Digital PR Roundups: This Quarter in Links

As this year’s first quarter has drawn to a close, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the data-rich, insight-led stories that defined the start of 2025 for us at Propellernet. From uncovering the world’s friendliest drivers to mapping the happiest beaches using facial recognition technology, Q1 was defined by bold ideas, global relevance and exceptional results. We saw over 200 pieces of coverage for a single campaign, built emotion-led travel stories that reached new audiences, and used smart data in ways that sparked real conversation – and links – across borders.

Campaign Highlights

Remitly – The Immigration Index

To support Remitly’s mission of helping immigrants stay financially connected to their loved ones, we developed a comprehensive Immigration Index, highlighting the best countries to consider relocating to in 2025. Evaluating key factors such as education, healthcare, public transport, banking accessibility and cost of living, the campaign provided a globally relevant story with multiple outreach angles.

Coverage has surpassed 200 pieces, with over 80 backlinks secured so far, including features in Time Out, CN Traveller, The Daily Mail and The Express. Megan Salter, Senior Digital PR Executive, credits the success to the effort behind the dataset:

“The comprehensive index, which compares a wide range of factors relevant to those considering a move abroad, has been instrumental in allowing us to explore a variety of angles and tailor our outreach to different publications and markets.”

SportsShoes.com – UK Running Report 2025

Now in its second year, the UK Running Report is fast becoming an annual calendar moment for SportsShoes.com. This time, the in-depth research explored how people really feel about running in 2025 – from safety concerns and competitive trends to motivation and injury prevention.

While still in the pitching phase, the campaign has already landed 20 pieces of coverage and 21 backlinks in Women’s Health, Stylist, Women’s Running and GQ South Africa. Last year’s report gained long-tail traction with links from Metro, iNews, The Guardian and Good Housekeeping, and this year’s is set to follow suit. As Chloe Tickner, Digital PR Manager, explained:

“Our data-led approach enables us to uncover fresh insights, from safety and competitive trends to how people’s relationship with running is evolving – crafting a compelling, media-friendly narrative with lots of different pitching angles.”

CV Villas – World’s Happiest Beaches

This campaign brought together data, emotion and wanderlust in a joyful, media-friendly format. Using AWS Rekognition facial recognition technology, we analysed over 100,000 Instagram images tagged at 103 iconic beaches around the world to measure positive facial expressions and assign each destination a “Beach Happiness Score.”

The results were both playful and powerful, earning 88 pieces of coverage, 146 brand mentions, and backlinks from high-authority sites including Reader’s Digest, The Mirror, National Geographic Spain and Time Out. Senior Digital PR Executive Raquel shares:

“A great reminder that sometimes, the simplest human insight (‘beaches make us happy’) paired with unexpected tech can spark the biggest smiles – and headlines.”

Auto Trader – Friendliest Drivers

Blending psychology and motoring, this campaign explored how personality traits can influence driving behaviour. By applying the ‘agreeableness’ metric from the Big Five Personality Test, we ranked the world’s friendliest drivers, with Australia and Canada scoring high for cooperation and courtesy behind the wheel.

The concept resonated across borders, securing 26 pieces of coverage and 23 backlinks (21 of them follow links) across lifestyle and automotive outlets such as Time Out and Motor Biscuit.

“It struck a chord in nearly every country we pitched to,” said Dan B, Digital PR Executive. “The strength of the idea – and the team behind it – made coverage feel easy.”

Premier Inn – Best Value Tourist Attractions

With affordability and family focus at its core, Premier Inn’s latest campaign revealed which tourist attractions worldwide offer the best value for money. By comparing admission prices with average time spent at each site, we created a ranking that felt timely, useful and tied neatly into the brand’s ethos – especially with the Easter holidays on the horizon.

The campaign earned 17 pieces of coverage and 8 quality backlinks from The Sun, Daily Mail, Metro, Nine.com.au and Scoop NZ.

“The simplicity of the data was the cherry on top,” said Charlotte Brown, Digital PR Manager. “It gave a frequently discussed topic a fresh new take and real value for parents planning holidays.”

Press Office Wins

Scrap Car Comparison – Most Scrapped Cars

This press office gem tapped into Scrap Car Comparison’s internal data to uncover the most scrapped car makes and models of the previous year. Timely and highly relevant to automotive press, we kicked off the new year in the automotive world with a bang, securing 25 pieces of coverage across The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Express, Motor1 and Motoring Research.

“There’s no greater asset than a brand’s own data,” said Lena Thees, Senior Digital PR Exec. “It’s a goldmine of exclusive insights journalists can’t get anywhere else.”

PureGym – Immunity Workouts

Inspired by research showing that just 15 minutes of moderate exercise can boost immune cell levels, we created a simple at-home workout designed to help people stay active during the winter months. Backed by science and developed with PureGym’s in-house PTs, it was a story that felt timely, useful and perfectly aligned with the season.

The campaign secured 18 pieces of coverage and 40 backlinks, with features in The Sun, Daily Record and Surrey Live.

“This resonated with the media because it was practical, realistic and rooted in both behavioural insight and proven scientific research” said Chloe Tickner, Digital PR Manager.

Auto Trader – Alloy Wheel Scrapes

We paired fresh survey data with helpful advice from two female mechanics to show how much scraped alloy wheels could affect the value of a car – and what drivers could do about it. A £60 repair, we revealed, could save sellers up to £1,000 at resale.

The UK-focused story secured coverage in WalesOnline, The Express, Birmingham Mail and more.

“Rather than just highlight the problem, we wanted to provide genuinely helpful advice for drivers,” said Maddie Davies, Digital PR Manager.

Looking ahead

From ranking the best places to move to, to unearthing the UK’s most scrapped cars, this quarter was a strong reminder of just how versatile digital PR can be. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved this quarter, and even prouder of the people behind the work. 

Do you need some press office prowess to get your experts heard? Want to get your hands on our team’s creative wizardry for your next brand campaign? Get in touch here.