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In practice
The two serve different jobs in the programme. The vertical publication: a smaller audience that is entirely the buyer’s market — the fintech newsletter every payments PM reads, the developer blog the engineering team follows; placements there convert better per reader, argue the product’s specifics with people who understand them, and build the topical relevance signal that search systems weight. The general tech media: the broader audience, the brand-level credibility (“as covered in [major outlet]”), the links from domains whose strength no vertical matches — valuable for authority accumulation and for the brand-SERP layer buyers check late.
The selection follows the target page and the campaign stage: the shortlist-intent placements (alternatives, comparisons, the roundup rows buyers filter through) belong in verticals where the readers are the market; the authority-building and brand-mention placements can justify general media where the audience is broader but the endorsement is louder. The economics differ too: verticals charge less and convert more, generalists charge more and convert less — with the honest caveat that some general outlets’ “tech” audiences are the buyers (engineering leaders read the same publications analysts do).
The AI layer reads both: engines answering category questions cite the verticals (the comparison layer) and the institutions (the authority layer) — the map from the prompt-set monitoring shows which layer the buyer’s questions actually draw from, and the placement mix follows the evidence rather than the vanity.
See also: High-authority vs high-relevance links, Link relevance, Software buyer journeys.
Related service: Link building strategy.
