Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/81015
MANAGEMENT UNCORKING PR coverage. If you refuse to disclose the numbers, you are taking your- self completely out of the press game. Those are the rules. I under- stand that you don't want to display your financial underwear to the media, but I hope you understand that the media won't write about people who hide this stuff. Ever. The solution for this one is pret- ty obvious. If you want to announce that you are now the No. 1-selling riesling in the world, you are going to have to show some figures to prove it. Otherwise, don't make the announcement. "We are now completing the third year of a six-year campaign to replant all of our vineyards." Hard news likes beginnings and endings, not muddy middles. Announcing that you are on sched- ule to complete a project years from now will elicit a wide yawn from most writers. If you are way behind schedule and won't be ready for harvest, that might make for an interesting news story; it just won't help the perception of your brand. Once your project is completed, you can announce it, and it might get some coverage. Even better, try to find a way to involve consumers in the big project. That's something that could interest journalists — especially if you allow them a sneak preview of the project and and/or product. Then they have a scoop, and every journalist likes that! THINK PUBLIC, NOT PERSONAL "Pollyanna, who is the cousin of the owner of the winery, is going to climb to the highest point in all 50 of the United States." In this case, you are confusing your commercial audience with the mailing list for your family holiday newsletter. If Pollyanna doesn't have anything to do with the win- ery, and her adventure isn't part of a larger campaign by the win- ery to help people with disabilities achieve their goals, then this sim- ply is inappropriate for the audi- ence. Obviously, you could connect Pollyanna's adventure more direct- ly to the winery, but beware: The more tenuous the connection to the winery and its products, the less likely you are to get any coverage. And for those really extravagant adventures, make sure that you are not perceived as simply a bunch of silly and rich people playing games while the rest of the country is in a recession. It would be much more interesting to read how your fam- ily is helping disabled adults climb stairs than it would be to read about your safari to Africa to shoot animals. PRESS RELEASE TIPS So how should you approach press releases? Do your homework. Read what the journalists have written in the past, and find out what kinds of sto- ries they want to write. Ask them what they want to know and the best way to deliver it to them. Make sure you are promoting something that is of interest to the public, more than something you need to promote to be successful. Most journalists write for the pub- lic, and don't see their role as writ- ing for you. Ask yourself what the news is. What is new and newsworthy? If you can't answer the question, you don't have any news. A good journalist will always ask, "Can this wait for next week?" If your answer is yes, then you don't have news. Only write press releases for the general public; your other audi- ences (staff and trade) should be contacted with internal communi- cations pieces. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwm-online.com. COST EFFECTIVE WINE ANALYSIS TEST MENU INCLUDES Acetic Acid Ammonia Copper Ethanol Glucose/Fructose Citric Acid Total S02 FOOD DIAGNOSTICS T +1 304 728 2890 E enquiries@randoxfooddiagnostics.com www.randoxfooddiagnostics.com 20 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT SEPT - OCT 2012 WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM Lactic Acid Iron Malic Acid Potassium TAS NEW TESTS COMING SOON NOPA Tartaric Acid