PR advice needed

[La Belle]

Dear All

I wonder whether anyone out there can help? PR/Marketing is not our strong point yet and it all seems a bit of a mystery. For instance, I keep opening magazines and seeing little articles on new and existing businesses - how does that happen? I had thought about phoning a couple of features editors to ask if they would be interested, but will I be making a berk of myself? Is it normal to pay for these? If someone comes out to look at what we re doing will we be expected to pay their expenses?

As we are operating in a bit of a specialist area, at least partly, we have concentrated in advertising in specialist birdwatching magazines but we suspect that there is a large number of non-fanatic couples who would like to stay in a 4* hotel in the south of France, where one can bumble off to do a bit of spotting with the lads while their partner is taken off on a tour of food, wine and chocolate tasting, with a small amount of pampering thrown in.... but where do we find that group? Thats why I thought a little piece in a national lifestyle magazine might do the trick.

Sorry for rambling on but maybe someone out there can give us some advice?

Many thanks all
George

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

You're on the right track George with your thought process. You need to identify the type of person who will buy what you offer then find ways to get your sales message infront of them.

Could you give us a bit more information on exactly what your business offers?

 

[stephendoyle]

Hi George,

PR is a part of marketing.

PR when done correctly can have a massive impact on your business.

the right press release to local newspapers, magazines, tv, internet site etc can get fantastic coverage.

by strategically planning and with a professionally written press release
for a relatively low cost this is one the best things businesses can do.

it's sometimes a way of getting 1000's of pounds worth of advertising for free!

for Press Releases i would seek professional help if it is new to you however; make sure that it is:

1. newsworthy make it compelling for your audience.
2. step into the journalists shoes - why would they run your PR
3. meet the needs of the journalists by meeting the needs of their readers
4. make sure that you add all the benefits to your target audience.
5. make it a killer of a headline - really go to town and think up a compelling headline as this will be the first thing that your audience will read.

i wish you the best of luck with it and let us know how you got on.

regards
steve doyle

 

[AQUA]

Hi George

Steve and Scott are both spot on; however it would really help if you could share with us exactly what you do as some on here might have some relevant media contacts for you?

 

[10Yetis]

Dear All

For instance, I keep opening magazines and seeing little articles on new and existing businesses - how does that happen? I had thought about phoning a couple of features editors to ask if they would be interested, but will I be making a berk of myself? Is it normal to pay for these? If someone comes out to look at what we re doing will we be expected to pay their expenses?

Just to naila few of your specific questions:

I keep opening magazines and seeing little articles on new and existing businesses - how does that happen? The company you read about has either rang the reporters direct, or hired a PR person, to pimp their story.

I had thought about phoning a couple of features editors. Phoning Features Ed's is a good idea, although, you may get a better response by talking to the news writers or reporters. Before you ring them have a story/angle in mind and have it written down on paper in press release format as they will ask for it if they are interested in the story.

Will you be making a berk of yourself? No, not at all! Journo's get loads of calls every day from people pitching their story ideas to them, just make sure you are clear, concise and don't take up loads of their time.

Is it normal to pay for stories. No... paying for a story is called "advertorial". If a journo is interested in your story they will run it for free.

If someone comes out to look at what we re doing will we be expected to pay their expenses? No... big companies often pay travel and accomodation costs for journo's but it is rare for small companies to do this. Again, if a journo is interested they will come out if needs be but nowadays they rarely need to and can get all the info they need via email or photo's. In the worst case scenario they will need a photographer to come out to take some snaps but the paper or mag usually pays for this and just hires a snapper local to you to come out and take the necessary shots.

Hope this helps.

 

[La Belle]

Thanks everyone for your great advice.

To give you some background we are a British couple who have taken the (for us) giant step of moving to Southern Provence to set up a new company. My husband Nigel is a very keen birder and he has travelled around the world spending quite a bit of money on birdwatching holidays. I dont go with him because my idea of heaven is not to get up before dawn and spend the day bumping around in the back of a minibus chasing birds! Our big idea is to provide a good week's birdwatching, based in a great hotel, with an alternative itinerary for the "other halves" This will be based around countryside activities (horseriding, watching the famous camargue black bulls being rounded up, visiting local winemakers, lavender farms, etc) most of which are organic. Also visiting the local hammam, demonstrations by chocolatiers - just as an example.

We are also offering custom holidays for people based around the activities they wish to do, i.e. tours of vineyards, Van Gogh tours etc.

The thing about us is that we are just ordinary peeps without much cash, not the usual "farmhouse in Provence" types... the people normally featured in things like Country living all seem to be rich enough to be able to show of their vineyards or lavender fields. Nige was a research scientist by trade and I was a PA / Event organiser.

We have I think a really nice website, its just getting the right people to read it, i guess.

