DATA STUDY
What 5,272 real media placements reveal about topics, data sources, and strategies that actually earn press coverage
We analysed 5,272 media placements across 1,055 unique domains to answer the question every PR professional asks: what actually gets journalists to publish?
This is not theory. It is pattern recognition from real published articles spanning sites from the Daily Mail to Yahoo, from regional UK press to international outlets. Here is what the data shows.
Finding 1: Finance and Fashion Dominate Coverage
The top 5 topics by placement count tell a clear story about what journalists cover most:
Key Takeaway
Fashion is the most undervalued PR topic. It has the second highest placement count AND the second highest authority rate (35% of fashion placements land on top-tier domains). Yet most PR agencies focus on tech and finance.
Finding 2: You Do Not Need Original Research
The most common data sources cited in these 5,272 placements are freely available tools:
- SEO tool data (Ahrefs, SEMrush) — 301 placements (5.7%)
- Expert quotes — 91 placements
- Google search data — 68 placements
- Google Trends — 62 placements
- ONS/government data — 55 placements
That means 431 placements (8.2%) came from data anyone can access for free. You do not need a $50,000 survey to get press coverage. You need a good angle on existing data.
Pro Tip
The single most successful data source + topic combination in the entire dataset is SEO tool data + parenting topics = 234 placements. Simple formula: take Ahrefs data, apply it to a parenting angle, pitch it to family editors.
Finding 3: Fashion Is the Bridge Topic
When we looked at which topics achieve the highest rate of placement on top-tier domains (Daily Mail, The Sun, Yahoo, Mirror, etc.), fashion came in second only to finance:
- Finance: 36% authority rate (374 of 1,045 on top-tier sites)
- Fashion: 35% authority rate (309 of 886)
- Travel: 25%
- Tech: 23%
- Parenting: 20%
Fashion acts as a “bridge topic” that makes hard data accessible to wider audiences. A story about “how much Taylor Swift’s wardrobe costs” is fashion + finance + celebrity, and it lands everywhere from The Sun to Forbes.
Finding 4: Regional Press Drives the Volume
The single biggest domain in the dataset is MSN.com with 575 placements (11% of all coverage). But MSN does not have its own editorial team. It syndicates from regional and national outlets.
The top 5 domains:
- msn.com — 575
- express.co.uk — 312
- yahoo.com — 257
- thesun.co.uk — 134
- newsbreak.com — 99
The implication: pitch regional press first. One regional placement cascades to MSN, Yahoo, and other syndication networks, turning one pitch into 3-4 live URLs.
Finding 5: Seasonal Hooks Are Overrated
Only 12.3% of placements had a seasonal hook. The rest were evergreen data stories.
Top seasonal hooks: Christmas (94), Oscars (41), World Cup (39), New Year (26), Summer holidays (25), Easter (25), Valentine’s (24), Halloween (23).
This means 87.7% of successful PR coverage has nothing to do with seasonal timing. Evergreen data studies outperform seasonal content roughly 7 to 1.
Finding 6: Small Companies Win at PR
The companies with the most placements in our dataset are not Fortune 500 brands:
- QR Code Generator — 32 placements
- Bed Kingdom — 32 placements
- HomeHow.co.uk — 16 placements
- Seating Masters — 13 placements
- A-Plan Insurance — 13 placements
QR Code Generator earned 32 placements across 24 unique domains using nothing but freely available Google data applied to quirky, shareable angles. No massive PR budget. No agency retainer. Just smart data + good pitching.
Key Takeaway
You do not need to be a big brand to earn significant media coverage. The data shows that niche companies with smart data angles consistently outperform larger companies with generic PR.
The Playbook: What Works
Based on 5,272 data points, here is the formula that generates the most coverage:
- Use free data — SEO tools, Google Trends, government statistics. Do not spend money on surveys.
- Pick high-authority topics — Finance (36%) and fashion (35%) have the best authority rates.
- Go evergreen — 87.7% of successful placements have no seasonal hook.
- Target regional press — One regional hit cascades to MSN/Yahoo via syndication.
- Make it a bridge story — Combine topics (fashion + finance, tech + parenting) for wider pickup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this data come from?
We compiled 5,272 published media articles that cited external data sources or expert commentary. Each placement was categorized by topic, domain, data source, seasonal hook, and company.
How recent is this data?
The dataset covers placements from 2020 through early 2026, with the majority from 2023-2025.
Can small businesses really compete with big brands in PR?
Yes. The data clearly shows that niche companies with targeted data angles earn comparable or better coverage than larger brands with generic approaches.
What is the best data source for PR campaigns?
SEO tool data (Ahrefs, SEMrush) is the single most cited source with 301 placements, followed by expert quotes (91) and Google search/Trends data (130 combined).
Do I need a PR agency to get media coverage?
No. The most successful companies in this dataset achieved their results with lean teams and smart targeting. What matters is the quality of your data and the relevance of your pitch, not the size of your agency.
Sources: Google Trends · ONS
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About the Author
Salva Jovells
Founder of Presslei. 12+ years in ecommerce SEO across international markets. After a decade of link buying for Hockerty and Sumissura, I reverse-engineered 5,272 earned media placements and founded a reactive PR agency that builds authority through data-driven stories journalists actually want to publish. Based in Zurich.
