Digital PR in Australia: How to land links down under

If you’re used to running Digital PR campaigns in the UK or US, you’ll come to realise that Australia has a very different media landscape from these more populated countries. With fewer publications and journalists to work with, and different ideas on what content works and what doesn’t, landing links down under requires a different approach. 

Here’s what I’ve learned about how to make Digital PR work in Australia over the last two and a half years of working in Australia. 

1: Always have a case study ready to go

If you want to sell a story in Australia, a strong case study can make or break your chances of getting coverage. I’ve lost count of how many times a journalist has come back to say, “This is great, but do you have someone we can speak to?”

Whether it’s a personal finance campaign needing a saver who hit their goals, or a lifestyle piece about moving house, journalists here want real people to bring data to life.

Sometimes your client will have a relevant spokesperson or customer, but if not, here’s a list of places you may be able to find a relevant case study for your story: 

• Journalist requests platforms, such as Sourcebottle 

• If you live in Australia or know someone who does, ask around your network to see if anyone can speak on their experience with the topic 

• Check out relevant Reddit forums and get in touch with users speaking on the issue 

• Join local Facebook groups and create a post asking if anyone has had an experience on the issue, and if they’d be happy to speak to media 

• Post on your social networks and get your team to share the post to reach more people 

• If you need a business case study, call around local businesses to see if they’d be interested in speaking on the issue 

2: Journalists want to build great relationships 

One of the biggest differences between the UK and Australian media scenes is how relationship-driven it is. In the UK, I never once met a journalist for coffee, but in Australia, it can be a valuable tool. 

Because the media landscape here is smaller, there’s a limited pool of journalists covering each beat. That means there’s more competition for their attention, and standing out in their inbox isn’t always enough. What does work? Having a strong relationship. Those journalists that you have interacted with in person or via the phone are more likely to get back to you, whether that be with a yes to the story or valuable feedback you can use moving forward. 

Australian journalists are generally open, collaborative, and generous with their time when approached respectfully. Many will even tell you when they plan to cover your story, offer feedback, or reach out for extra quotes and case studies. 

Because the media pool is smaller, the key is to focus on quality over quantity. Don’t blast every contact with the same pitch — tailor your angles, nurture genuine connections, and invest time in those relationships. I’ve landed coverage weeks or even months later from a journalist remembering a coffee chat or quick call where we bounced around story ideas.

3: Reactive PR can be more difficult 

Reactive PR can be hit and miss here unless you’re providing something truly unique, such as strong data, expert commentary from a trained professional (think doctors, lawyers, or researchers), or a completely fresh hook the newsroom hasn’t seen before. 

While in the UK, stories like “The exact date to turn your heating on” and “Expert reveals three hacks to save money on your bills” get picked up often, these wouldn’t land coverage in Australia. 

What’s worked best for Prosperity Media clients is having credible spokespeople who can offer insight journalists can’t easily find elsewhere. We’ve also seen strong results from reactive stories backed by unique data, paired with expert commentary that adds depth and credibility. Beyond that, bringing niche industry news to journalists’ attention and providing a fresh angle they might not consider themselves can also open opportunities. 

For example, instead of pitching a typical story on how to maintain your air conditioner to save money, we looked at how air conditioning can actually help reduce hay fever symptoms, which caught the interest of Australia’s biggest news platform. 

By reframing familiar topics in unexpected ways and adding valuable expertise, you can transform an everyday idea into something genuinely newsworthy.

4: The Christmas holidays last for months 

Planning an end-of-year campaign? You might want to hold off. From mid-December to late January, most Australian newsrooms operate on skeleton staff — and your inbox will fill with “out of office” replies. 

January in particular is peak holiday season in Australia, so if your story isn’t urgent, launching in February will give it a much better shot at traction.

5: Journalists need something to link to 

Since launching our Digital PR offering at Prosperity Media, 60% of the coverage we’ve secured has included links. However, there’s still a big disconnect between Traditional PR and SEO-led PR. Many brands focus purely on mentions or brand awareness, without realising they could be earning valuable backlinks at the same time.

Feedback we’ve had from journalists is that they’re happy to link, but only when there’s something genuinely valuable to send readers to. That might be original data, an in-depth resource, a calculator or tool, or a detailed expert guide that adds context and credibility to the story.

6: Localised outreach drives the best results 

When ideating campaigns, it’s always smart to consider state and regional angles. Australia is a vast country with eight states, each home to several major state-wide publications that attract hundreds of thousands of readers and carry strong domain authority.

Local and regional press in Australia also tend to have high authority, and many smaller outlets syndicate their stories nationally. This means that a well-crafted local angle could start as a piece in a regional paper and end up earning a link from one of the country’s biggest news sites.

Journalists at these publications often require a clear local hook, so tailoring your data or commentary by state or city can dramatically increase your chances of coverage. In such a compact media landscape, those regional insights can make all the difference in standing out and securing high-quality links.

Overall, Digital PR in Australia requires a slightly different approach than in other markets, but the principles are simple: build genuine relationships, offer real value, and think strategically about your angles. By investing in credible spokespeople, case studies, and unique data, you give journalists something trustworthy and newsworthy to work with. Meeting journalists for coffee, picking up the phone, and tailoring pitches with local, state, or regional hooks can help your stories stand out in a small but highly influential media landscape.

If you want any information on Digital PR in Australia, please get in touch!

This post was written by Ellie Sumner, Digital PR Director at Prosperity Media

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