5 Tips for Generating Buzz About Your CPG/Food Brand
There's never been a more exciting time to be a growing brand in the CPG (consumer packaged goods)/food space. Apps like Instagram and TikTok have turned phones into the new grocery store shelves, where consumers can scroll through their feeds and discover the latest, greatest, and most delicious and innovative products, and even shop them from the comfort of their own homes. This evolution of the shopping experience has created countless new ways for brands to interact with (and sell to!) their target consumers; it's also changed the way that brands become buzzy.
Some of the great CPG brand success stories of recent years all have a few things in common: notable brand design and packaging, genuinely delicious and quality products, and the thing that's hard to define: buzz. People are talking about these brands, sharing them with their friends and family, and suddenly you're seeing them everywhere: on your feed, on an Instagram story shared by a celebrity you follow, in obscure pop-culture references, and on the shelves of your local grocery and 'shoppy-shop'.
If you're a growing brand that wants buzz, it's never been more vital to leverage earned media, the basis of any PR/communications strategy, as a tactic to grow and promote your brand. Earned media generates your buzz, the excitement, the word-of-mouth hype where people are talking about a company or product and sharing it with friends, family, and followers alike.
If you're wondering where to begin, here are a few essential tricks of the trade to help you get started:
Define your audience
Who are you speaking to, as a brand? Who is your target customer, and where are the places they're going for info and recommendations about brands like yours? Your audience is about more than just your ideal customer–it's all the people, publications, influencers, and more where your target customer consumes information. By defining these aspects of your audience, you'll know where to pitch media to help spread the word about your brand story.
Determine what makes your brand stand out from competitors
To be buzz-worthy, you have to know what sets your brand apart. How are you doing things differently, or better, than your competitors? The things that make your brand different are what make it valuable and make your story worth telling when it comes to media and influencers.
Create your angles
Once you know your audience and what sets your brand apart, think about the stories that you want told about your brand. Perhaps your founding story is an entertaining saga, or your product uses an ingredient that has never been used in a similar product before. A good story needs to be interesting, timely, and informative–ask yourself 'why now?' Maybe your product is filling an unmet need in the market, or your brand launch provides proof of concept for a notable new trend. Whatever your hook, defining these angles will help define the stories told about your brand–an essential part of the buzz you're seeking.
Get your product in the right hands
You've found your audience, you know where they're reading and listening and shopping for great new products. To generate real brand awareness, you need people to try your product, especially if it's food–hard to love something you've never tasted before!
Sampling should play a major role in your earned media strategy, by sampling product to consumers, media, and key influencers and gatekeepers–once they try it and love it, they'll start spreading the word.
Find a great partner you can trust
Bringing in outside help is a step that many brands take once they feel ready. When looking for a consultant or agency to help with your PR it's important that your communications partner thinks the way your team thinks. Expert help is a great way to ensure that your audience, angles, and brand story are being told the correct way on the right channels, helping to create the 'buzz' that will ultimately make your brand a success.
Feeling like you don’t have the bandwidth, or team, to make time to pitch media? Leave it to us. We incorporate meaningful, relationship-driven pitching within the integrated communications strategies we develop and execute for our clients. What’s the story you have to tell through media? Email us at hello@thejamescollective.com to learn more.