Digital PR Campaign Brief Template

Digital PR Campaign Brief (fill-in)

When to use: One page per campaign with news angle, original data, audience, target outlets, spokesperson, owners and a completion check.

Digital PR campaign brief

One brief per campaign. Fill every row before anyone builds assets or writes a pitch. Empty rows are open questions, not details.

Campaign: [working name] - Brief owner: [name] - Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] - Launch window: [dates]

Brief details

• One-line story: [subject + finding + who it affects]
• Why now: [season, news event, policy change or none]
• Assets: [method page, chart, data table, quotes, images with credits]
• Embargo or exclusive: [none / embargo until date and time / exclusive to outlet]
• Risks: [sensitive topic, weak sample, legal review needed]
• Not doing: [what is out of scope, e.g. paid placements]

Next action

• Campaign lead: [name] - task: sign off angle, audience and outlets by [date]
• Data owner: [name] - task: finish the method card and check every number by [date]
• Spokesperson: [name] - task: approve quotes and block interview time by [date]
• Legal or compliance: [name] - task: review claims and disclosures by [date]

Completion check

• The news angle fits in one headline and is true to the data.
• Every number in the pitch traces back to the method card.
• The spokesperson's credential matches the topic, and quotes are approved.
• Target outlets are named, with a recent article that shows each one covers the topic.
• The landing page is live, with the method and a way to contact the press team.
• Nobody is planning to pay for links in coverage.

News Angle Test

When to use: Score the story before you collect data, and write it as a national, trade and local headline.

News angle test

A journalist needs a story, not your product news. Score the angle before you collect a single row of data.

Write the angle three ways

• Headline: [what a news editor would print]
• Trade angle: [what a trade outlet in your industry would print]
• Local angle: [what a regional outlet would print, if your data splits by region]

Check search demand for the topic and the questions people ask with Keyword Research. It helps you pick words for the landing page.

Original Data Method Card

When to use: The method details journalists ask for, covering key AAPOR disclosure items, plus data rules before launch.

Original data method card

Journalists and editors will ask how you got the numbers. Publish the answers on the landing page before launch.

These fields cover key disclosure items from the AAPOR Code for survey results, checked 11 November 2026.

• Sponsor and who ran it: [your company + survey or data partner]
• Exact question wording: [each question the results come from]
• Population: [who could take part, with the rules used]
• Dates of data collection: [start and end dates]
• Sample size: [number of respondents or records, per mode]
• Sample type: [probability or non-probability, and how people were recruited]
• Mode: [online panel, phone, own product data, public dataset]
• Weighting: [variables used, or not weighted]

Data rules before launch

• Report only numbers you can reproduce from the raw data.
• Say what the data can't show. A non-probability panel does not speak for everyone.
• Use your own product data only in aggregate, and only if your privacy terms allow it.
• Ask a second person to recheck every number in the pitch against the data.

Audience and Target Outlets

When to use: Pick readers first, then outlets that serve them, with proof that each one covers the topic.

Audience and target outlets

Pick the readers first, then the outlets that serve them. A smaller list of outlets that cover the topic beats a large blast.

Outlet fields

• Outlet and section: [name and section]
• Journalist and beat: [name, what they cover]
• Recent article: [URL and date]
• Why this outlet: [one line]
• Angle sent: [headline / trade / local / comment]

Write pitches with the Digital PR Media Pitch Template. For journalist requests, use the HARO Journalist Response Evidence Pack Template.

Spokesperson, Approvals and Link Rules

When to use: Choose the spokesperson, agree sign-offs, and stay within Google's link rules and FTC disclosure rules.

Spokesperson, approvals and link rules

Pick one spokesperson the journalist can quote with confidence, and agree on what needs sign-off before launch.

• Spokesperson: [name, role]
• Credential: [why they can speak on this topic]
• Bio page: [URL with photo and role]
• Approved quotes: [2 to 3 short quotes, approved on date]
• Available: [days and times for interviews]
• Topics to decline: [what they won't comment on]

Approval steps

• Data owner signs off every number.
• Spokesperson approves quotes in the exact wording sent.
• Legal or compliance reviews claims in regulated topics.
• Campaign lead approves the final pitch and outlet list.

Link and disclosure rules

• Journalists decide whether to link. Ask for a credit to the data page, never demand a followed link.
• Never pay for links in coverage. Google lists paid links that pass ranking credit as link spam.
• Google's spam policies also list links with optimized anchor text in press releases distributed on other sites as link spam.
• In the US, the FTC Endorsement Guides say paid experts and creators who promote you should disclose that connection clearly.

Sources: Google's spam policies and the FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ, both checked 11 November 2026.

Planning a data-led campaign? Book a free consultation with Anatolii Ulitovskyi.

Outlet and Coverage Log (CSV)

When to use: A paste-ready header row to track outlets, pitches, coverage, links and outcomes.

Paste-ready outlet and coverage log

Paste this row into cell A1 of Google Sheets or Excel, then split text to columns by comma. One row per outlet.

outlet_id,outlet,section,outlet_type,journalist,beat,recent_article_url,recent_article_date,why_fit,angle_sent,pitch_date,follow_up_date,embargo_until,response,interview_date,coverage_url,coverage_date,mentions_brand,links_to,link_attribute,data_cited_correctly,referral_visits,enquiries,owner,status

Allowed values

• outlet_type: national, trade, regional, newsletter, podcast
• angle_sent: headline, trade, local, comment
• response: none, declined, interested, interview, covered
• link_attribute: none, nofollow, sponsored, ugc, no_link
• status: listed, pitched, followed_up, covered, closed

Measuring the campaign

• Log coverage even without a link. Mentions still count as coverage.
• Check that coverage quotes your numbers correctly. Ask for a correction if not.
• See your domain's strongest links and their first-seen dates in the Backlink Analyzer.
• After launch, check whether AI answers name your brand or cite your site with the AI Visibility Checker.

Worked Example (fictional bike commuting app)

When to use: A filled brief for an invented bike commuting app's winter survey, with a method card and approvals.

Worked example: Corriebrook commute survey

Example only. Corriebrook is an invented bike commuting app. The survey, numbers, outlets, people and dates are made up to show a filled-in brief.

Campaign: Winter bike commute survey - Brief owner: PR lead - Date: 29 Sep 2026 - Launch window: 17 to 21 Nov 2026

How the brief was used

• Method card: non-probability online panel, fielded 6 to 12 Oct 2026, not weighted. The landing page says so.
• Regional angle: held back, because the sample per city was too small to report.
• Quotes: three quotes approved by Dana on 22 Oct 2026, word for word.
• Links: pitches ask for a credit to the data page. No paid placements in the plan.

Why this works

• The angle is specific and backed by one question in the data.
• The weak regional split was cut before a journalist found it.
• Every outlet on the list already covers bike commuting.