Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/111102
UNCORKING PR PAUL WAGNER going to miss out on any chance of coverage. Not every interview is an opportunity to tell exactly the same story, and you have to adapt to each situation. Deliver beyond journalists' expectations. Give them images to use and recipes to print. Instead of asking them what they want to know, give them everything you think they should know to write a great story. You may not get your wine listed as the top scorer, but you will increase your chances that your winery will get mentioned. Give them a really good story. If your story brings a smile to their faces or a tear to their eyes, you have a better chance of getting coverage. That's what readers want to SometimeS money doeS grow on treeS. read, and that's what writers want to write. GUARD AGAINST NEGATIVES You have worked for months to get an interview with a key journalist, and finally succeeded. The interview goes well, and you can hardly wait to see the story. But when it appears, it doesn't capture what you wanted to convey. In fact, it really doesn't tell your story at all. It may even tell a very different story, perhaps with some negative connotations. What to do? Take time before an interview to provide the writer with useful information to help tell your story. Photo: Thinkstock American AgCredit is paying record cash dividends. Again. It's all in the numbers: $45 million paid for 2012 and more than $180 million since 2006. Join us now and be part of next year's dividend success story. Call 800.800.4865 today or visit AgLoan.com A part of the Farm Credit System. Equal Opportunity Lender. w w w. v w m media.com You can lead writers to a story, but you can't control what they write. However, there are some steps you can take that will make this situation easier to avoid, and they begin well in advance of the interview itself. Do the groundwork first. When you first set up interviews, make sure that journalists understand your story, and give him them the background needed to prepare for the interview. If you prepare them, they will be in a better position to write your story. This is a key part of good PR practices, and you need to make sure that you are doing it well. M a r - A p r 2 0 13 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 19