Earn the links, coverage and credibility your startup needs to rank, without paying agency prices.
You've built something good. A new site, a brand identity you're proud of, and a product people actually need.
But Google doesn't know who you are yet.
And neither does your target audience.
I'm Adam Docherty, a freelance digital PR consultant who helps startups earn high-quality backlinks and media coverage from reputable publications. They're the kind of links that build authority, boost rankings and put your brand in front of a wider audience.
I run every campaign personally. No juniors, and no retainers you can't get out of.
5+ Years
Experience
UK
Based
New websites have a trust problem.
You can publish great SEO content, optimise every page and put out blog posts every week. But if no reputable sites link to you, search engines have very little reason to rank you above competitors who've been around for years.
That's the gap digital PR fills.
Digital PR is public relations built for search. Instead of chasing print clippings, the aim is to earn coverage on online publications that link back to your site. Every backlink from a trusted outlet tells Google your brand is worth taking seriously.
For an established brand, digital PR is one channel among many. For a startup, it's often the fastest way to build the authority you're missing.
SEO gets your site ready to rank. Digital PR gives it the authority to actually do it.
Here's what a strategic digital PR campaign does for a young brand.
Customers are wary of brands they've never heard of. So are investors.
Coverage in a national or trade publication changes that fast. An "As featured in" strip on your homepage does a lot of heavy lifting when nobody knows your name yet.
Backlinks from reputable media outlets are still one of the strongest ranking signals there is. I focus on relevant, genuine editorial coverage rather than promising Domain Rating scores or padding a spreadsheet.
Every piece of media coverage puts your brand in front of readers who'd never have found you otherwise. That brand exposure builds recognition over time, and it helps grow your client base beyond what organic traffic can do on its own.
AI tools increasingly answer questions by citing trusted publications. If your startup is mentioned in those sources, you've got a much better chance of being named in the answer.
Start early and you're ahead of competitors who haven't thought about it yet.
You don't need to be a household name to give a journalist something useful. This Liverpool Echo example names Clare from Bust The Dust as the expert behind practical cleaning advice.
Read the Bust The Dust case study
Agencies have their place. But for most startups, they're not the right fit.
Big digital PR agencies tend to work on monthly retainers with long minimum terms. You get pitched by a director, then handed to a junior account exec who's juggling a bunch of other clients.
When you're watching every pound, that's a tough sell.
Working with an independent digital PR specialist is different:
You deal with me directly. I plan, write and pitch every campaign myself.
No long contracts. Packages are priced by link volume, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
Senior experience without agency overhead. You get the strategy and outreach skills without paying for an office full of account managers.
Room to grow. Start with a smaller campaign, then scale up as your startup does.
Now an honest caveat. No one can promise a journalist will run your story, and anyone who says otherwise isn't being straight with you.
What I can do is guarantee the minimum number of links in your package. If a campaign falls short, I keep going until it's met.
Big brands have big budgets. Startups have founders with something to say.
Journalists are always looking for credible industry experts to comment on their stories. A founder who knows their market inside out is exactly who they want to hear from.
That's why most of my digital PR efforts centre on expert commentary: sharp, quotable insight from you or your team, pitched to the journalists covering your industry.
I'll also help you build a proper author profile for your spokesperson. Journalists are more cautious than ever about who they quote, and a solid profile removes the doubt. (I wrote a whole post on why you should be building author profiles.)
It works well for startups because:
This YorkshireLive story pairs seasonal advice with a quote from Natalie Surtees, COO and co-founder of the group behind Perfect Pet. It's an example of how a spokesperson's expertise can connect a brand to a relevant news story.
Before I write a single pitch, I get to know your startup. Who are your customers? Which publications do they read? Which pages and keywords need the most help to rank?
Those answers shape every decision after.
I build angles around your founder's expertise and what's happening in the news. That could be expert commentary, a reactive press release or a timely comment on a trending topic.
Every story is written for the journalist first, because that's what gets it published.
No spray-and-pray outreach. I build a targeted media list and pitch each journalist individually, focusing on the outlets your target audience actually reads.
You'll see exactly what your campaign earned. I split results into high tier coverage, which counts towards your guaranteed links, and other coverage, such as syndicated stories.
I'll also track backlinks, media mentions, ranking movement and organic traffic, so you know your digital PR is paying off.
Digital PR works best when it isn't working alone.
I don't run social media management or influencer campaigns. But the coverage I earn gives every other channel something to talk about.
Share your press wins to build trust with followers.
Collaborating with influencers is easier when people already recognise your name, and press coverage gives them a credible reason to work with you.
Commentary and media mentions can be reused in blog posts, newsletters and sales decks.
Links from digital PR push authority to the pages your copywriting and content creation have gone into.
If you already have someone handling these channels, I'm happy to collaborate with them so your message stays consistent everywhere.
I work with startups across a range of sectors, particularly:
Ecommerce brands that need authority to compete for product and category keywords
Travel companies trying to stand out in a crowded market
Trades and handyman businesses building a reputation beyond word of mouth
Health brands where credibility and trust really matter
Motoring businesses with expert insight journalists love to quote
Supply shops taking on big retailers online
The right publication depends on the story and the audience. These examples show both a national home-care headline and coverage in an insurance trade publication. They're examples of my wider campaign work, not startup-specific results.
Results
110
total live placements from a 5-link order
Here's what one campaign can do.
For online bathroom retailer Bella Bathrooms, a minimum order of 5 high tier links turned into 110 total live placements across major UK titles.
Read the Bella Bathrooms case studyAffordable Digital PR for Startups, with packages to suit your budget and stage of growth. Start with focused outreach or choose a full campaign as your business scales.
£750
Best for: Early-stage startups with smaller budgets
Enquire Now£1,250
Best for: Startups looking to build authority and organic visibility
Enquire Now£2,200
Best for: Growing startups ready to scale their visibility
Enquire NowAll links are earned through genuine editorial coverage, not paid placements. Journalists and editors decide what to publish, so I don't promise coverage in specific publications or guarantee Domain Rating metrics.
Every package includes:
If you need to rank in search and build trust quickly, yes. A new site with no authority will struggle to rank, however good the content is. Digital PR earns the backlinks and credibility that help close that gap.
Coverage can land within days of a pitch. Ranking improvements usually take longer, as search engines find and process the new links. It's a long game, but the results build on each other.
No. Most of my campaigns use expert commentary, which relies on your founder's knowledge rather than a big announcement. Journalists need expert voices every day.
Yes. For most startups, the founder is the best person for the job. I'll help shape their comments and build an author profile that journalists trust.
I guarantee the minimum number of links in your package. I can't promise any one journalist will run a story, but if a campaign falls short, I keep working until the minimum is met.
No long retainers. Packages are priced by link volume, so you can run one campaign and decide what's next from there.
I write press releases and expert commentary as part of every campaign. I don't run influencer campaigns, but I'm happy to work alongside whoever does.
Your competitors already have the links. And the coverage. And the authority.
You don't need an agency retainer to catch up. You need a digital PR consultant who gets startups and runs every campaign personally.
That's how you earn the links.
That's how you build credibility.
That's how you rank.