking strategy when the only links you can add to your profile are in the bio. Seriously, when will Instagram add links in captions? Give the people what they want, Instagram!

Google says that valuable, relevant content and providing that for users is at the heart of every update. With that in mind, and the evolution of AI-Search, we recommend focusing a great deal of attention on ensuring that content is helpful, valuable, informative, and relevant. Out are the days of posting captions to in-jokes that only work within the context of seeing the image or video. Now is the time to make sure your captions are hitting all the messaging points and optimised keywords.

Read how your business is affected by the European Accessibility Act 2025

Why is Meta allowing Instagram automatic indexing now?

In a recent interview with the podcast “Build Your Tribe”, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri is quoted as saying, “The ability to search for content on Instagram is not satisfactory at the moment… Now the function of searching for the content itself, not finding an account, is becoming more important.” 

With Google’s AI Overviews and AI-Mode search on the horizon, Mosseri isn’t wrong. That’s not to mention the rise of social media as a search engine, particularly among Gen Z and Gen Alpha users; users are consuming content first, and looking at the source second.

It’s an internet joke that what’s trending on TikTok will trend on Instagram Reels a month later. With YouTube and TikTok already appearing in Google SERP, Instagram is already a step behind in Search. We will have to wait and see after the July 10th update what the SERP landscape will look like. What we do know is that if you’re a professional Instagram account, take this opportunity by both hands and get creative.

Key takeaways

  • Meta announces major update for professional accounts on July 10th, 2025.
  • Search engines will automatically be allowed to show all photos and videos in the SERPs.
  • Account holders will be able to disable this feature within the privacy settings.
  • Automatic Instagram indexing is a great opportunity for SMEs to gain visibility off the Instagram platform.
  • Instagram continues to plan long-term changes in how the platform presents content to users.

If you want to find out how to optimise your Instagram profile and content for visibility in the SERP, get in touch with our expert team.

Originally posted to www.carnsight.com

 

Time to touch base on corporate jargon.  

Of course, the death of ‘management speak’ is not happening anytime soon. There’s no denying its popularity, and on some levels, it can even be a guilty pleasure. It’s been described as a symbol of workplace status, something we see as performative professionalism. Essentially, it’s ‘human peacocking’, where we parrot the language used by the companies we hold in such high esteem. And it’s built from the ground up – just as an intern is expected to follow the dress code, you can bet they’ll need to know what synergy means. 

But jargon in the workplace doesn’t always need to be carried over to your content. Using overly technical language in written pieces or interviews is a great way to show you know your stuff, but it’s easily lost on your readers.  

Here’s why you can’t approach your content the same way you’d approach a board meeting: 

 

Content needs to show your personality

In trying to show knowledge and expertise, we often end up using big, technical words, or just anything that sounds slightly fancier than average. But in using overly complicated words to get our point across, we can lose the point entirely. It’s harder to connect with a piece if you have to read every sentence twice, and if it’s not immediately clear what you’re actually trying to say. Sure, it’s impressive, but there’s a fine balance to make before it just gets confusing.  

Engaging content is conversational. It doesn’t read like the latest status report, but flows like a simple explanation of a topic, or a clear point of view. Breaking complex topics down into simple sentences is a great way to build trust with your readers. It can cut down some of the mental effort it takes to understand something new.  

If all the technical knowledge is taking up the word count, there’s no room to put any personality behind the piece. And if you’re churning the same phrases as everyone else in your sector, there’s no way for your content to stand out.  

 

Content needs to connect with all types of readers

It’s been repeated over and over because it’s true – people want connection. And if you’re using intense sector-specific knowledge, you limit your audience to the select few who understand what you’re talking about. Keeping it simple broadens your audience from people who already know what you mean, to people who want to learn more.  

This also cuts down the waffle, or fluff words. Politicians are often first on the chopping block for this, especially with Gen Z on TikTok. We’re quick to dissect and break down a politician making this big speech that promises a lot, but actually says very little. It creates this sense of disappointment – there’s a disconnect between what we thought we were getting out of the conversation, and what we actually received.  

Cutting the fluff keeps the content straight to the point, and answers the questions right. 

 

If your intelligence sounds artificial, people will assume it is

People will be quick to pin your words to AI. Where the lines between human words and AI-generated content are getting increasingly blurred, any hint of clunky, unnecessary jargon will be a huge red flag. 

Real human value comes from emotion and personality, something AI can’t replicate. And using long, confusing words can strip content of that human element, again creating that disconnect and potentially harming the trust in your brand. 

 

There will always be a time and place for corporate jargon, so use it when it matters. But when it comes to content, don’t overcomplicate it. If there’s two words that say what you mean, it’s probably best to stick with the simpler option.  

 

And if you want to circle back to more writing tips, have a look at our blog: the power of storytelling. 

originally posted to www.carnsight.com

 

In the past, publishing a story meant printing it, mistakes and all. Corrections could be issued, but only after the fact, and usually in the next day’s paper. Today, stories can be amended or rewritten in real time. But that flexibility comes with new questions about credibility and control: when is it right to make a change, and when does it cross a line? What’s feasible and what’s never, ever going to happen?

For PRs and brands, understanding the difference is essential.  

What can be changed?

The good news is that factual errors can usually be corrected (e.g. spelling mistakes, incorrect job titles, dates, or statistics). These are small but important fixes, and journalists are generally quick to sort them out. 

More significant inaccuracies – like a misquote, a wrongly attributed statement, or a misrepresented fact – can also be corrected. In these cases, you might even see a visible “correction note” at the bottom of an article.  

BUT: corrections are at the editor’s discretion, and are never guaranteed (yes, even if it’s a factual inaccuracy). 

Timing matters. The sooner you flag it, the higher the chance of a fix. As PRs, it’s part of our job to read through every piece of coverage forensically. We check to make sure everything is as it should be. That’s an important distinction from what we and our clients may want – i.e. names, dates, numbers, anything that is factual, as opposed to angles or views expressed.  

What can’t usually be changed?

Not everything is up for negotiation (in fact, most things aren’t). Journalists won’t rewrite an article simply because you don’t like the tone or wished they’d focused on a different angle. Omissions – for example, leaving out a detail you had hoped would be included – aren’t typically corrected either. 

Opinion is also off-limits. Comment pieces, reviews, or analysis reflect the writer’s viewpoint. Unless there’s a clear factual error, you can’t expect these to be altered after publication. Once a piece is live, it belongs to the outlet, not the contributor or the brand. 

Best practice for requesting corrections

If you do need to ask for a correction, here’s some suggestions on how to go about it:  

Why corrections matter

At their core, corrections protect trust. They safeguard the credibility of both the brand and the publication (and the journalist on the byline!). And actually, rather than being a sign of weakness, a transparent correction can actually strengthen a reader’s confidence in the outlet by proving their commitment to integrity. 

For brands (and their PRs), understanding what can and can’t be changed helps set realistic expectations. For readers, it’s reassurance that accuracy still matters and their news source is reliable. Especially in this latest era of rampant fake news… 

So, can a story be changed once its published?

Yes – but only when it comes to facts. Accuracy is non-negotiable. Preference, tone, or “I wish it had read differently” usually won’t wash. Knowing the difference can save a lot of time, frustration, and unnecessary back-and-forth. 

We’ve helped clients navigate corrections calmly and effectively, ensuring stories are always as accurate and fair as possible.  

If you want to chat about which PR approach is right for you, get in touch. Or, if you’re not sure if you’re ready to start PR at all, you can check out our what to get right before you start PR blog.