We’ve all heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?
Well, any PR professional will be able to tell you of a campaign they’ve been inspired by and wondered how they could do something similar for their own clients.
As PR professionals, we’re constantly tweaking strategies and plans, to make sure we’re not only improving our own work but keeping up with the rapidly changing media landscape.
One of the most effective ways to improve your strategy is through competitor analysis. It can reveal what’s working well in the bigger picture, highlight gaps in your own strategy and show you where you can level up.
Spot Strengths… and Weaknesses
One key takeaway from conducting a competitor analysis is understanding that what doesn’t work is just as important as knowing what does.
A few key questions to keep in mind include:
- Are they getting consistent coverage in top-tier publications?
- Are they engaging in PR strategies I hadn’t considered?
- Are they missing out on key target publications?
- Are there certain niches they haven’t covered?
These gaps might reveal where you can step in and differentiate your client by focusing on areas they’ve overlooked or failed to prioritise.
Google is your best friend when it comes to this initial analysis. Searching Google News for recent news coverage can quickly help identify if your competitors regularly engage in link-building work.
Ahrefs can also quickly point out if there’s been a change in strategy. For instance, by comparing the referring domains of our own client (shown in blue) with their competitor’s, you can see when there’s been a sudden uptick in referring domains, indicating a potential change in approach.
This could be the result of a major PR push, a successful campaign, or a shift in focus—such as increased reactive commentary or a new, successful creative campaign.
While the reasons for the uptick aren’t always immediately clear, tracking these changes provides valuable clues. By cross-referencing this data with Google News or the competitor’s website, you can often identify the specific coverage or campaign responsible for the increase and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Ahrefs can also help identify where an influx of links has come from. Select the ‘Backlinks’ tab and filter the search options to show ‘New’ links and select a custom date range to filter the links. This will help you quickly identify where the influx of new links came from at a specific time.
Identify What You’re Missing Out On
Competitor analysis often highlights activities your competitors are undertaking that you haven’t yet explored. For instance, maybe you notice a competitor excelling at data-led PR or securing coverage through surveys. Perhaps it’s time to consider how you can take a similar approach but put your own spin on it.
Competitor analysis also gives you ideas for new content formats or angles you may not have considered. Maybe you see competitors in the travel industry gaining more coverage through interactive hero content or by publishing insight-led reports. If those strategies seem to be working, it’s worth asking whether you should be doing the same—or even better, pushing the envelope with something more creative.
Ahrefs provides a wealth of insight when looking at your competitor’s work. ‘Best by Links‘ and ‘Linking Authors‘ are our go-to. Best by Links identifies pages that are most linked to. While the usual suspect, the homepage, tends to come out on top, it’s really useful to see if blog and information pages are linked to regularly and how they’re being linked to via earned editorial.
This can spark ideas for your future campaign strategies, showing you which topics or formats resonate most with other websites and their audiences.
Ahrefs’ Linking Authors feature, which is relatively new, is also an excellent resource for discovering who is linking to your competitors. It helps identify journalists who regularly link to your competitors, allowing you to focus your outreach efforts where it will be most effective. By studying this data, you can prioritise building relationships with the authors who regularly link to your competitors and understand the type of content they’re looking for, allowing you to boost your referring domains.
Comparing topical authority on Majestic is also helpful in identifying new niches to target. This example shows the topical authority of our client (first) and their competitors in the Recreation/Autos industry. Cross-referencing this against various topics provides a wealth of insight for future PR work. This data reveals which competitors are leading the way and pinpoints different industries that can be targeted with future PR work.
Turn Insights into Actions
Competitor analysis is only valuable if you take the insights it provides and translate them into actionable steps. It’s not just about recognising what others are doing well or where they’re missing out—it’s about using that knowledge to elevate your PR strategies.
Once you’ve gathered data, the next step is to ask: How can you apply these findings to your own campaigns?
For example, if a competitor’s data-led PR has garnered significant coverage, you should ask yourself how you can create a similarly compelling narrative, but with a twist that plays to your strengths. Maybe you have access to unique insights or industry expertise that can differentiate your take. Or, perhaps you can focus on specific topics or publications that have not been explored yet, giving you an edge in standing out from the competition.
It’s also essential to adapt quickly when you spot a competitor having success with a particular strategy—whether it’s reactive commentary, thought leadership or a major creative campaign. If it’s working for them, it might work for you too, but with your unique voice, vision and angle.
The key here is not to follow suit but to push further with creativity, innovation and relevance.
Remember, competitor analysis shouldn’t be a one-off exercise. To stay ahead in the fast-moving PR landscape, you need to continuously revisit and refine your approach based on new insights. Every time you analyse competitors’ strategies or content, it’s an opportunity to rework your plans, making sure you remain agile, forward-thinking and always one step ahead.
It is also essential to talk to your clients about how this work can offer tangible results to their campaign. Be sure to highlight specific examples of how competitor analysis has shaped your strategy. In your reporting, share how this analysis helped identify untapped opportunities or expand media lists. Key metrics, like increased coverage and diversified referring domains can further demonstrate the effectiveness of your strategy.
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