How to sell a car in 50 clicks: Lessons from an automotive digital PR

With such incredible credentials in advertising, it was only natural that the automotive industry become pioneers in other marketing channels too. Indeed, the world of motors was one of the first to understand the value of search marketing – and has been a power player in the world of link-building, content marketing, and Digital PR ever since.

Click, click, vroom

While many of us associate iconic adverts with car manufacturers, when it comes to search marketing, the automotive industry net is cast much wider than car makers. There are nearly 75,000 Google searches for ‘car insurance’ every day across the world, over 200,000 searches a month for ‘car leasing’, and over 18,000 searches a month for ‘car breakdown cover’.

When it comes to brands competing to be the biggest auto-authority in the online search space, competitors range from start-ups to FTSE100 companies. This online space includes second-hand auto buying and selling platforms, individual car dealerships, car insurance brands, car hire brands, car leasing companies, breakdown cover, MOT services, and much more.

The challenge for those doing auto digital PR is threefold. Firstly, there is the intense competition: a complete saturation of motoring experts, all fighting to create useful and interesting content. Secondly, the fact that these companies have been pioneers in digital marketing for so long, creating and distributing digital PR auto-stories for well over a decade. Finally, there is the ever-turbulent and shrinking nature of the online news publications that PRs often approach to place content. Achieving ‘cut through’ with automotive stories has never been harder.

Basic model

The kind of auto stories that seemed to perform effortlessly well just a few short years ago, now just don’t cut the Digital PR mustard. I have certainly seen and felt a shift away from content that puts the cars first. Stories like ‘Car Models Reimagined As [Insert Latest Video Game Characters]’ or ‘Most Instagrammed Hypercars or How Much The Car From [Insert Newest Blockbuster] Would Cost In Real Life’ are no longer the bankers they used to be.

Instead, what does attract journalist email opens, are stories that are much more based in the everyday. What’s working for auto digital PR now is campaigns motivated by day-to-day driver experiences, whether that’s highway code warnings, driving test reaction time games, electric car charging maps, or the cheapest places to refuel your car.

Leaning into the ordinary is certainly one of the ways we’ve seen some great results for our motor clients. Researching and producing useful information may not feel super-glamourous, but it yields impactful SEO results. Whether that‘s finding out which universities offer the best electric car charging experience or revealing how drivers can save money with a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).

Start the ignition

I’ve witnessed several other digital PR tactics achieve ‘cut through’ in the auto industry’s crowded and well-covered industry. Firstly, work aimed at maximizing reactive opportunities usually does well. Using Auto Trader’s data, we found and shared a major spike in views for pink Cadillac Corvettes due to the ‘Barbie effect’, a story that garnered national and international interest.

Collaborating with in-house teams to maximize search results is an effective method. Auto Trader’s internal PR team spotted that one of their sellers was offering Ayrton Senna’s Honda NSX for sale, which made an incredible story. We supported by providing international outreach on the story, securing online coverage and links on Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands, and the USA’s biggest news and motor sites.

Creating useful evergreen tools is important. Playing into drivers’ desire to keep their cars as clean as possible, we launched the ‘Clean Car Calculator‘ with the site Scrap Car Comparison. This offered insights into which drivers keep their cars the cleanest, and landed results on the Express, Auto Spies, and Motor Talk websites.

Taking risks with creative campaigns (almost) always pays off. With Scrap Car Comparison’s offering being niche, we applied our creative prowess to produce a story to appeal to major lifestyle and well-read news publications. The ‘Scrap Your Ex’ Valentine's Day campaign was a long time in the making but the risk was rewarded with over 200 pieces of online coverage around the world.

For me, creating successful digital PR stories for the automotive industry remains one of the most rewarding challenges, forcing me to stay on my toes and stay ahead of the game. Here’s to another 126 years.