Reverse Outreach: Bringing Backlinks From Journalists to You

What Is Reverse Outreach?

Reverse Outreach is a link-building strategy where you create content so valuable that journalists, bloggers, and publishers come to you for citations, instead of you chasing them with outreach emails.

The method was popularised by Brian Dean of Backlinko in 2022, after he built thousands of backlinks in a single month without sending a single cold email.

How it works:

• Traditional outreach = send hundreds of emails, hope 5% respond.
• Reverse Outreach = Publish data pages, trend roundups, or statistics journalists already search for.
• Writers then cite your page as the source = you earn backlinks passively.

Example:

• A journalist covering fintech in Malaysia needs “e-wallet usage statistics 2025.”
• Your stat page ranks for “DuitNow adoption Malaysia 2025.”
• They cite your page in The Star or SoyaCincau → instant backlink, zero outreach.

“Reverse Outreach flips link building from push to pull. Instead of begging for links, you become the source that writers can’t ignore.”

Why Doesn’t Traditional Link Building Scale?

Outreach still works, but it’s slow, manual, and rarely keeps up with competitors who already have thousands of referring domains.

Most campaigns get a 5% success rate, yes you read that right. That means to earn 500 links, you’d need to send 10,000 emails. Worse, while you’re chasing, competitors are still gaining links too.

Outreach vs Reverse Outreach

How Does Reverse Outreach Work Step by Step?

Yes, it’s exciting and no, it isn’t magic. Treat reverse outreach like a system you can run repeatedly. Though the concept is easy, execution is where it truly matters.

1) Find “Journalist Keywords”

• These are terms writers Google while researching a story, this usually involves comparisons, data and statistics to act as citations. (more on this later)
• Examples: “Malaysians TikTok users 2025”, “Malaysia e-wallet adoption”, “Shopee vs Lazada market share”.
• Tools: People Also Ask, SEMrush/Similarweb, Google Trends, competitor pages with many backlinks.

2) Build Data-Driven Pages

• Publish stats pages, industry roundups, or compact visual reports.
• Make them the easiest source to cite: updated numbers, short summaries, clear subheads.
• Include crunchy stats (grab-and-go figures) such as “Cashless payment adoption surged in Malaysia, with 870 million DuitNow QR transactions in 2024” on our Cashess payment blog.

3) Optimise for Citations & Snippets

• Write subheads as questions journalists ask.
• Answer in one–two lines directly beneath each subhead.
• Add tables and simple charts that others can reuse (with your page credited as the source).

4) Mix Evergreen + Trending Topics

• Evergreen: “SEO statistics”, “Internet penetration Malaysia”.
• Trending: new apps, policy changes, or market shifts (Budget 2025, TikTok restrictions).
• This balance delivers steady links plus spikes when news breaks.

5) Update Quarterly

• Refresh figures, add new studies, and date-stamp changes.
• Freshness helps rankings and keeps you useful to newsrooms.
• Over time you get a link flywheel: citations → higher rankings → more citations. A great cycle.

Reverse Outreach isn’t luck. It’s a repeatable loop—research → publish → optimise → update, that turns your site into a passive link magnet.

How Do You Find Journalist Keywords?

We mentioned Journalist Keywords earlier and how critical they are for Reverse Outreach. 

Unfortunately, unlike SEO keywords where you can simply pull up search volume in SEMrush or Ahrefs, these are trickier to spot. Fortunately, there are reliable ways to identify them.

1) Use People Also Ask (PAA)

• Search a broad topic like “Malaysia e-wallets” or “TikTok users”.
• Expand the People Also Ask boxes → “How many Malaysians use e-wallets in 2025?”
• Journalists ask these questions too, making them prime targets.

2) Reverse Engineer Competitors

• Look at which competitor pages attract tons of backlinks.
• Example: A “Shopee vs Lazada” report with 500 links? Check its keywords.
• Those keywords = journalist magnets you can replicate.

3) Spot Trends on Google Trends

• Filter to Malaysia for local angles.
• Spikes like “Budget 2025 SME tax changes” = journalists scrambling for data.
• Publish a stat page before the coverage wave peaks.

4) Mine Reports & PDFs

• Journalists often cite from DOSM, Bank Negara, or MDEC PDFs.
• These are clunky to read → if you repackage stats in charts or tables, you become the easier citation.

5) Monitor Social & Forums

• Twitter (X), LinkedIn, or niche communities often surface early journalist questions.
• On Lowyat or Xiaohongshu, bilingual queries (English + Chinese) often hint at upcoming article angles.

“Journalist Keywords don’t live in keyword tools, they live in questions, trends, and citations. If you anticipate them, you become the default source.” – Rankpage SEO Specialist.

What Types of Content Attract Reverse Outreach Links?

