Search has changed shape. Google’s results now sit alongside AI Overviews, and tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini answer questions directly, often without a single click to a website. These systems build their answers from what’s already published and cited across the web: news coverage, expert commentary, journalist-sourced data, high-authority backlinks. That’s digital PR territory, and it’s why the discipline now matters for AI Search Optimisation, Generative Engine Optimisation and Answer Engine Optimisation, not just the usual search rankings.
None of this replaces traditional SEO. A strong digital PR campaign still builds the backlink profile search engines use to judge authority, still drives referral traffic, and still gets a brand in front of the journalists deciding what gets covered. The difference is that AI models are now reading that coverage too, and the agencies who understand both sides of it are the ones worth knowing.
With that in mind, here’s a ranking of the top five digital PR consultants working in the UK right now, based on results, notable campaigns, and how well they’ve adapted to this shift.
5 Best Digital PR Freelancers UK
1- Adam Docherty – Best for SEO focused digital PR campaigns
2- Jessica Maccio – Best for senior strategy, startups and fractional PR leadership
3 – Natalie Richardson – Best for experienced media relations and news-generation campaigns
4 – Erica Vonderwall – Best for brand authority and story-led digital PR
5 – Rob Phillimore – Best for B2B tech, enterprise PR and AI search visibility work
How this list was made:
This isn’t a formal audit, and there’s no single scorecard behind it. Instead, each name on this list was weighed up against a set of criteria pulled together from what’s actually verifiable in public:
- Case studies and client results the consultant has chosen to publish
- A clear, specific area of expertise rather than a generalist pitch
- A track record in competitive, high-stakes markets
- Real involvement in SEO delivery, not just strategy decks
- A public footprint: articles, research, talks, podcast or conference appearances
- Genuine grasp of AI search, judged by depth rather than how often “GEO” gets mentioned
- Whether the visibility work ties back to something commercial: leads, pipeline, revenue
Any figures cited below come from the consultant’s own site or another named public source, so you can check them yourself.
1 – Adam Docherty
Website: https://adamdocherty.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-docherty/
About Adam Docherty
Best for: Brands that want digital PR to move rankings, not just generate press mentions
Adam Docherty tops this list because he approaches digital PR the way an SEO would, not the way a traditional publicist would. With more than five years spent working across both disciplines, his campaigns are built with link equity in mind from the first brainstorm, not bolted on afterwards once coverage has already landed. That distinction matters more than it sounds. A lot of digital PR still gets judged on volume of press hits, but Adam Docherty’s work is judged on where those links point, what pages they support, and what happens to rankings and organic traffic once the dust settles.
Coverage is only useful if it does something, and his campaigns are engineered so that the placements he secures pass real authority through to the pages that need it, rather than sitting on a homepage with no strategic purpose behind it.
Why he’s ranked where he is: Most digital PR consultants can get a client into a national publication. Fewer can explain why that specific link, on that specific page, moves a specific set of rankings. Adam Docherty’s SEO background means he’s thinking about crawl paths, internal linking and target keywords at the campaign planning stage, not retrofitting an SEO narrative once the coverage is secured.
What he’s best suited for: Brands who already have a working SEO strategy and want PR to plug directly into it. If you know which pages need authority and which keywords you’re chasing, Adam Docherty’s approach gives that strategy a mechanism to actually gain ground. He’s less suited to brands chasing pure brand awareness or sentiment, since the entire model is built around ranking impact rather than reputation for its own sake.
2 – Jessica Maccio
Website: https://jessicamaccio.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamaccio/
Jessica Maccio brings around 20 years of traditional and digital PR experience to the table, which puts her among the most established names on this list. She works flexibly, offering fractional digital PR direction, full campaign delivery, training and agency support depending on what a client actually needs. Her published case studies span brands including Twickets, PetProov and Vet AI, giving a track record that’s easy to verify rather than take on trust.
Why she’s ranked where she is: Two decades of experience across both traditional and digital PR is rare, and it shows in the range of ways she can be brought in, whether that’s leading a campaign outright or advising an existing team.
What she’s best suited for: Brands or agencies that want senior strategic input without necessarily hiring a full in-house lead, and those who value a consultant with real breadth across sectors.
3 – Natalie Richardson
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/natalieerichardson
Natalie Richardson is a Leeds-based freelance digital PR consultant with more than 12 years in the industry. Her focus sits squarely on news generation, media relations, earned links and online coverage, the core disciplines that underpin most successful digital PR work.
Why she’s ranked where she is: Freelance doesn’t mean lightweight here. Twelve-plus years of hands-on media relations experience means she knows how to pitch a story that journalists actually want to run, which is still the foundation everything else in digital PR is built on.
What she’s best suited for: Brands that want a single experienced consultant driving coverage and earned links, rather than working through a larger agency structure. A good fit for anyone who values direct access to the person actually doing the work.
4 – Erica Vonderwall
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericavonderwall/
Erica Vonderwall works as a senior digital PR consultant focused on building brand authority and trust through relevant editorial coverage. Her approach leans into storytelling and positioning, not just link acquisition, though the two go hand in hand in her campaigns.
Why she’s ranked where she is: Not every brand needs coverage purely for ranking impact. Some need the story to land right and the publication to reflect well on how the brand is perceived, and that’s where her strength lies.
What she’s best suited for: Brands who want digital PR to do double duty, building genuine authority and trust in the market while still picking up the backlinks that support SEO.
5 – Rob Phillimore
Website: https://www.robphillimore.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robphillimore/
Rob Phillimore offers senior PR consultancy and fractional PR leadership for B2B technology and enterprise organisations, covering media relations across UK, European and international trade press, executive thought leadership, LinkedIn content and category positioning.
What sets him apart is how directly he’s built AI search into the offering: dedicated GEO audits, citation-building, and campaigns timed around funding rounds, product launches and major milestones. He also runs AI-for-PR training workshops for in-house and agency comms teams.
Why he’s ranked where he is: Enterprise and B2B tech is a specific niche in digital PR, and pairing it with genuine GEO delivery rather than buzzwords earns him a place here.
What he’s best suited for: B2B and enterprise tech brands that need trade press relationships and structured AI search visibility work, particularly around major announcements.
