Thread by @justdebbb

To get backlinks, your data-backed research reports don't have to be:

• a fancy, interactive landing page
• 3,000+ words with lots of charts

Here's a look at the "bite-sized reports" that @zapier has been doing 👇

1/ These are a bit hard to find since they aren't in one subfolder, but in @ahrefs you can go to the Site Explorer, type in "zapier.com", then choose "Best by links" and filter the URLs for the word "report"

2/ Example 1: Side Hustle Report

Results:
• 700+ referring domains
• Links from Yahoo, Business Insider, CNBC, Buzzfeed, etc.
• Ranks for keywords like "side hustle stats"

3/ Instead of "Side Hustle Report" as the title, they pulled one of the most impactful stats and used that as the title of the report.

And guess how long is the report?

It's only 597 words 🤯

4/ Example 2: WFH Report

• 300+ referring domains
• Links from Entrepreneur, MSN, Fast Company, Insider, etc.
• <700 words

5/ Now, before you drop everything and try this tactic, here are important things to note:

• These reports drove lots of links but not a ton of traffic (according to Ahrefs)
• They aren't currently ranking for high volume keywords like "side hustle" or "work from home"

6/ So whatever you do, make sure you clearly lay out your goals (and expectations) before you try this — or any link building tactic.

If your main goals are to drive lots of links and position your business as thought leader on a topic, this may work for you.

7/ What were my learnings? You don't need a fancy report to get links.

You just need to uncover stats that can tell a compelling a story.

That story should ideally be:

• something controversial
• something timely or trending, or
• something unexpected, debunks a belief

8/ Of course, a report needs to have truly valuable content to actually secure those links — especially when you're targeting journalists.

https://twitter.com/CarrieRosePR/status/1482694477290561543

9/ Once you have all that ready to go, get it in front of the right people.

Be sure to also keep an eye out for unlinked mentions of your report, and go get'em! 💪

10/ P.S. Did you know Zapier is pronounced as "zappier" and not "zay-pier"?

Their slogan is "Zapier makes you happier" 😃

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https://twitter.com/justdebbb/status/1491798149509222404