Thanks again chaps
George

 

[MH1]

Had a quick look at your website and would recommend you show the actual hotel/building and promote this far more prominently, including a location map, link to google maps etc.

Once you have sold the accomodation you can concentrate on selling the activities, the photos need to be better IMO, for instance the picture pointing down to the sand with a large rear of a horse doesn't do as much as say a horse and rider pictured galloping through some water lit from the back.

Best of luck with your venture, but although a start I reckon your website needs a fair bit of work.

 

[publicityheaven]

Hello George

I spent much of my early 20s in a minibus chasing birds. No, that was a (weak) joke.

Sounds like you need to speak to a niche birding audience. Are there niche magazines or websites you'd like to be seen in?

A lot of niche publications struggle for good content that's genuinely appealing to their audience. So you could get some good free publicity just by emailing or phoning them, briefly explaining what you do and why it's different, and asking what you can do to get a story written!

The smaller the media title and the fewer the staff, sometimes the easier it is to get coverage. Be courteous, professional, and don't be afraid to ask... you could be doing them a favour.

Good luck!

 

[La Belle]

Thanks everyone for your great advice. This is really a brilliant forum with brilliant people!

Will let you know how I get on

George x

 

[La Belle]

Well I got to speak to a few people, and a couple of editors. They all seemed very nice and interested in our project, thought it a good idea etc etc. I gave them a couple of story angles and they said they would go away and think about it! It was a bit scary the first time but soon got into my stride, thanks to the encouragement from you guys. Hopefully something will come of it - even if its just a "reader offer".... G

 

[infiniteseo]

Re: PR

In my opinion, if you do have something unique and is a specialist about it, then putting in light advertising would do to start and let the big guys know more of what you have been doing and for sure they will be interested.

I know of one foreign guy from China and since he does business their in a foreign country rather than his own, then Magazines and others come to look for him and schedule interviews and stuffs.

So I guess start slow, then take it from there.

Just my 2 cents =)

 

[XEC Internet Consultants]

Well I got to speak to a few people, and a couple of editors. They all seemed very nice and interested in our project, thought it a good idea etc etc. I gave them a couple of story angles and they said they would go away and think about it! It was a bit scary the first time but soon got into my stride, thanks to the encouragement from you guys. Hopefully something will come of it - even if its just a "reader offer".... G

If you would like to send me some pr I would be happy to feature your company on my travel blog (www.plans2travel.co.uk) . In some niches we also have run some exclusive discount offers through referrals from our sites. Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks
Stephen.

 

[Steve Best]

George,

I agree with much written previously.

Only suggestion I could make are:
Contact the RSPB and discuss advertising/advertorials in their monthly(?) quarterly(?) magazine. Possibly invite the RSPB Magazine Editor to a free weekend looking at French birds!
At the very least write an interesting letter to them (for publication) on the fantastics sights and variety of birds seen in your area ( + photograph of birds with your place in background, possibly).
2) Try and link birdwatching with current/future news stories/features that give journalists a different angle on regular stories. Not very easy, I agree - but worth a thought.

Steve

 

[katej]

Hi George,
You could also market it as a green holiday, if holidaymakers are birdwatching, visiting organic farms and lavender fields etc it sounds very much aimed at people wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and escape from it all. Although not all of the activities may be green and eco you could design specific green packages available for people to choose from.

It is one foreign holiday where taking the train would be possible which is extremely important. There is a huge market in sustainable travel now and lots of green and eco publications that may be interested in featuring it under the banner of a low impact holiday/ responsible tourism.

 

[Spiritas]

Do the PR thing yourselves and do it regularly. You have identified a number of reasons why people would come to the place so write a good one pager on each give it a good header and get it out there. (I think you're getting a lot of hints on the bird watching one: Fancy Chasing French Birds this Summer?)

Release every couple of months and look carefully at the seasonality to make sure they go at the best times, allowing for publishing leadtimes too.

Press can be very valuable and advertising expensive but the reason for that is that big profitable companies can allocate cash for the job. Small businesses don't generally have allocatable cash of that scale and should not assume that pay back from advertising or paid pr services is a given.

The net of course is your level playing field if you can build and design a website you can produce one for each of the niches you have identified and then optimise it for that niche. I couldn't see a link to your site so I assume its good but the key here is great targeted content and excellent optimisation and linking work not design or technical whizzy bits. If I was in your position I would be looking at a multi site strategy as this can be done very cost effectively these days.


Another idea is to get together with local businesses marketing to the UK and all do a show together like destinations at olympia, shared costs, all promoting the same region you might even be able to hitch a ride on the French/Provence Tourism Stand at some exhibitions and shows.

Sorry to bang on but I get all enthusiastic :redface:

Spiritas

Marketing, PR and Web Services - fancy that