How to Earn Media Coverage and Backlinks Without High Domain Authority

Why Media Coverage and Backlinks Matter in SEO and AI Search

Backlinks remain a critical SEO signal, serving as a vote of confidence in the eyes of search engines. But as AI changes how people find information, media coverage now carries even greater weight.

OpenAI’s Partnerships with Major Media Outlets

OpenAI has licensing deals with many of the world’s biggest publishers, giving its models direct access to their content. These partnerships include Hearst (Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Men’s Health), Condé Nast (Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker), and Dotdash Meredith (People, Better Homes & Gardens, The Spruce), among hundreds of others.

Because these outlets are whitelisted, their stories can appear in ChatGPT responses, quoted, paraphrased, or referenced. That means when your brand shows up in these publications, it is more likely to influence how ChatGPT understands your company, products, or expertise. In turn, your chances of being mentioned in AI Overviews or chatbot responses increase.

Co-Citations and AI Visibility

Co-citations are brand mentions that appear alongside other trusted names, even without a direct backlink. These references help AI models connect your brand with industry authority. The more your brand shows up in credible outlets, the stronger your positioning in both search and AI-driven discovery.

How to Measure Website Authority (Domain Rating Explained)

A common benchmark is Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR), which scores sites from 0 to 100 based on backlink quality and quantity.

Domain Rating (DR) is a metric that reflects the strength of a website’s backlink profile. DR is influenced by both the quantity and quality of referring domains pointing to your site, relative to competitors. Higher DR generally signals stronger authority and higher ability to rank, but it should not discourage smaller brands. Strong content and the right campaign can earn coverage regardless of your starting score.

Digital PR Strategies Journalists Actually Cover

Journalists receive hundreds of pitches daily. Standing out requires more than a clever subject line. It takes ideas that spark genuine stories. Because you are not locked into a specific product or service, you can pitch broader, timely content that excites reporters.

Tangential Content

The best PR concepts are often related to your brand, but not directly about your product. Journalists avoid covering content that feels like an ad, so think one step removed.

Example: The Best States for Flipping Houses by Joybird earned wide coverage by tapping into the real estate market. While not about furniture, it tied back to Joybird through the natural connection of staging homes with stylish pieces.

Lead with Data-Driven Insights

Journalists love data because it makes a story credible and clickable. Surveys, proprietary datasets, and unique analysis are strong hooks that encourage linking back to your site.

Example: How Much Do Americans Think Teachers Should Earn and Work? used survey data  to reveal insights like:

Because this data was original, journalists had to reference the source when covering the story.

Get an AI Visibility Audit to see how your brand stacks up in search and AI results.

Does Domain Authority Impact Link Building Performance?

It is easy to assume you need a high DR to earn backlinks, but the numbers tell a different story. Looking across campaigns, there is no consistent trend between DR and performance:

Client DR vs. DPR Performance
Insert a chart here that compares client Domain Rating to the average number of backlinks earned per campaign.

The takeaway: Authority helps, but it is not a requirement. Even sites with little to no authority can secure top-tier coverage with the right content strategy.

FAQs

Q: Do you need domain authority to earn backlinks?
No. Even low-DR sites can earn coverage if they produce strong, newsworthy content.

Q: What type of content earns media coverage?
Tangential content and data-driven studies perform best, since they give journalists stories their readers care about.

Q: How does media coverage affect AI search visibility?
Because OpenAI partners with major publishers, mentions in top outlets can directly influence how your brand appears in AI Overviews and ChatGPT responses.

Ready to Earn Media Coverage?

You do not need decades of authority to win big coverage. With the right digital PR strategy, your brand can land in top-tier outlets, influence AI visibility, and build authority faster than your competitors.

Get an AI Visibility Audit and see how Go Fish can help you break into the news cycle.