PR Tips for Wine Brands
It’s an exciting time in wine country as harvest kicks off—a new vintage, another opportunity to share this beautiful terroir with wine drinkers around the world.
Whether you have an established winery or just launched a new brand, PR and strategic communications can help build trust and credibility with consumers through third party endorsements and compelling storytelling, awareness building. PR can also support sales and brand growth in the market, adding value for trade and distribution partners to reach your business goals.
If you’re looking to expand your reach, tap into new audiences and increase sales, here are the first steps to building an impactful PR and marketing program:
Set goals and build a plan; develop a PR/marketing strategy that will help you reach those goals. Build a timeline and tactical calendar to keep yourself accountable. How can you maximize market visits/time in each key market? Which regional markets are important, in which markets do you want to/plan on expanding? Your media relations strategy + approach should align with those answers!
Develop consistent, concise, compelling messaging that will be used throughout your marketing channels; dig into what makes you different and remarkable in a very crowded space. Is it the people behind the brand? Are you working with truly unique varietals, or are you the newest in an up and coming AVA? Leverage what is newsworthy and lean into that.
Here are some tactics we utilize throughout the programs we develop and execute for our clients—and things to consider when building a successful PR and marketing plan for your wine brand:
Media relations: Know your customer/audience (or the customer you’re seeking to acquire) and meet them where they are—what are they reading, what are they listening to, what social media platforms do they use? Whether a luxury Cabernet estate or a hip natural wine label, the media outlets, journalist targets and approach will vary.
Influencer campaigns + programming: Identify tastemakers, bloggers, social media ‘influencers’ that matter to your brand and align with your target customer—build relationships through social media and networking. Invite them to your winery for a complimentary tasting or a wine dinner you’re hosting in a new market, fold them into become true ambassadors of your brand.
Events: Whether virtual or in person, events build relationships with media, tastemakers and new customers and allow you the opportunity to share your story (and wines!). Harness the power of the new norms established throughout the pandemic and execute virtual tastings with trade and/or members. Get creative, have fun, test what works/what doesn’t and continue to integrate digital activations into your marketing plans.
Partnerships: Brand partnerships and collaborations provide access to new customers, cultivate authenticity and prestige, create buzz, goodwill, and generate mutually beneficial results on both sides. What audiences are you looking to captivate, how are you positioning your brand, what goals are you hoping to achieve? Once you establish the purpose, identify and build partnerships that align.
Have more questions about how you can leverage PR to help grow your brand? Or looking to connect with existing clients to build strategic partnerships in this key time of year? Reach out to us!
Photo captured by Alina Tyulyu for Cellar 503