Digital PR Specialist — Earn Editorial Coverage & Links for a Hardwood Decking Data Study (US media)

Ipe Woods USA (ipewoods.com) is a US supplier of tropical hardwood decking and lumber — Ipe, Cumaru, Tigerwood, Garapa, Massaranduba — selling to homeowners, contractors, and architects since 2017. We're hiring a digital PR freelancer to take an original data study we'll provide (or co-develop with you) and earn coverage for it in home, building, outdoor-living, real estate, and design media, plus trade press for deck builders and architects. We are not looking for guest posts, link insertions, "sponsored post" placements, or anyone who owns or resells a site network. We want earned editorial coverage: a journalist or editor chooses to cover the study and links to the source. THE ASSET (working concept — we'll finalize with you) "The 2026 Deck Cost & Lifespan Index" — pricing, regional cost variation, and expected service life across decking materials (tropical hardwoods, cedar, pressure-treated, composite), built from our own order data plus public sources. We'll supply the data; we're open to your input on the angle that will land best. WHAT YOU'LL DO 1. Review the dataset and recommend the strongest story angles (2–3), with the outlet types each angle fits. 2. Build a targeted media list of 60–100 relevant US journalists, editors, and trade publications (home & garden, building/remodeling, real estate, outdoor living, deck-builder and architect trade press, regional outlets in high-deck markets). 3. Write the press materials: pitch email(s), a short press summary, and 2–3 ready-to-quote data points. 4. Run outreach and follow-ups over 4–6 weeks. 5. Report every placement with the live URL, outlet, link type (dofollow / nofollow / unlinked mention), anchor text, and date. Report every pitch sent and every reply. BUDGET & MILESTONES $1,500–$3,000 fixed, paid by milestone: • M1 ($400): angle recommendation + media list delivered and approved. • M2 ($400): press materials approved by us. • M3 ($700–$2,200 depending on agreed scope): outreach complete, final placement report delivered. • Placement bonus: $150 per placement on a site with 50K+ monthly organic visits and a live, indexed, dofollow link to ipewoods.com, capped at $1,500. Paid at M3 on verified links (we check in Ahrefs and Google). State your placement rate and typical outlet tier in your proposal. REQUIREMENTS • Proven track record of earned coverage: share 5+ live URLs of placements you personally secured, with the client and the pitch that landed them. • Experience pitching data-driven or study-based stories, not product announcements. • US media relationships in home, building, real estate, or design. Trade press experience (e.g., deck, lumber, remodeling, architecture publications) is a strong plus. • You own the outreach yourself; no subcontracting or mass-mailer blasts. • Write clean, native-level English. GROUND RULES (non-negotiable) • No paid placements, link networks, or sites you or partners control. If you're unsure whether an outlet qualifies, ask. • Any copy that describes our company, products, or prices is approved by us before it goes out. Do not make sustainability certification claims (we do not use FSC claims); we reference NHLA grading and IWPA membership only. Price references use floor language ("from about $X per linear foot"), never a fixed range. • Anchor text is the brand name or a natural phrase, never a stuffed keyword. • No press placement guarantees expected — we know editorial coverage can't be guaranteed — but we do expect a documented pitch effort and honest reporting. TIMELINE Kickoff within 1 week of hire; media list in week 1–2; outreach weeks 3–7; final report week 8. HOW WE'LL EVALUATE PROPOSALS Sample placements and outlet quality first, pitch thinking second, price third. Generic proposals that don't answer the screening questions will be declined.