A wedding supplier’s guide to gaining exposure through great content
We’ve highlighted some of the ways in which wedding professionals can approach the creation of newsworthy PR stories guaranteed to boost bookings but how do you then deliver that story into the right hands and in the right way?
It’s all well and good having a fantastic story to share about your company, your successes or your sector but how do you get the attention of the right people in the media?
Think about how many other wedding industry professionals like you are currently researching or writing an engaging piece of content. Now imagine being an editor and having one space to fill in your next supplement but 50-100 content submissions to sift through?
Standing out in the crowd is the difference between PR success and failure.
How wedding suppliers should approach content submissions
Here are 5 steps you should take to ensure you’re giving your wedding business the best chance of exposure through publication of your content…
1. Check that your wedding website is up to scratch
The first thing to do before you kick start any PR campaign is to review your company website. Make sure that all of your information is up to date and that your content is conveying the right message for you and your brand.
Believe it or not, the success of story submissions can often be down to how professional you seem as a wedding supplier. Editors aren’t going to want to associate their media publications with businesses that appear out of date or unprofessional.
Plus, you’re unlikely to convert business from press stories if your website falls short!
2. Produce a shortlist of relevant media contacts
Do your research and create a wishlist of websites, blogs and publications you’d like to feature in; making sure that the media you pursue are relevant to your target audience and if possible, local to your business.
Take a look at the kinds of content each media outlet is showcasing to decide whether your work and your writing suitably matches their tone, style and subject.
Tip: getting your work published takes time and whilst it may be tempting to email every media outlet you know of, the best approach is to properly research the publications that best suit your brand and location.
3. Review submission guidelines
It is so important for you to spend time reading submission guidelines on the websites of media outlets you’re hoping to contact.
So many businesses don’t do this and fall short as a result. Follow submission rules and you’re already ahead of much of the competition.
4. Include a detailed summary with your submission
When submitting your story to the press, it’s important that you provide a detailed excerpt that succinctly describes exactly what your story is about.
Take time preparing your pitch and highlight the key details of your content AND your business, e.g. state that you specialise in unique wedding cakes, modern floral design or bespoke wedding dresses, and include details of where you’re based. Many local media outlets will be more inclined to publish stories from local businesses.
Tip: remember to tailor your pitch to each media outlet. A few sentences aimed specifically at the publication you’re contacting could be the ones that catch the eye of an editor looking for a wedding supplier who’s done their research.
5. Attach images
If you take the task of having to source imagery away from editors, they’ll love you for it. Plus, when you accompany text with images it instantly makes a story stand out. Photos are excellent at instantly conveying emotion and telling their own story; even without the support of written words.
PR success is just a carefully crafted submission away
Getting content published is tough but when you start to enjoy the fruits of your labour you may find that the exposure is exactly what you need to take your wedding business to the next level.
Approach PR in a strategic and controlled way; knowing who you want to reach, the message you want to convey and where best your content will succeed.
Ensure that your efforts are measurable through google analytics and contact forms and remember that there are multiple benefits to PR aside from direct business, such as brand awareness, third party credibility and links to your website (for SEO points).
So in the words of Benjamin Franklin, all that’s left to do now is “write something worth reading or do something worth writing about”.
Get out there and leave your mark on the wedding industry because in PR, we create our own luck.