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#WBC18 Lightning Talk: Liz Barrett

#WBC18 Lightning Talk: Liz Barrett

We will have 8 of your fellow attendees get up on stage to deliver five-minute, Ignite-style “Lightning Talks”. With 20 slides each advancing automatically on 15-second intervals, speakers have to be on the top of their game to deliver fun, informative, often hilarious talks.

Zephyr Conferences

October 06, 2018
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Transcript

  1. Insights for Bloggers from the PR World Liz Barrett, CSW

    Wine Blogger and… Wine/Food PR Consultant
  2. Crossing Over: From PR to Blogging • 20+ years in

    PR and marketing • Pitching food & beverage media & bloggers • My last company was a WBC sponsor P.S. It’s awesome and weird to be pitched!
  3. After becoming head of PR and Marketing Comms for a

    wine company, I became obsessed with wine.
  4. The third piece of my double life • “ Name

    That Wine” • A blind-tasting series on YouTube with the inimitable Rob Frisch!
  5. What do PR people do, anyway? • We traffic in

    earned and social media, with an occasional foray into paid media • We brainstorm pitches to generate editorial content about people, products and programs • We pitch our faces off, send samples, emails, texts, DMs to reporters, producers and bloggers • We plan tasting events, winemaker dinner and sponsorships • We sweat about whether or not writers will include their product in their story or show up to event
  6. Two Big Things PR People Don’t Know or Understand •

    How bloggers blog • They are not full-time bloggers • They may have full-time professional jobs • They may have 14 small children • They may write for lots of other wine publications and sites • Bottom line: it takes time • There are secret underground, members-only blog groups on Facebook seeking samples and sponsorship! • I was stupefied when I found out about The French Winophiles, Food Wine Pairing Weekend, Italian Wine Bloggers
  7. Earned Media Matters • When the stars align and great

    stories come out, PR people merchandise those stories • Each story is a valuable third- party endorsement about a wine, winery or winemaker • Sell sheets • Websites • Facebook, Insta, Twitter • Newsletters
  8. Relationships • Get to know the PR people behind the

    brands • Introduce yourself • Get on their contact list • Explain the focus of your blog • New wines, unusual wines, wine education, food and wine pairings, etc • If you ask for samples, be clear upfront on the angle of your story • Bonus points: share the reach of your blog and your social media following
  9. First Impressions • Pay attention to how your blog looks

    becauselooks matter • It should have at least a level of design sophistication • It should be mobile-friendly • Function well on phones, tablets, laptops
  10. Content • Include hyperlinks in your blog • Winery websites

    • Winemaker bios • Distributor or importer pages, • Restaurant sites, etc. • About You • Allude to your whereabouts, at least by state • Sample Policy • If you accept samples, state your policy • Always disclose if wines were made available free of cost as samples
  11. Blog Policies • Lots of people have “real” jobs outside

    of blogging • You need to determine where you draw the line • If you represent a region or a brand, it’s often a conflict if you blog about a competing varietal or brand • Personally, my allegiance to is to a paying client, so if I represent a Champagne brand, I’ll bow out of a blog group project about other sparkling wines • Honesty - if I receive samples and I don’t like the wine, I just don’t write about it.
  12. Writing Quality • Writing quality matters • Read good writing

    • Take a class • Practice, ask for feedback from people you respect • Proofing matters Karen McNeil
  13. Photography • Good quality photography is HUGE • Good lighting

    • Crisp, sharp pictures • Appetizing food • If you just don’t have any good photos, go without Yes! No!
  14. Promotion • Share a link to your post as soon

    as it is up with the producer or PR agency • Let them know when and how you plan to promote your own post • Ask them if they will share your posts on their own social media pages
  15. Social Media • Be on it! • You don’t have

    to do them all, but you do have to do at least two or three • Dedicate time to cultivate followers • Do NOT buy followers. Duh