Digital PR Specialist for Original-Data Link-Building Campaigns (Finance/Tax, YMYL)

ABOUT THE ROLE We're a tax-filing platform building search and AI-answer authority the right way: through original-data digital PR that earns editorial backlinks from real publications — not paid links, not guest-post farms, not PBNs. We have proprietary, anonymized data most PR people would love to get their hands on (original tax-extension behavior data, segmentable by state). We need a specialist who can turn that data into newsworthy stories, pitch them to journalists, and earn high-quality dofollow editorial coverage. The work is timed to the 2027 U.S. tax season, so the calendar is fixed and planning starts now. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Take our proprietary dataset (plus, for some campaigns, a commissioned survey or public IRS data) and identify the genuinely newsworthy angles — national, state-by-state, and demographic. - Write the spec for a linkable, embeddable on-site data asset (interactive state map, charts, methodology) — we handle the build, you direct it. - Build a targeted, beat-specific media list (national personal-finance/money/tax reporters plus regional desks for state angles). - Write and run outreach: tier-1 exclusives first, then wide; reactive pitching via Qwoted, Source of Sources, Featured, and #JournoRequest. - Earn editorial placements and report on links, referring domains, and DR. - Work alongside 1-2 junior team members who handle list-building, monitoring, follow-ups, and tracking under your direction. MUST-HAVES (WE WILL SCREEN HARD ON THESE) - A portfolio of real, verifiable editorial placements you personally earned, with the publication names and their DR/DA. This is the first thing we look at. - Proven experience running data-driven "data study" digital PR campaigns (original data or survey, leading to press coverage and links). - Strong journalist-grade pitch and subject-line writing; you understand that the stat, not the brand, is the hook. - Media-list building and beat research, including regional/local press for state-level angles. - Comfort with survey design and basic data analysis, and a rigorous approach to methodology and accuracy. - Familiarity with current journalist-sourcing platforms (Qwoted, Source of Sources, Featured.com, #JournoRequest). NICE TO HAVE - Experience in finance, tax, or another YMYL vertical, and an understanding of why accuracy and E-E-A-T matter there. - Data-visualization sense (Datawrapper, Flourish) and on-page SEO fundamentals (embeds, internal linking, anchor-text awareness). PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IF To save us both time — this is a hard filter: - You sell "guaranteed links" or link packages by the dozen. - Your method involves PBNs, link networks, paid/sponsored placements, or guest-post marketplaces. We want earned editorial coverage only. For a tax (YMYL) site, paid and manipulative links are a liability, not an asset. - You can't show named publications and DR for links you've actually earned. ENGAGEMENT Project-based, with strong potential for ongoing seasonal work (this repeats every tax year). We'd like to start with a small paid trial — for example, one sample angle plus a starter media list, or a single mini-campaign — before committing to the full season. Propose the structure and rate that fits your process. TO APPLY, PLEASE INCLUDE 1. Lead your proposal with one data-study campaign you personally ran, the single best link it earned (publication plus DR), and the result. Proposals that skip this go to the bottom of the pile. 2. 3-5 links to placements you earned, with the outlets named. 3. In 2-3 sentences: how you find the newsworthy angle in a dataset. 4. In 1-2 sentences: how you keep data claims accurate and defensible for a sensitive (YMYL) topic. 5. Your proposed engagement model and rate for a paid trial.