Building links for a sex toy company is not as simple as sending out a few press releases and hoping journalists bite.
It is a sensitive industry.
Some publications avoid the topic completely. Others will cover sex and relationships, but only if the angle feels useful, expert-led, and editorially safe. And even when journalists do cover the story, getting them to link back to a commercial adult website is another challenge altogether.
That was the challenge we had to solve.
The client wanted high-authority backlinks from trusted publications, but they did not want low-quality links, paid placements, or anything that felt spammy.
They wanted earned media.
So we used expert commentary to position the brand as a credible voice in the sex, dating and relationship space.
The objective
The client wanted to build authority, improve their backlink profile, and increase visibility in a competitive industry.
Like many ecommerce brands in the adult space, they were up against a difficult search landscape.
Ranking is competitive. Advertising options are limited. And many traditional PR opportunities are closed off because of the nature of the product.
The goal was not just to “get links.”
The goal was to earn links from trusted publications that could help the brand build authority beyond standard ecommerce SEO.
We needed coverage from sites people already recognise.
National newspapers.
Lifestyle magazines.
Relationship publications.
High-authority media brands.
The kind of links competitors cannot easily copy.
The challenge
Sex toy brands have a unique PR problem.
The topic is interesting to journalists, but the commercial side can make editors cautious.
A story that feels too promotional will get ignored. A product-led pitch can be rejected instantly. And even when the topic is accepted, links to adult ecommerce websites are often removed before publication.
So the campaign had to be handled carefully.
We could not pitch the client as “a sex toy company selling products.”
That would have made the story too commercial.
Instead, we had to position the client as a source of expert insight on topics journalists were already covering.
Sex.
Dating.
Relationships.
Intimacy.
Modern dating trends.
Red flags.
Consumer behaviour.
These are all topics major publications cover regularly.
The key was giving journalists commentary that added something useful to the conversation, rather than trying to force the brand into the article.
The strategy
We built the campaign around expert commentary.
Instead of creating one big campaign and hoping it landed, we used multiple reactive and evergreen angles that could fit into the news cycle.
This meant monitoring what journalists were writing about, spotting topics where the client had a credible reason to comment, and creating expert-led responses that were ready to use.
The commentary had to be useful, clear and media-friendly.
Not too explicit.
Not too sales-led.
Not too promotional.
Not written like an advert.
The aim was to make the journalist’s job easier.
If they were writing about dating trends, we gave them expert insight.
If they were covering relationship red flags, we gave them commentary.
If they needed a quote on intimacy, confidence, attraction or modern relationships, we gave them something they could use quickly.
This helped us place the client naturally inside the story.
They were not being pushed as a retailer.
They were being used as an expert source.
That is what made the difference.
How we overcame the challenge
The biggest shift was in the positioning.
We did not lead with the products.
We led with expertise.
That meant the pitch was not:
“Here is a sex toy brand you should write about.”
It was:
“Here is a useful expert comment on a topic your readers already care about.”
That made the story easier for journalists to accept.
It also meant the client could be included in mainstream publications without the coverage feeling awkward or overly commercial.
We kept the angles broad enough for national media, but relevant enough to justify the link back to the client.
That balance is important.
Too broad, and the brand feels disconnected from the story.
Too niche, and journalists will not touch it.
The winning approach was to connect the client to conversations around relationships, dating, intimacy and consumer behaviour in a way that felt natural.
The results
The campaign earned links in 12 publications, including:
The Sun
Cosmopolitan
Express
Mirror
Huffington Post
New York Post
Daily Mail
Alongside these, we also secured coverage across additional lifestyle, relationship and national media titles.
Every link was earned through expert commentary.
No paid placements.
No sponsored posts.
No advertorials.
No link buying.
Just relevant commentary, strong timing and pitches built around what journalists actually needed.
Why these links matter
For a sex toy brand, links from publications like The Sun, Cosmopolitan, Express, Mirror, Huffington Post, New York Post and Daily Mail are extremely valuable.
Not just because of authority.
Because of trust.
Adult ecommerce is a competitive space, and many brands rely on standard link building methods that are easy for competitors to copy.
Guest posts can help. Affiliate links can help. Niche placements can help.
But they do not carry the same weight as being referenced by major publications.
These links help show that the brand is not just another ecommerce website.
It is a recognised voice in the wider conversation around sex, dating and relationships.
That can support SEO, improve trust signals, strengthen the backlink profile, and give the brand a level of credibility that is hard to build through traditional link building alone.
The takeaway
Getting media coverage for a sex toy company is not easy.
But it is possible when the story is handled properly.
The mistake many brands make is trying to promote the product directly.
That rarely works.
The better approach is to understand what journalists already want to write about, then give them useful expert commentary that fits the story.
That is how we helped this client earn links from 12 major publications.
Not by forcing the brand into the media.
But by positioning them as a credible expert source in conversations journalists were already covering.
If you run a sex toy brand and want high-authority links from publications your competitors cannot easily copy, expert-led digital PR could be the missing piece.
Book a call with us today and we’ll show you what angles could work for your brand.