Buying Links vs Digital PR: Risks, Costs, and What Actually Works (with Vince Nero from BuzzStream)

Host: Jack Chambers-Ward (he/him)Vince Nero, BuzzStream’s Director of Content Marketing, joins Search with Candour to discuss whether paying for digital PR is the same as buying links.Vince shares research on link marketplaces, noting many sites have zero organic traffic and only a tiny fraction qualify as high-quality. With some top-tier paid placements averaging thousands of dollars per link, often rivalling or exceeding monthly digital PR retainers.Vince and Jack also discuss relevancy vs authority, referral traffic and business impact, the growing value of brand mentions for AI visibility, and how creating owned, original assets and proprietary data can drive long-term coverage.Follow VinceBuzzstreamBuzzstream podcastFollow Vince on LinkedInVince’s previous episodeVince's recommendations:Actionable tip: Create unique content for digital PR pitches and host that content on your website.Recommended tool: XofuSomething fun: Mina the Hollower and Widow's BayChapters00:00 Highlight reel01:12 Introduction04:47 Welcome Vince Nero05:38 Digital PR vs link buying08:48 Link marketplaces data12:47 Quality metrics relevancy17:13 Google risks penalties21:45 Cost value comparison32:02 Digital PR long-term wins36:07 The importance of owned assets44:00 AI mentions new value46:51 Linked vs unlinked mentions48:25 When links don’t matter49:46 Big brand campaign metrics50:45 AI as a status signal52:55 Non-AI agency debate54:15 Trusting Google guidance55:17 Search relations vs Google Corp01:01:00 guidelines vs case studies01:03:01 Recommendations: Actionable tip01:04:24 Recommendations: Tool/software01:05:37 Recommendations: Something fun01:15:28 Where to find Vince01:16:28 Episode wrap up and next guests