Not all content earns links passively, in fact there will be a lot of work and research that would go into this than your standard blog.

Reverse Outreach relies on creating the right type of content that journalists, bloggers, and publishers want to cite.

1) Statistics & Data Pages

Why they work: Journalists love citing fresh numbers.

• Example: “E-wallet adoption in Malaysia 2025” with usage stats, growth charts, and demographics.
• Crunchy stats (easy-to-quote figures like “72% of Malaysians use e-wallets weekly”) are backlink magnets.

2) Industry Roundups

Why they work: They save journalists hours of research.

• “Shopee vs Lazada Market Share in 2025” with tables comparing users, GMV, and regional reach.
• These roundups often get picked up by trade media and blogs.

3) Visual Reports & Infographics

Writers embed visuals and link back as the source.

• Charts, graphs, and infographics make complex data digestible.
• Example: A chart of “Malaysia TikTok user growth 2019–2025” could be cited in dozens of tech blogs.

4) Trend Pages

Why they work: Trending topics lack consolidated data.

• If “Budget 2025 SME grants” or “TikTok ban Malaysia” spikes, journalists hunt for reliable figures.
• A quick roundup page positions you as the go-to citation.

5) Evergreen Reference Guides

Why they work: Long-term backlink assets.

• Pages like “SEO Statistics 2025” or “Malaysia Internet Penetration by Year” remain relevant every quarter.
• Regular updates = consistent backlinks year after year.

The most effective Reverse Outreach content answers data-heavy questions journalists Google under deadline pressure. If your page saves them time, you win the link.

Read more: How Long Does SEO Take to Show Results? The Answer Will Surprise You

Challenges & Limits of Reverse Outreach

Reverse Outreach sounds like a silver bullet, but it isn’t flawless. Before you dive in, here are the main challenges:

Finding True Journalist Keywords Is Tricky

Unlike SEO keywords with clear search volumes, journalist keywords don’t show up neatly in Ahrefs or SEMrush.

• You’ll need to use proxies like Google’s People Also Ask, Google Trends, and competitor backlink audits.
• In Malaysia, this is tougher because search volumes for niche terms (“EPF contribution rates 2025”) may look low but still attract journalists.

Data Sources Can Be Hard to Access

Statista and international reports don’t always cover Malaysia-specific topics.

• Local insights often hide in Bank Negara reports, DOSM releases, or press statements buried in PDFs.
• It takes manual digging, which slows down production.

High Bar for Content Quality

Journalists don’t cite “bloggy” articles. They want:

• Clear stats
• Clean tables
• Verifiable sources

That means you need more resources (design, research, editing) more effort than a regular copywriting blog.

Trend-Driven Pages Can Die Fast

Trending pages (like Clubhouse stats in 2021) can spike in backlinks but then fade into irrelevance.

• If you only chase trends, you’ll have a rollercoaster backlink profile.
• Balance evergreen (“Employment Rate in Malaysia 2025”) with trends (e.g., “Budget 2025 SME measures”).

Competition Is Rising

Since Brian Dean popularised Reverse Outreach in 2022, more agencies and publishers are using it.

• In Malaysia, larger portals like iProperty, iMoney, or Digital News Asia may already dominate “stats” pages.
• Smaller brands need to niche down (“Digital Adoption Among Johor SMEs” instead of “SME Digitalisation”).

Content Risks Being Too Data-Heavy

This is perhaps the factor most people forget, reverse Outreach pages are built for journalists, but average readers may find them overwhelming.

• Endless charts, tables, and percentages can feel “too dense” for non-expert audiences.
• Without summaries or “crunchy” stats, you risk losing general readers who might otherwise share or link.

To make it work reverse outreach work, you’ll need sharp research skills, consistent updates, and a willingness to publish truly citation-worthy pages. 

“Treat reverse outreach like an academic journal that wants to get cited.”

Reverse Outreach in 2025: The Smarter Way to Earn Links

By publishing data-driven pages, you become the source journalists want to cite, instead of the brand chasing editors with cold emails.

But it’s not without challenges. Reverse Outreach takes consistent research, formatting, and updates to keep data useful. On its own, it won’t grow your domain’s authority fast enough. That’s why the smartest brands use it as one part of a bigger SEO system.

If you’re ready to go beyond survival and build authority that lasts, partner with Rankpage, Malaysia’s Leading SEO Agency. With 8+ years of SEO expertise, Gemini AI-powered optimisation, and proven results across industries, Rankpage offers comprehensive SEO services, including:

• Featured in AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, and Google SERPs
• Build high-authority backlinks through Reverse Outreach and Digital PR
• Scale traffic with content that attracts both humans and algorithms

Ready to stop chasing links and start attracting them? Contact Rankpage today!