Publish an annual original research report for links and press

An original research report is a piece of content built on data nobody else has: a survey of your market, an analysis of anonymised product usage, or both. You publish it once a year with charts and clear takeaways. Reporters, bloggers and analysts then quote your numbers and link to your page. It fits B2B and SaaS companies with access to a defined audience or a meaningful volume of product data, and with the patience to run a project that takes several months.

Why it works

Writers constantly need fresh, citable numbers to support their stories. Most content online repeats the same few stats, so a credible new dataset stands out. Each citation brings a link, which helps your domain rank for other content, and puts your brand in front of readers as an authority on the topic.

Running it annually adds another advantage. Once people know a report comes out every year, they start waiting for it, and comparisons with last year’s figures give you a natural news hook each time.

How to do it

1. Choose questions people argue about. List the debates in your industry: salaries, budgets, tool adoption, time spent on tasks. Pick five to eight questions where a clear answer would be newsworthy.
2. Decide on your data source. Use a survey if you have access to your audience through email, a community or partners. Use aggregated product data if your platform sees enough activity. Combining both makes the report harder to copy.
3. Design the survey carefully. Keep it under ten minutes. Use neutral wording, include screening questions for role and company size, and avoid leading questions that obviously favour your product.
4. Clean and analyse the data. Remove duplicate and low-quality responses. Look for surprising findings and differences between segments. Write down your method, sample size and dates so you can publish them.
5. Write a report built around headlines. Lead each section with one sentence a journalist could quote. Support it with a simple chart and a short explanation.
6. Create a launch kit. Prepare a landing page, a summary of the top findings, embeddable charts and a methodology note. Offer journalists early access under embargo.
7. Pitch the story. Send short, personalised emails to reporters who cover your space, leading with one striking finding. Ask partners and survey participants to share the report too.
8. Reuse it all year. Break each finding into blog posts, social graphics, webinar topics and slides for the sales team. Update the landing page with links to coverage.

Example

A hypothetical HR software company surveys a large group of people-operations managers each spring about hiring timelines, interview stages and offer acceptance. It also pulls anonymised data on time-to-hire from its own platform. The report’s headline finding, that the number of interview stages has crept up compared with the previous year, gets picked up by HR trade publications and several recruiting blogs, each linking to the report page. The sales team uses the benchmark charts in demos to show prospects where they stand against peers.

Metrics to track

• Referring domains to the report page. Steady growth in unique sites linking to the report shows it is being cited.
• Press and blog mentions. Track coverage with a media monitoring tool or regular searches for the report’s title and key stats.
• Organic traffic to related pages. As links accumulate, rankings for nearby topics should improve.
• Leads from the gated version. Count downloads of the full dataset or benchmark workbook and how many turn into qualified opportunities.

When it backfires

• Self-serving findings. A report that conveniently proves your product is needed will be dismissed by journalists and readers.
• Weak methodology. Tiny samples, unclear sources or leading questions can attract criticism that damages your credibility.
• No distribution plan. Publishing a report without pitching it often means it sits on your blog with little traffic.
• One and done. Skipping a year breaks the habit you built with media and readers and gives competitors room to take the spot.

Questions people ask

How many survey responses do I need?

Enough that the results hold up when you split them by the groups you plan to report on, such as company size or region. If a segment has only a handful of answers, leave it out or say clearly that the sample is small.

Should the report be gated behind an email form?

Publish the key findings and charts openly so journalists and bloggers can cite and link to them. Gate a deeper version, such as the full dataset or a benchmark workbook, if you want leads as well.

Can I use my own product data?

Yes, if your terms allow it and you only publish aggregated, anonymised figures. Product data is often more credible than surveys because it records actual behaviour instead of self-reported answers.