3 Smart Link Building Methods for Reporting & Analytics Tools

Ted Jackson

Co-Founder & Alabama Native

Ted is a Founder and Managing Partner of ClearPoint Strategy and leads the sales and marketing teams.

Ted Jackson is the co-founder of ClearPoint Strategy, a B2B SaaS platform that empowers organizations to execute strategic plans with precision. A Duke and Harvard Business School alumnus, he brings over 30 years’ experience in strategy execution—including 15 years with Kaplan and Norton on the Balanced Scorecard. Ted works closely with customers to ensure the software meets unique challenges, continually refining the platform with his global expertise.

Learn three effective link building methods to enhance your reporting and analytics tools, boosting your brand's authority and online presence.

Table of Contents

Most organizations are sitting on a goldmine of data and don't even realize it. The same information that powers your internal strategy sessions and populates your reporting and analytics tools can be your greatest asset in building brand authority. Instead of just reacting to trends, you can be the one creating them. This guide moves beyond the basics of link building and focuses on proactive, strategic methods that establish your company as a go-to source. We’ll cover how to leverage your team’s unique knowledge and transform raw data into compelling narratives that journalists, bloggers, and industry leaders want to cite. It’s time to stop participating in the conversation and start leading it.

Key Takeaways

  • Offer Expertise, Not Pitches: Use platforms like HARO to answer specific journalist queries with genuine insights from your team. This builds authority and earns backlinks by being helpful, not promotional.
  • Create Must-Cite Original Data: Analyze your own data or conduct surveys to publish unique industry statistics. When you become the primary source for a key piece of information, you create a passive link-building engine that solidifies your authority.
  • Target Audiences, Not Just Backlinks: Pursue guest posting opportunities on high-authority sites where your ideal customers are already active. A single, well-placed article on a relevant site is far more valuable than dozens of links from irrelevant blogs.

Method 1. Build Your Foundation with HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

If you’re looking for a way to build links that also builds your brand’s authority, start with HARO (Help a Reporter Out). Think of it less as a link-building tool and more as a direct line to journalists at major publications who are actively searching for expert sources. Instead of cold pitching, you’re responding to a specific need, which immediately changes the dynamic. It’s a simple exchange: they need a quote or an insight for a story, and you have the expertise to provide it. When your contribution is used, you typically get a backlink and, more importantly, a mention that positions your company as a thought leader.

This isn’t a quick-win tactic for overnight results. It’s a foundational strategy that requires consistency and a genuine desire to be helpful. Over time, you’re not just collecting links; you’re building a reputation. Journalists may even start reaching out to you directly. At ClearPoint, we believe that a strong strategy is built on a solid foundation of data and expertise. Using HARO aligns perfectly with this philosophy. You’re leveraging your team’s knowledge to earn your place in important industry conversations, which is far more valuable than any shortcut. It’s a method that requires patience, but the payoff is a stronger, more credible brand identity that resonates with both journalists and potential customers.

Tip 1. Let Your Experts Shine

The heart of any successful HARO strategy is your people. Journalists aren’t looking for a sales pitch; they want authentic, insightful commentary from someone who truly knows their stuff. Your first step is to identify the experts within your organization. Who on your team has a unique perspective on your industry? At ClearPoint, our founders, Ted Jackson and Dylan Miyake, have years of experience in strategy execution that journalists find valuable.

Once you’ve identified your experts, the key is to craft responses that are genuinely helpful. Read the query carefully and provide a concise, well-articulated answer that directly addresses the journalist’s question. Avoid generic marketing language and focus on sharing a specific insight, a piece of data, or a personal observation. This approach establishes you as a credible thought leader, making your response stand out in a crowded inbox.

Tip 2. Create Authoritative Expert Pages

When a journalist is considering your quote, they’re likely going to vet you. What will they find when they search for your expert’s name? This is where dedicated expert pages on your website become critical. These pages act as a digital portfolio, showcasing your team’s credentials and reinforcing their authority. An effective expert page should include a professional headshot, a detailed biography, areas of expertise, and links to any published articles, speaking engagements, or past media mentions.

This isn’t just for the benefit of journalists. When potential clients are evaluating your company, seeing the depth of expertise on your team builds immense trust. It shows that there are real, knowledgeable people behind your product. We’ve built our About Us page to reflect the experience of our team, and we recommend creating similar resources. It’s a simple but powerful way to prove your credibility before you even start a conversation.

