Performance-Based PR Specialist

Job Title: Performance-Based PR Specialist for Ongoing Earned Editorial Coverage Battling Blades is seeking an experienced public relations professional to secure genuine earned editorial coverage in relevant, authoritative publications. Battling Blades is an established ecommerce retailer and manufacturer specializing in swords, knives, axes, spears, historical weapons, collectibles, licensed products, and related merchandise. This is an ongoing, fixed-price, performance-based opportunity. We are not looking for hourly PR services or a single article. We want to secure as many legitimate, worthwhile editorial placements as possible and are interested in building a long-term relationship with someone who can consistently produce results. This is not a guest-post, paid-backlink, press-release-distribution, or sponsored-content project. Scope of Work The selected PR professional will be responsible for: * Evaluating Battling Blades and identifying compelling, newsworthy media angles * Recommending appropriate publications and journalists * Developing or refining pitches and press materials * Conducting personalized journalist outreach * Managing follow-ups and journalist communications * Coordinating interviews, product information, images, samples, and other requested materials * Securing original earned editorial coverage * Continuously identifying additional media opportunities Potential Publication Categories Relevant publications may include: * Business and entrepreneurship * Ecommerce and retail * Manufacturing and craftsmanship * Licensing and branded merchandise * History and historical collecting * Swords, knives, martial arts, outdoor products, and enthusiast publications * Gift, lifestyle, and product publications * Major regional or national publications * Other publications with a strong and relevant editorial audience Payment Structure This is a success-based, pay-per-placement arrangement. Payment will be made only for qualifying editorial coverage that is actually published. The displayed project budget represents an estimated initial budget and is not a maximum for the relationship. There is no predetermined maximum number of placements. We want to secure as many legitimate, relevant placements as possible and will continue adding Upwork milestones for successful results. In your proposal, provide your recommended fixed price per successful placement. You may propose: * One standard price for every qualifying placement; or * A tiered pricing structure based on the quality and value of the publication We do not expect every placement to have the same value. Compensation may be negotiated based on factors such as: * Relevance to Battling Blades and our customers * Publication authority and reputation * Genuine readership and organic traffic * National, regional, or niche prominence * Depth and prominence of the coverage * Whether the coverage is a dedicated feature, interview, product story, expert quotation, or broader mention * Expected brand, referral, and SEO value We encourage applicants to pursue ambitious opportunities. If you believe you can secure coverage in an exceptional national, mainstream, business, consumer, or highly relevant industry publication, you may propose a higher success fee for that specific opportunity. Publication targets and compensation must be discussed and approved in advance. This allows us to agree that a publication is worthwhile and establish the applicable success fee before substantial work is performed. New opportunities and larger fees can be proposed at any time during the relationship. Research, strategy, media-list development, pitching, outreach, follow-ups, and other work required to secure coverage must be included in the proposed success fee and will not be billed separately. If no qualifying coverage is secured, no payment will be earned. No publication, journalist, editor, contributor, or third party may be paid for coverage. Higher compensation refers to the fee paid to the PR professional for securing a more valuable earned placement—not a payment to the publication. Qualifying Placement Requirements To qualify for payment, a placement must: * Appear in a legitimate, established publication with real readership and editorial standards * Be relevant to Battling Blades, our products, our business, or an approved media angle * Be approved by us as an appropriate target * Be genuine earned editorial coverage resulting from journalist or editor interest * Include substantive coverage of Battling Blades rather than an incidental name mention * Include a clickable link to Battling Blades * Be original, publicly accessible, and indexed * Be live and verifiable before payment is released The Following Will Not Qualify * Sponsored articles or advertorials * Paid media placements * Paid guest posts * Contributor articles written or published by the freelancer * Link insertions into existing articles * Press-release wire distribution * Syndicated or automatically republished press releases * Self-publishing platforms * User-generated content * Content farms or websites created primarily to sell links * Publications with artificial authority metrics and little genuine readership * Coverage obtained through payments to journalists, editors, contributors, or publishers * Any publication or success fee that was not approved by us Ideal Candidate We are looking for someone who: * Has documented experience securing earned editorial media coverage * Can provide examples of coverage they personally secured * Has experience developing angles that journalists will genuinely consider * Conducts individualized outreach rather than mass-email campaigns * Understands the difference between earned PR, digital PR, guest posting, sponsored content, and paid link building * Is comfortable with a performance-based, pay-per-placement arrangement * Can pursue multiple placements as part of an ongoing relationship * Communicates clearly and provides transparent outreach reporting * Can identify both attainable opportunities and ambitious, high-value targets * Does not claim guaranteed access to publications through undisclosed payments Application Questions Please answer all of the following: 1. Provide links to three genuine earned editorial placements you personally secured. 2. Briefly explain the story angle and outreach strategy behind each placement. 3. Name at least five publications you believe would be relevant and realistically attainable for Battling Blades. 4. Identify any larger or more ambitious publications you believe may be worth pursuing. 5. Suggest two specific media angles you would consider pitching for Battling Blades. 6. Provide your proposed price per successful placement. If your pricing varies based on publication quality, provide your proposed tiers, the cost of each tier, and examples of publications that would fall within each. 7. Explain whether you have existing relationships with journalists or editors in relevant categories. 8. Confirm that you will not use sponsored posts, paid placements, guest posts, link insertions, press-release syndication, contributor accounts, or third-party link vendors. Applications that do not answer these questions will not be considered. Our objective is to build an ongoing earned-media program and secure as many worthwhile placements as possible. Quality and relevance remain essential, but we are open to paying significantly more when a PR professional presents a legitimate opportunity in an exceptional publication.