This Ain't No Fake News

Effective DIY Media Outreach

Wins Friends and Influences People

Tara NurinJournalist/Director of Storytelling

FORBES/CRAFT BEVERAGE CONSULTANTS

JAY BROOKSBeer Historian and Author

CHAD MELISMarketing Agency PrincipleTURN IT UP MEDIA

BRYAN ROTH

Beer Journalist

WHY DO MEDIA RELATIONS RIGHT?

Can backfire

OR

Can win friends and influence people

Because you don’t want to do it wrong!

WHAT’S NEWSWORTHY? And What’s Earned Media?

IS:

• Article

• Interview

• Profile

IS NOT:

• Ad

• Paid

Owned media

• Your website

• Your own blog

• Social media

Paid media

• Advertising on

social

• SEO spend

• Working with

influencers

AND IS DIFFERENT FROM:

WHAT’S NEWSWORTHY…

• New hours

• Options for take-out/delivery

• Employee benefits

• Charitable contributions

• Hand sanitizer

Now?

… Context Matters.

Ask yourself “Who cares?”(no, really)

WHAT’S NEWSWORTHY…

• What matters locally

• What matters regionally/nationally

Why Context Matters:

Let’s talk about…

Hand sanitizer

WHAT’S NEWSWORTHY…

Hyperlocal:

• Hours, take-out, HR benefits, charity

Regional/National:

• Specifics, data, novelty

Pitching During COVID-19

EXPERT INTERVIEWS

• Brewing?

• Beer trends?

• Specific styles?

• Hospitality/service?

• Food?

• Restaurant operations?

Who’s an Expert in:

EXPERT INTERVIEWS

• Straight news

• Business story

• Trends and innovations

• Affordability

• TV morning segments

Angles

PRESS RELEASES

• Everyone

• Not everyone

To Whom?

PRESS RELEASES

• Copy/paste formatted text that’s clearly copied/pasted

• Fill me up with fluff

Please don’t:

PRESS RELEASES

• Send generic release to all relevant media

Good

PRESS RELEASES

“Hi, