Digital PR Glossary

Digital PR

The strategic integration of public relations activities with measurable digital marketing outcomes. Focuses on managing brand perception online while producing tangible results like backlinks, traffic, and search visibility.

PESO Model

A framework organizing media into four types: Paid (advertising), Earned (publicity), Shared (social), and Owned (brand-controlled content). The strategic layer for Digital PR planning.

DPRI Method

Digital PR Integration Method — A systematic framework that maps 11 PR activities to 22 digital marketing terms, creating 726+ correlations. The operational layer that makes the PESO model measurable.

Entity Authority

The recognition and trust that search engines and AI systems assign to a brand or person as a reliable source on specific topics. Built through consistent, cited mentions across authoritative sources.

Information Graph

The network of structured knowledge that AI systems use to understand relationships between entities, topics, and concepts. Digital PR builds presence within this graph.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a campaign or activity is achieving key objectives.

ROI (Return on Investment)

A measure of the profitability of an investment, calculated as (Gain - Cost) / Cost. In Digital PR, ROI includes both tangible (traffic, leads) and intangible (awareness, sentiment) returns.

AMEC Framework

The Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communications' framework for measuring PR effectiveness. Emphasizes outputs, outtakes, and outcomes.

AVE (Ad Value Equivalency)

An outdated metric that attempted to value PR coverage by calculating what equivalent advertising space would cost. Now widely discredited in the industry.

Branded Search Volume

The number of times people search for your brand name or branded terms. An increase in branded search volume is a strong indicator of PR effectiveness.

Share of Voice

The percentage of total industry conversation that mentions your brand compared to competitors. A key metric for measuring market visibility.

Engagement Rate

The percentage of an audience that interacts with content (likes, comments, shares, clicks). A key metric for measuring content effectiveness on social platforms.

Sentiment Analysis

The use of natural language processing to determine whether mentions of a brand are positive, negative, or neutral.

Referral Traffic

Website visitors who arrive by clicking a link on another website, as opposed to direct traffic or search traffic. A key metric for measuring Digital PR effectiveness.

UTM Parameters

Tags added to URLs to track the source, medium, and campaign of traffic in analytics tools. Essential for measuring Digital PR campaign performance.

Earned Media

Publicity gained through promotional efforts other than paid advertising. Includes news coverage, reviews, social shares, and organic mentions. Considered the most credible type of media in the PESO model.

Owned Media

Content channels that a brand controls, such as websites, blogs, newsletters, and social media profiles. The central hub for all brand communications in the PESO model.

UGC (User-Generated Content)

Content created by users or customers rather than the brand. Highly valuable in influencer campaigns as it extends reach and adds authenticity.

Viral Content

Content that spreads rapidly through social sharing, reaching a large audience in a short time. Virality often depends on emotional triggers and shareability.

Press Release

An official statement issued to media outlets announcing newsworthy information. In Digital PR, press releases are optimized for search and often include multimedia assets.

ORM (Online Reputation Management)

The practice of monitoring and influencing how a brand or individual is perceived online. Includes proactive content creation and reactive response to negative mentions.

Crisis Communications

The strategic management of communication during a crisis to protect and defend an organization's reputation. Includes preparation, response, and recovery phases.

Holding Statement

A pre-approved statement used in the initial hours of a crisis when full details are not yet available. Acknowledges the situation while buying time for investigation.

Streisand Effect

A phenomenon where attempting to hide or censor information results in greater publicity. Often leveraged intentionally in "banned ad" PR stunts.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The practice of optimizing content and websites to rank higher in search engine results. Digital PR contributes to SEO primarily through earned backlinks and entity authority.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

The practice of optimizing content to appear in AI-generated answers and featured snippets. Unlike traditional SEO, AEO focuses on providing direct answers to questions that AI assistants can cite.

Backlink

A link from another website to your website. High-quality backlinks from authoritative sources are a key objective in Digital PR, as they improve search engine rankings and drive referral traffic.

DA (Domain Authority)

A search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages. Scale of 1-100, with higher scores indicating greater authority.

Nofollow Link

A type of link that includes an attribute telling search engines not to pass ranking value. While less valuable for SEO, nofollow links from major publications still drive referral traffic and brand awareness.

Link Building

The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. In Digital PR, this is achieved through newsworthy content and media relations rather than technical SEO tactics.

Influencer

An individual who has built a loyal following and can persuade their audience to take action. Categorized by follower count: Nano (1K-10K), Micro (10K-100K), Mid-tier (100K-500K), Macro (500K-1M), Mega (1M+).

KOL (Key Opinion Leader)

A respected expert whose endorsement carries professional credibility. Distinguished from influencers by their expertise and authority in a specific field.

Content Amplification

The process of extending the reach of content through paid promotion, influencer partnerships, and strategic distribution across multiple channels.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

A psychological trigger used in marketing that creates urgency by suggesting limited availability or time-sensitive opportunities.

Media List

A curated database of journalists, editors, and content creators relevant to your industry or campaign, including their contact information and coverage areas.

Pitch

A concise message sent to journalists or influencers proposing a story idea. Effective pitches are personalized, timely, and clearly explain the value to their audience.

PR Stunt

A planned, engineered event designed to generate media coverage and social engagement. Unlike moment marketing, PR stunts create the conversation rather than join an existing one.

Moment Marketing

The practice of inserting a brand into existing conversations by reacting quickly to trending topics, news events, or cultural moments.

Newsjacking

The practice of capitalizing on breaking news stories by inserting your brand's perspective or offering relevant expertise to journalists covering the story.

3V Framework

A validation filter for PR stunts: Is it Visual (clear photo opportunity), Viral (share-worthy), and Values-aligned (on-brand)?

SMART Goals

Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The standard framework for setting PR campaign objectives.

Thought Leadership

The establishment of an individual or brand as an authority and trusted voice on specific topics. Built through consistent sharing of expertise and original insights.

HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

A service connecting journalists with expert sources. PR professionals use it to secure media placements by responding to journalist queries.

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation — EU law on data protection and privacy that affects how PR professionals collect and manage personal data for outreach.