Staring at a blank doc trying to think of a PR angle burns hours you don’t have. Use the tool below: pick your industry and your goal, and get 2-3 concrete campaign concepts — each with a data source hint so you know exactly where to start pulling numbers.
This isn’t a magic idea machine — it’s a shortcut past the blank page. Every format below is one we’ve seen earn real coverage. You still have to pull the actual data, confirm it holds up, and write the pitch. But you won’t start from zero.
PR Campaign Idea Generator
Pick your industry and your goal. Get 2-3 concrete angles, each with a data source hint.
How to Use It
Pick the industry closest to your business — it doesn’t need to be identical, just closest. Pick your goal: backlinks/SEO if you need links for domain authority, brand awareness if you want to be seen and quoted, or both if you’re flexible. Hit generate. Don’t like the ideas? Hit “show me different ideas” to rotate through more.
Each card gives you three things: the format (so you know what you’re building — ranking, survey, tracker, map), the angle (the actual pitch hook), and a data source hint (where to go get the numbers). That’s enough to start building the asset the same day.
What Makes These Ideas Actually Work
A good PR idea needs three things: real data, a surprising angle, and a reason to run now. Miss any one of those and journalists pass.
- Real data — not opinion, not “we think.” Rankings, surveys, trackers, and maps all pass this test because the data does the talking, not your marketing copy.
- A surprising angle — the data has to say something people don’t already assume. “Prices went up” isn’t news. “This one category went up three times faster than the rest” is.
- A reason to run now — tied to a season, a news cycle, or a trend spike. Journalists cover moments, not evergreen facts.
This is the same pattern we found when we broke down the campaign case studies behind 5,272 placements earned by Search Intelligence, the UK digital PR agency whose published results we studied to build our own methodology. Across that research, the winning campaigns almost always took one of three shapes: a ranking/index, a data-backed survey, or a trend-jack tied to a real calendar event — which is exactly why the generator above sticks to those formats.
Where the Data Actually Comes From
You don’t need a data science team. Almost every idea above pulls from one of five places:
- Your own first-party data — orders, returns, support tickets, app usage. Cheapest and most defensible source, because no one else has it.
- Free government/public data — census bureaus, CPI data, health system stats, business registries. Free, credible, and journalists already trust the source.
- Public complaint and review sites — Trustpilot, BBB, Reddit threads. Good for pain-point mining, not for precise numbers.
- Original surveys — Google Forms or Typeform. 300-500 responses is usually enough for a defensible sample on a niche question.
- Archived or scraped public pages — the Wayback Machine for price history, public listings for market comparisons.
Pro Tip
Confirm the data actually exists and is pullable in under a week before you commit to an angle. The best idea in the world is worthless if the numbers take a month to gather.
Before You Pitch: A Quick Gut Check
Run every idea through these four questions before you spend an hour building it:
- Does the data actually exist, and can you get it in a week or less?
- Would a journalist who’s never heard of your brand still find this interesting on its own?
- Has someone already run this exact angle in the last six months? Google it first.
- Can you name five journalists who cover this beat right now?
If you can’t answer yes to all four, go back and try a different angle. A weak idea wastes more time in outreach than a strong idea wastes in research — don’t force it through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to hire a data analyst to run these campaigns?
No. Most of the ideas above run on a spreadsheet and a survey tool. The Hidden Fee Index or the Return Rate Index needs someone who can build a table and calculate a percentage, not a data scientist. Save the analyst budget for when you’re running multiple campaigns a month.
What if my industry isn’t in the dropdown?
Pick “Other” or the closest match. The formats — ranking, survey, tracker, map, trend-jack — work across almost any industry. The specific angle changes; the shape of the campaign doesn’t.
How long does it take to go from idea to a published placement?
Budget 2-4 weeks: a few days to gather the data, 2-3 hours to write the pitch, then 1-3 weeks of outreach and follow-up before coverage lands. Seasonal or trend-jack angles need to go out 3-6 weeks before the relevant date.
Once I have an idea, what’s next?
Confirm the data is real and pullable, build the asset (press note, one clear stat, a spokesperson quote), then build a media list of journalists who actually cover the beat and pitch them directly. For the full process, read our reactive PR guide.
Can I reuse the same idea for a different industry?
Yes, and you should. A “Hidden Fee Index” works for banks, hotels, or airlines. A “Regret Survey” works for degrees, home renovations, or gym memberships. Swap the industry, keep the format, rebuild the data.
Related Reading
About the Author
Salvador 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.
