Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/590181
1 8 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | N o v - D e c 2 015 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m everything you do, including your communications. "There's definitely been an evo- lution in what's expected from a winery. It's more and more compet- itive and challenging for wineries to distinguish themselves, so it's important to put your best foot for- ward in every point of contact with trade and consumers. Good writing plays a key role in that." PR writing is more than pretty prose. At its best, it's writing that resonates and produces results. Knowing that wine writers are inundated with pitches and press releases, Armour recommends that wineries consider the value of all communication before distribution. "Ask yourself, 'What's the pur- pose of the communication?' Is it to generate sales, build brand loyal- ty, to let your best customers know of some exciting news or good press? Make every communication count," he urged. releases each month, and what continues to surprise me is how many of those releases are missing pertinent details. An incomplete press release puts the onus on the journalist to hunt down the particulars. As simple as this may sound, ensure that the writers you pitch have the topline information they need to tell your story by checking that every press release has the who, what, when, where, why and how before you send it out into the world. For the past 12 years, Shaun Armour, who has written for televi- sion, ad agencies and magazines, has been the writer and commu- nications specialist for J.A.M. PR. During that time, he has developed a reputation for being the firm's secret weapon. "When PR writing is done really well, there's craftsmanship to it, just as there is with wine," assert- ed Armour. "For wineries, it's about carrying that quality through in Structure and composition also play an important role in good PR writing. "Journalists have a really hard job. They're receiving informa- tion and samples from hundreds of wineries," noted Armour. "Be sure to put the information they need in the top paragraph and make it easy to extract." While an attractively designed e-newsletter may have value to your wine club readership, a graph- ic-heavy press release that can- not be copied, cut and pasted isn't helpful to journalists. Good PR writing also is that which doesn't waste your audi- ence's time. "When we send out wine sam- ples, we include interesting infor- mation that isn't on the tech sheet. If the tasting notes just reiterate the technical notes, then you're forcing the wine writer to read two things to get the same informa- tion," Armour explained. Shaun Armour of J.A.M. PR in San Fran- cisco brings writing expertise to the agency that is appreciated by clients and wine writers. Photo: Amanda Vinecourt WINE WISE MARKETING JENNIFER STRAILEY