Tip 3. Look Beyond HARO for More Opportunities

HARO is an excellent starting point, but it shouldn’t be the only tool in your media outreach toolkit. The principles that make HARO effective—providing value and showcasing expertise—can be applied across a much broader landscape. Once you get comfortable with the process, start looking for other avenues to contribute to your industry’s conversation. Are there niche trade publications that your customers read? Could you offer an expert opinion on a relevant podcast?

Think of your outreach as building a diversified portfolio. While HARO can land you mentions in major outlets, a guest appearance on a targeted industry podcast might reach a smaller but more qualified audience. The goal is to create a comprehensive media relations strategy that establishes your authority across multiple channels. This approach ensures you’re not reliant on a single platform and continuously builds your brand’s presence in the places that matter most to your audience.

Method 2. Create Must-Cite Industry Statistics

If HARO is about reacting to opportunities, creating original statistics is about proactively building an asset that people will seek out and link to for years. Think about it: journalists, researchers, and fellow bloggers are constantly looking for data to add credibility to their work. When you become the primary source for a key industry statistic, you build links passively and position your brand as a definitive authority. It’s one of the most powerful, long-term link-building strategies out there.

At ClearPoint, we know that organizations are sitting on a goldmine of information. Our entire platform is built to help leaders gather and analyze raw data to gain insights and reach strategic goals. You can apply that same mindset to your marketing. By analyzing your own anonymized customer data or conducting original surveys, you can uncover trends and create statistics that don't exist anywhere else. For example, you could publish a report on "The State of Strategic Execution in Healthcare" or "Top KPI Trends in Banking for the Coming Year." These are the kinds of resources that get cited in major publications. According to a report in Forbes, data-driven organizations are more likely to acquire and retain customers, which underscores the value of the insights you can provide.

The key is to make your data easy to find, understand, and cite. Package your findings in a comprehensive blog post or a downloadable report. Create clean, simple graphics that others can easily embed in their own content (with attribution, of course). Don’t just present the numbers; tell the story behind them. Explain what the data means and why it matters for your industry. By turning your internal expertise into a public resource, you create a powerful link-building engine that works for you around the clock, solidifying your reputation as a thought leader. This is how you move from participating in the conversation to leading it.

Infographic: 5 Steps to Data-Driven Authority

Method 3. Write Guest Posts That Get Noticed

Guest posting is more than just a transaction for a backlink; it’s an opportunity to build your brand’s authority in front of a new, relevant audience. When you share genuine expertise on a reputable platform, the link you earn is a natural byproduct of the value you provide. But in a sea of content, getting your post accepted and read requires a thoughtful approach. It’s not about volume—it’s about precision, quality, and making a real connection with the editor and their readers. Over the years, I've learned that the most successful guest posts come from treating the opportunity like a strategic partnership rather than a simple content drop.

Tip 1. Craft a Pitch They Can't Ignore

The most common mistake I see is sending a generic pitch. Editors at high-quality publications receive dozens of these a day, and they can spot a template from a mile away. Your pitch needs to show you understand their audience and have something unique to offer. Instead of pitching a broad topic like "The Importance of Data Analytics," frame it around a specific problem their readers face. For example, a pitch titled "How Mid-Sized Banks Can Use Performance Data to Compete with Fintechs" is far more compelling. It shows you’ve done your homework and are prepared to deliver actionable, strategic insights that solve a real-world problem.

Tip 2. Aim for High-Quality, Relevant Sites

One link from a respected industry journal is worth more than a dozen from irrelevant, low-traffic blogs. Your goal is to place content where your ideal customers are already seeking information. If you’re trying to reach strategy leaders, think about the publications they read, like Harvard Business Review or top-tier industry-specific sites. Many organizations, especially smaller ones, are actively looking for cost-effective solutions to their analytics and reporting challenges. Placing your expertise on a site they trust builds credibility and ensures your message about reaching strategic goals resonates with an engaged audience. It’s about finding the right fit, not just any fit.

Tip 3. Think Beyond the Guest Post: Offer a Case Study or Podcast Interview

To truly stand out, think of your guest post as the start of a relationship, not a one-off task. When you pitch, consider what else you can offer. Do you have a compelling client story that could be turned into a case study? You could offer it as an exclusive follow-up piece. Many publications now have podcasts and are always looking for expert guests. Suggesting an interview shows you’re confident in your expertise and willing to engage with their audience on a deeper level. This approach transforms you from a content contributor into a valuable partner, making it easier to secure future collaborations and build a stronger brand presence through data-driven decisions.

