Case Study

Using Data Storytelling to Power PR & SEO Efforts

Company: Wanderu

Disciplines:

The Project

I created and led a series of data-driven content campaigns for Wanderu designed to earn media coverage, drive traffic, and support SEO growth – all through the power of storytelling. Drawing from both Wanderu’s internal data and external sources, I developed studies that ranged from timely travel trends and lifestyle angles to purely curiosity-driven content with viral potential.

Each project served a clear purpose: to spark media interest, showcase the value of bus and train travel, and deliver measurable results. These stories gave editors something fresh, readers something useful, and Wanderu a meaningful place in the conversation. I handled everything from ideation and research to writing, packaging, and promotion – ensuring that each campaign hit its mark across PR, SEO, and brand relevance.

The Opportunity

I saw a unique opportunity to use data storytelling as a way to position Wanderu as more than just a travel booking platform – it could be a source of insight, inspiration, and authority. In a competitive media landscape, I knew that timely, well-packaged data could earn attention in ways traditional marketing couldn’t. By tapping into trends, cultural moments, and user curiosity, I created stories that naturally fit into the news cycle and gave journalists a reason to include Wanderu in their coverage.

These projects offered more than just press hits. They brought in high-quality inbound links from trusted news and lifestyle outlets, supported long-term SEO growth, and helped drive brand awareness at moments that mattered most. They also gave us a chance to showcase just how fun, flexible, and relevant bus and train travel can be.

For me, it was about creating content that worked on every level – editorial, strategic, and experiential.

The Goals

Each data storytelling project I led was designed to serve multiple strategic objectives across PR, brand, and SEO. My key goals included:

Generate earned media coverage by developing timely, original studies tied to Wanderu’s offerings or relevant cultural moments.
Insert Wanderu into the news cycle by providing fresh data or commentary that added value to ongoing travel and lifestyle coverage.
Uncover interesting or unexpected insights, using fun or provocative data, to grab attention and drive traffic.
Highlight trip possibilities via ground travel by creating itinerary-style content that showcased how fun and accessible travel by bus or train can be.
Build high-quality inbound links from reputable editorial domains to support Wanderu’s long-term SEO growth.
Reinforce brand relevance by showing Wanderu as a travel-savvy, culturally aware, and insight-rich platform.

Each goal worked in service of both short-term impact (press hits, traffic spikes) and long-term brand equity.

The Strategy

Each project was designed to meet the moment, whether that meant supporting a product launch, reinforcing brand messaging, or tapping into trending lifestyle conversations.

While some stories directly highlighted bus and train travel or aligned with Wanderu’s business priorities (like launching in Europe), others were broader lifestyle pieces that encouraged travel by proxy – leveraging cultural moments, curiosity, or entertainment trends to drive interest and relevance.

I focused on developing stories that felt fresh, useful, and media-friendly, using data as the throughline. By combining strategic timing, SEO-forward structure, and creative angles, I positioned Wanderu as a go-to source not just for booking trips, but for understanding how people travel, spend, and explore.

The Tactics

To meet different goals across PR, SEO, and brand storytelling, I developed data-driven campaigns that fell into four distinct categories:

Unique Itineraries via Bus & Train

I created trip guides and travel itineraries built entirely around routes available on Wanderu—designed to showcase the variety, affordability, and fun of ground travel.

Examples:

Seasonal & News-Cycle Travel Stories

These pieces tapped into timely moments—holidays, long weekends, major events, or ongoing cultural conversations—using relevant travel behavior data to keep Wanderu in the media spotlight.

Examples:

Product-Tied Data Studies

I developed data stories that aligned with specific business pushes, such as launching in a new market or introducing a new carrier—helping support broader awareness and education efforts.

Examples:

Just-for-Fun, High-Traction Studies

Some stories were designed purely to entertain and grab attention. These lifestyle-driven pieces weren’t always directly about Wanderu, but they sparked coverage and clicks that ultimately benefited brand visibility and SEO.

Examples:

The Results

Earned 1,000+ media placements across top-tier news and lifestyle outlets in the U.S., Canada, and Europe – including the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, NBC, CBS, and Miami Herald – bringing widespread visibility to the Wanderu brand.
Boosted Wanderu’s domain authority by 20+ points, significantly strengthening the site’s SEO performance and driving ongoing organic traffic growth across high-priority landing pages.
Built strong relationships with key editors and journalists, establishing Wanderu as a credible, go-to source for data-driven insights – both within the travel space and across broader lifestyle and culture coverage.

These results weren’t just short-term wins – they created a foundation for ongoing media interest, evergreen SEO value, and long-term brand positioning.