The wine industry is filled with passionate producers, dedicated retailers and remarkable wines.
Yet many small wine businesses struggle to get meaningful media coverage, not because their wines are lacking, but because their stories are not presented to journalists and communicators in a way that captures their attention.
We know all too well that winemaking takes years of experience, knowledge, resilience (and a touch of madness). Other than the little bit of madness, communicating that story effectively requires a completely different set of skills.
What do we mean by Meaningful Coverage?
In today's fast-moving media landscape, editors, wine writers and communicators need more than tasting notes or another announcement about a new wine launch. They need stories that resonate with their audiences. They need a compelling angle, a human connection and a reason why the story is so important right here, right now.
The end product may be at the heart of a story, but gaining media coverage relies on a whole host of other moving parts to make it successful - ie, clarity, consistency and the ability to present information in a way that is engaging, relevant and easy to use.
This is where strong imagery, clear messaging and timely responses come into play to ensure a story has stand-out in a busy, chaotic media landscape.
The Challenge
For many small wine producers and retailers, this presents a challenge. Usually run by individuals, couples or families, everyone is a multi-tasker balancing the demands of production, sales, operations and customer relationships. Finding the time, budget and expertise to develop a strong media strategy can feel overwhelming.
As a result, many inspiring stories remain untold.
The Missed Opportunity
But here is what is really sad – a missed media strategy is a missed opportunity in a hugely competitive market where supply often exceeds demand, and where consumers have more choice than ever before, yet drink less than ever before.
Strategic media exposure can help a wine business build awareness, reach new audiences, strengthen their reputation and create long-term brand value.
The reality is that the media want to discover interesting producers, innovative retailers and wines with personality. However, they need those stories to be presented in a way they can quickly take on board, collate and share with their readers.
A well-crafted story can take a wine far beyond the bottle. It can bring the people and passion behind the business to life and cast a spotlight on the challenges and the values that drive them to be amongst the vines every single day.
Tools in your Business Plan
For wine producers and retailers looking to grow their profile, effective communication with the media should be seen as an investment rather than an afterthought, media strategy and PR are vital tools in your business plan.
After all, working effectively with journalists, editors and wine communicators can transform a vision into a story that people want to read, share, remember and buy into.
If you want to find out more, take a look at Chapter 1 of my Mini Masterclass on ‘Working Effectively with the Media’ to gain a few tips and insights into Managing Media Requests.