What Are Expert Quote Links in Digital PR Link Building?

In this episode of The James Dooley Podcast, James Dooley and Chris Pantelli break down how expert quote links function within digital PR and why journalists rely on credible expert commentary to strengthen their articles. Chris Pantelli explains how inbound journalist requests generate high-quality backlink opportunities, particularly from tier-one publications that consistently publish fresh content and send strong SEO signals. Together, they discuss how exposure through Google News and Google Discover amplifies visibility, authority, and referral traffic, making expert-led PR a powerful ranking lever for brands. The conversation also covers platforms such as Connectively, Quoted, Press Plugs, and the strategic use of social media hashtags to increase access to journalist requests and expert quote opportunities. Chris Pantelli highlights how providing consistently strong, on-point commentary helps build long-term relationships with journalists, which naturally evolves into branded digital PR campaigns rather than one-off mentions. Throughout the episode, James Dooley and Chris Pantelli emphasise that sustainable digital PR success comes from credibility, consistency, and relationship-building rather than short-term link chasing.

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Host

James Dooley

James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.

What is James Dooley Podcast?

James Dooley is a Manchester-based entrepreneur, investor, and SEO strategist. James Dooley founded FatRank and PromoSEO, two UK performance marketing agencies that deliver no-win-no-fee lead generation and digital growth systems for ambitious businesses. James Dooley positions himself as an Investorpreneur who invests in UK companies with high growth potential because he believes lead generation is the root of all business success.

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James Dooley: Hi, so I'm joined with Chris Pantelli from Linkify. Today's video is about what expert quote links are in digital PR.

Chris Pantelli: Hey James, thanks for having me. Expert quote links are inbound requests from journalists looking to source experts they can quote in their articles. As SEOs we call it expert quote link building because when we provide commentary, we want to be quoted and we want them to link back to us. That's the expert quote link.

James Dooley: Some people used to call it Haro links, some call it expert commentary, some call it quote links. Why is it that journalists want these expert commentary snippets in their articles?

Chris Pantelli: Basically it enhances the validity of the article. They’re not looking for anything groundbreaking. They already know the answers to the questions. You’ll see this a lot with finance queries. If a journalist is writing about how to improve your credit score, they know the answers. They want an expert to agree or explain why it’s a good method. That enhances credibility because a finance expert, maybe an accountant, has quoted their view and the journalist includes it.

James Dooley: This expert commentary in digital PR. Do you think it's good for branding and exposure, and does it also have SEO value for your website?

Chris Pantelli: 100 percent. With the recent Google leaks, a couple of metrics clearly being used talked about the power of links from fresh pages on tier one publications. That’s exactly what we do. Tier one publications are huge authority sites like Forbes, New York Times, Express, The Sun. High DR, huge organic traffic. And then fresh pages. A new article being produced. Often they get huge traffic which drives click throughs if the journalist has included the link.

James Dooley: The great thing about these articles is they get into Google News and sometimes Google Discover. One of the best types of links you can get is on a high authority site that’s relevant and has traffic. That’s exactly what expert quote links are. Very quickly, anyone who hasn't seen the video, the link in the description talks about the new era of digital PR with Haro being moved over and upgraded to Connectively. Chris, are you using Connectively? Is that the only tool? Some agencies use Quoted, Press Plugs, Helper B2B Writer. There are hashtags too. How are you managing? I see you as the market leader in Haro, now Connectively, and expert quote links. What tools are you using? Just one or a collection?

Chris Pantelli: Thanks for the kind words James. We use not all but most of the ones you mentioned. There’s a lot of overlap. If you're doing this individually, I’d focus on one. They're all pay to play now. Quoted has a free account but beyond the free pitches, same as Connectively, you need to pay. As an agency, the value is in the gaps between the overlap. If a beautiful publication only sources commentary on one specific platform like Press Plugs, we want to be on that platform. We bring everything into Airtable, process the queries and assign them to relevant clients. I recommend using as many as you can and also using X. Journalists often post expert requests on X. They’ll use hashtags like PRrequest or JournoRequest. They often include their direct email in the post. If you provide good commentary, you start a relationship with that journalist, and many write for multiple publications.

James Dooley: For anyone doing digital PR, I recommend checking the link in the description where Chris and I talk about reactive PR campaigns versus expert quote links. I also want to touch on how you managed to go from expert quote links to getting branded articles in digital PR. The journalist liked your commentary and wanted more content. How that expert quote link led to a relationship with that reporter which then got you branded digital PR campaigns. People need to understand there’s more than SEO value. It builds relationships that lead to bigger branded campaigns.

Chris Pantelli: First and foremost, the journalist wants to please their bosses. If you provide a good quote, they publish it on somewhere like the Express, include your comments, and their bosses say the article did really well, that reflects well on them. The better the expertise and the more online visibility the expert has, the more trust the journalist has. Visibility on LinkedIn and socials helps credibility. Journalists often work for multiple publications and need constant content. If you take the proactive PR route, you can go directly to them with ideas. If a journalist works on a lifestyle or health and fitness desk, you can send campaigns relevant to that niche. If your campaign is interesting, they run with it and the article features the expert or company prominently. You’ll have seen this in The Sun, The Express, US publications. Articles from the expert’s perspective featuring the brand. That brand building is super valuable.

James Dooley: Great answer. Anyone watching, are you doing expert quote link building as part of your digital PR? Check out the last link in the description. I interview Chris Pantelli from Linkify. See whether you think expert quote link building is worth doing in-house or outsourcing to Linkify and Chris Pantelli. Chris, it’s been a pleasure. If anyone needs to get hold of you, where’s the best place?

Chris Pantelli: Thanks James, it's been awesome. Linkify.io, Twitter, LinkedIn. Any of those.

James Dooley: It's been a pleasure. Hopefully everyone enjoyed learning more about expert commentary, Haro links, or expert quote links as part of digital PR.