One of the best ways to introduce a product, service or destination, especially in the travel and hospitality industry, is to ensure media reps experience the brand first-hand through a press trip. However, press trips can have disastrous consequences if certain important guidelines are not followed.
There are several tricks to putting together a media trip that will yield the highest ROI to the client while ensuring the brand is protected from unexpected turbulence during the voyage.
If planned correctly, press trips can act as a powerful media tool, yield impressive editorial features that will reinforce your clients’ brands and form long-lasting relationships between key media and you or your client. Following are some tips to ensure your press trip becomes a major hit in the eyes of the media, and a major hit for you as well.
1. With the right media list, the press trip can cost you or your client almost nothing. During the planning phase, the goal is to put together a jaw-dropping itinerary with minimum financial commitment from your client. At this juncture, you may be dealing with the “chicken or the egg” concept since, without a strong media list, it is tough to get commitments from high-profile venues. Conversely, without high-profile venues, it may be challenging to get commitment from top-tier media.
When Turkish venues saw our potential media list for Turkish Airlines’ press trip, they rolled out the red carpet and we were able to secure five-star accommodations while incurring minimal costs. If you are approaching partners without having secured top media, make sure to leverage successful media relations case studies to secure partnerships.
Once you have a great travel itinerary, begin media outreach immediately. As you confirm journalists, update partners on your progress so they feel compelled to provide VIP services and discounts in addition to what was initially promised. There is a balance of expectations between media members and partners before, during and after your trip. Any missteps can lead to journalists declining or partners backing out.
2. Be selective about your media—less is more. The larger your media group is the more difficult it will be to manage the trip. Target your top media first and gauge their interest while limiting the number of participants. You want to be selective about your group and understand that these individuals will be traveling and interacting together.
While designing a press trip for Turkish Airlines, we limited the group of participants to 12, which enabled the attendees to form meaningful relationships with each other during the course of the trip and enjoy themselves.
Also, don’t forget that the more prominent the media, the easier it will be for you to get free accommodations from hotels, restaurants and venues for the group. So be targeted and aim high.
3 . Design a trip that will get you news and make sure to get commitments from the media. The last thing you want is to have your client’s resources spent without any return. A successful press trip will yield brand coverage from 70% to 75% of the media participants. With our Turkish Airlines media, we hit 90%, achieving this through several tactics:
• At the destination: The trip must be a mixture of unique experiences and newsworthy activities to ensure that the journalists become fully immersed in what the brand offers. If it’s a destination, have them experience firsthand the hottest “must-see” places, and the hidden gems.
While planning the Turkish Airlines trip, we incorporated media’s feedback about locations they wanted to see or things they wanted to experience.
• Editorial commitment—be relentless: Don’t be shy about getting a firm editorial commitment from media members before their participation. When top writers or producers came back to us without an editorial guarantee, regardless of their reputation, they were ineligible to come on the trip. Once the trip ended, we were relentless and would not stop following up with our contacts until we got editorial pieces.
• Beware of impostors: Unfortunately we were misled by one media member. She was let go from her publication shortly before departing on the trip, and she hid her dismissal from us. When we learned this, we contacted the editor of the publication who was gracious about doing a feature in the magazine despite the situation.
• Good product yields good results: The trick for us was to ensure our client received positive coverage and that articles did not omit Turkish Airlines.
4. Add a personal touch.
After the preparation phase is over it’s finally time for takeoff. Although all of the attractions on the itinerary and the services that vendors provide will impress reporters, your personal touch will truly make an impact.
For example, as a native of Turkey, I was able to draw from my personal knowledge of the country to provide press trip attendees with a unique perspective they would not have otherwise seen.
5. It’s all in the details. It is important to pay attention to details before and during the trip. If you’re taking a road trip in the middle of summer, make sure you have ice-cold water ready for your guests in the transportation vehicle. If a reporter is in need of a stylist, make sure to find the best in town to cater to his/her every need.
Attention to detail is what makes a press trip unforgettable, and will greatly influence the tone of coverage generated from the trip.
Contact:
Huma Gruaz is CEO and founder of Alpaytac Public Relations. She can be reached at [email protected] and @HumaGruaz.