Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/81015
MANAGEMENT UNCORKING PR to read about a wine that nobody can buy? It just frustrates every- one. Every writer knows this. It's about time that you learned it. Even worse is the press release that not only announces your new wine release, but also includes a rave review from another writer. What is the message here? So-and- so loves the wine, and you should write about it, because so-and- so is a really good and important writer. This is a slap in the face of the target audience, and will make you many long-term enemies if you insist upon it. In fact, there are only a few things that should NEVER go into a press kit that you send to a journalist, and one of them is a story by some other journalist. THE MEANING OF MEDALS "We've just won an award at a wine competition!" We are all delighted for you. But try to think this through from the view of the writer. There are so many wine competitions these days that no writer could ever write about all the wines that won awards. So in the "remarkable news" category, this release fails – unless there is something truly spe- cial about your wine winning this particular award. A traminette wine won the sweepstakes award in a prestigious international competi- tion with 5,000 entries? That could be news. Generally speaking, there is one kind of wine competition press release that does merit consider- ation. If you have a wine that won multiple sweepstakes/platinum/ best of class awards, then it might make sense to tie these all togeth- er into a release that makes the claim that yours is the most award- ed wine in its class this year. That would be news, and it just might get printed. But be prepared to defend your position against other wineries that might make the same claim. And if you really want jour- nalists to write about your wines, you have to send them a bottle. They don't write about wines they haven't tasted, so even the very best release will fall short unless you attach it to a bottle of wine. "We're hosting a wonderful event at the winery that is so spe- cial it is by invitation only!" Ouch! Are you trying to offend people? The only ones who will be happy to read this are the ones who are already invited, and they already know about it. Everyone else will have a simple reaction: "Humph. They didn't even invite me. What jerks." Is that really the reaction you want your press releases to achieve? I don't think so. There is no easy way to get around this one. I understand that the winery is very excited about this event, and Piña Napa Valley A solid financial resource for your wine business. Ask us why Piña Napa Valley banks with us. Call 707-508-3376 for information about wine business lending. San Francisco | Marin | Sonoma | Napa | bankofmarin.com | Member FDIC 18 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT SEPT - OCT 2012 WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM