Senior Digital Public Relations Manager

About The Role

Optimal is looking for an experienced Senior Public Relations Manager to join our innovative SEO + Digital PR team. We are looking for a PR expert with a proven track record of developing creative pitch campaigns and executing them to secure high-quality press coverage. 

At Optimal, we are actively looking to scale standout candidates – those who are ready for significant opportunities and hungry to take on meaningful responsibilities that drive real business results for our clients. New employees that grow the fastest at our company are strategic problem solvers who are proactively looking to improve with innovative ideas but are also relentless at following through. 

As a Senior Digital PR Manager for Optimal, you will also have the opportunity to grow your knowledge, skills, and experience within Search Engine Optimization. Our team is at the forefront of not only traditional SEO but also generative engine optimization, crafting digital PR strategies that help influence and inform LLM-based models such as ChatGPT.

Who Are We?

Optimal is a performance marketing agency on a mission, bringing together the best data, technology, and people to achieve our clients’ marketing goals. Brand, campaign, or cause: we maximize performance at every moment.
We are not only digital media strategists – we’re award-winning industry leaders, with deep knowledge spanning all things digital: from advertising and paid media, to marketing and communications, to audience data and analytics, we deliver for our clients.
Everyone at Optimal has the opportunity to learn, grow, and progress. Through our proprietary training programs, we provide our team members with the personal and professional development they need to achieve advancement at any stage in their careers.
We’re always looking for exceptional people to join our team. If this sounds like you, please apply!

Essential Functions, Duties, and Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership, strategy, and innovation on key accounts to support overall client retention and satisfaction for the department 
  • Develop and manage innovative PR and link-building strategies designed to meet client goals and influence visibility across both search engines and large language models like ChatGPT
  • Establish meaningful media relationships to secure consistent, high-quality press coverage with authoritative backlinks
  • Pitch content to media contacts at leading digital publications when necessary, coach and delegate direct reports to support otherwise, ensuring coverage contributes to clients' presence in both search engine and LLM-powered responses 
  • Collaborate with the SEO team to create high-quality content for use on client websites, public relations outreach, and link building efforts
  • Collaborate with the SEO team to develop client roadmaps that include measurable KPIs for both organic search performance and generative engine visibility
  • Analyze the performance of clients’ web analytics (using tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, and Ahrefs) to inform digital PR tactics, including those aimed at improving visibility in LLM responses
  • Create performance analysis reports and present them to clients and internal teams

Minimum Qualifications & Skill Requirements:

• 4-year Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Public Relations, Writing or a related field is strongly preferred
• 3+ years of full-time, professional PR experience (Agency experience is strongly preferred)
• 1+ years of people management experience
• Experience and proven success in pitching and securing press placements with a variety of top and mid-tier publications
• Excellent writing skills, applicable to both long and short-form content
• Strong interpersonal skills – able to effectively build and manage relationships with clients, media, and colleagues
• Excellent time management, organizational skills, and a high attention to detail
• Familiar with Google Analytics 4 or other website reporting tools and the ability to extract meaningful insights from data analysis
• Proficiency with PR platforms (e.g. MuckRack, Cision, Meltwater) is a plus, but not required
• SEO experience is a plus, but not required
• Familiarity with SEO platforms (e.g. MOZ, Ahrefs, SEM Rush), is a plus but not required

Optimal is proud to offer the following:

• The base salary ranges from $90,000 to $98,000 annually, depending upon factors including, but not limited to, experience, skill level, education and location.
• Open leave (paid time off)
• Paid Leave for new parents
• Health insurance (including dental and vision)
• Flex Spending Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• 401K with company matching
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Professional development opportunities
• Rewards and recognition programs
• And so much more!

Office Hours

This role is based out of our Austin office. We work on a hybrid basis at our office locations, with many team members working entirely from home. Work hours are consistently 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday-Friday, with the expectation that evening and weekend work will be required as necessary.