Digital PR is voted the most effective tactic
Editorial.link's 2025 practitioner survey asked respondents to rank the most effective link-building tactic of the past twelve months. Digital PR took the top spot for the second year running, ahead of guest posting, niche edits and linkable assets. The gap between digital PR and guest posting is narrowing year-on-year as guest-post markets saturate and editorial scepticism rises. Three years ago guest posting still led the same survey. For anyone reallocating budget for 2026, the trend line matters more than the snapshot: even if digital PR stays at number one, the relative effectiveness gap to guest posting is closing fast enough that mixed programmes are likely to outperform pure-play.
Methodology: Editorial.link 2025 practitioner survey. About LinkPanda.
Digital PR Statistics: How Effective Is It?
The headline digital PR statistic from this survey: practitioners vote digital PR the single most effective link building tactic of the past twelve months. In the digital PR vs link building comparison the line is blurring, because digital PR is increasingly how the strongest links get built, pairing data stories with journalist outreach. Related digital PR statistics: campaigns average about $750 per link earned and 67.3% of teams now use it as their primary method.
How effective is digital PR compared with other tactics?
In this survey it ranks first, ahead of guest posting, niche edits and linkable assets. Respondents credit the editorial quality and authority of the links it earns.
Why is digital PR so effective for link building?
It earns links from journalists who choose to cite a story, so placements are editorial, relevant and on sites that rarely sell links at any price.