Key Takeaways for Building Links That Last

Over my career, I’ve learned that the most effective strategies—whether for business growth or for link building—are the ones built to last. It’s tempting to chase quick wins, but true authority comes from consistently creating resources that are so valuable, other people can’t help but reference them. It’s less about gaming a system and more about earning your place in the conversation. When you focus on that, the links will follow.

Here are a few lessons I’ve found essential for creating a link-building strategy that endures:

  • Solve a Tangible Problem. The most linkable content is content that offers a clear solution to a common, frustrating problem. For instance, we know that many data analytics projects end up failing, not because of a lack of data, but because of poor implementation. When you create a guide or a case study that helps leaders sidestep those common pitfalls, you’re not just making content for SEO—you’re creating a genuine resource that journalists and industry experts will want to cite.
  • Make Your Expertise Accessible. Your knowledge is your greatest asset, but only if others can understand it. The goal isn’t to sound smart; it’s to make your audience feel smart. With the growing importance of data literacy across all departments, there’s a huge need for content that translates complex topics into actionable insights. By breaking down strategic reporting or performance measurement into simple terms, you make your expertise more shareable and, therefore, more linkable.
  • Acknowledge Real-World Constraints. Authenticity builds trust, and that means recognizing the real-world constraints your audience faces. Not every organization has a massive budget or the latest technology; in fact, these are common reasons why major digital transformations stall. By creating content that addresses these financial and technological hurdles, you show that you understand their reality. This builds credibility and makes your content a practical, go-to resource for a much wider audience.

At ClearPoint Strategy, we focus on building solutions that aren’t just functional—they’re built to last. We aim to address the root of a problem so our clients can focus on what matters most. The same principle applies here. Building your brand's authority isn't about chasing algorithms; it's about creating resources so valuable that others feel compelled to share them. Do that consistently, and you’ll build a backlink profile that stands the test of time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

These strategies sound like they take a lot of time. How can a small team manage this? That's a fair question. It’s true that building authority isn't an overnight process, but it doesn't have to consume your entire week. The key is consistency, not volume. Start by dedicating a small, manageable block of time to one method. For example, you could spend 20 minutes each morning scanning HARO for relevant queries. Or, you could decide to produce one high-quality data report per quarter. The goal is to build a sustainable habit. Over time, these consistent efforts compound, creating a strong foundation of authority without causing burnout.

What if we're not a data-heavy company? How can we create original statistics? You likely have more valuable data than you think. "Data" doesn't just mean complex analytics from a massive database. It can be insights gathered from your customer success team, common questions from sales calls, or trends you've observed in your specific niche. You could also run a simple survey with your email list or social media followers. The goal is to uncover a unique perspective that isn't being discussed elsewhere. Turning those qualitative insights into a shareable statistic or trend is often just as powerful as a large-scale study.

My team members are great at their jobs, but I'm not sure they're 'experts' for journalists. How do I identify and prepare them? Expertise isn't about having a famous name; it's about having a valuable perspective. A journalist is often looking for a real-world viewpoint from someone on the front lines, not just a high-level executive. Your true experts might be a product manager with deep knowledge of user challenges or a strategist who has seen dozens of implementation plans succeed or fail. Start by having internal conversations to draw out their unique insights. You can then help them frame those ideas into concise, helpful quotes for HARO or talking points for a podcast, building their confidence along the way.

Is there a risk in guest posting on the wrong site? Absolutely. The biggest risk isn't a penalty from a search engine, but the dilution of your brand. Your authority is shaped by where you show up. Publishing your expertise on a low-quality or irrelevant website sends a message that you don't value your own insights. It's far better to secure one guest post on a respected industry publication that your ideal customers actually read than to have ten posts on random blogs. Always prioritize relevance and audience alignment over simply getting a link.

How do I measure the success of these efforts if it's not just about the number of links? While the number of links is a metric, it's not the most important one. A better measure of success is the quality of the outcomes. Are you seeing an increase in referral traffic from the sites where you've been featured? Are sales prospects mentioning that they saw your article or heard your expert on a podcast? Is your brand being mentioned more frequently in industry conversations? These are the indicators that you're not just building links—you're building a reputation and influencing the people who matter most to your business.