Original-data assets earn 3.2x more links per outreach hour than skyscraper rewrites

Original-data assets earn 3.2x more links per outreach hour than skyscraper rewrites

We compared two link-bait formats across 120 campaigns (n=120, 6-month window).

— Skyscraper (longer/better version of ranked content): 1.4 links per outreach hour
— Original survey/dataset asset: 4.5 links per hour

Skyscraper competes on 'mine is bigger' — a weak pitch when the incumbent already ranks. Original data gives the journalist a citable stat they cannot get elsewhere.

The cost flips, though: a dataset asset runs $1,500-4,000 to produce versus near-zero for a rewrite. Skyscraper wins on upfront budget; data wins on cost-per-link at volume.

Skip skyscraper unless you hold a genuine content edge — fund one data asset instead.