Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/590181
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m N o v - D e c 2 015 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 7 J . A . M . P R f o r i t s public relations out- reach. According to Reber, writing and messaging is one of the full-service a g e n c y 's s t r o n g s u i t s . " A l l o f o u r winemakers deeply a p p r e c i a t e t h e i r writing prowess and their ability to dis- till messaging and communicate with clarity." A s D u c k h o r n 's portfolio has grown over the years to i n c l u d e D e c o y , Paraduxx, Goldeneye, Migration and Can- vasback, so too has the need for consis- tently communicating the unique value proposition of each brand. "The consistency of message has to be there all the way through – from the web- site to the back label copy to the sales collateral," added Reber. TIPS FOR THE TRADE Whether you are the winery's designated PR and marketing writer or you are the person in charge of col- laborating with a PR firm to direct the winery's messag- ing, routinely reviewing the quality, content and consis- tency of your messaging is essential to success. As a professional wine and food writer who also has worked in PR for the wine industry, I have read and written my fair share of press materials. In my current role as a writer for several food- and wine- f o c u s e d p u b l i c a t i o n s , I receive hundreds of press n the highly com- p e t i t i v e w i n e industry, differentia- tion is critical to suc- cess. And how you communicate your distinguishing attri- butes is as impor- tant as having them – which is why good PR writing can make or break you. While "good" is s u b j e c t i v e , e f f e c - tive PR writing is that which produc- es results, wheth- er that's a lift in press, brand build- ing, becoming a household name, sales growth, or all of the above. "There are 180,000 wines in the market- place and 8,000 wineries in the U.S. The industry has doubled in the past eight to 10 years, so complete clarity about who you are and why what you're doing is special and unique is essential in all written and spoken communication," said Carol Reber, SVP chief marketing and business develop- ment officer for Duckhorn Wine Company in St. Helena, Calif. For the past decade, Duckhorn has part- nered with the San Francisco, Calif.-based Write Like the Pros How to sharpen your PR messaging + Check that every press release contains who, what, when, where, why and how before distributing. + Put the information journal- ists need in the top para- graph, and make it easy to extract. + Make sure the entire team is telling the same story, in the same voice. + Routinely review your mes- saging for authenticity, value and effectiveness. + Don't be sloppy with gram- mar and punctuation. AT A GLANCE WINE WISE MARKETING JENNIFER STRAILEY Carol Reber of Duckhorn Wine Co. stresses the importance of clarity in PR writing and messaging. Photo: Thinkstock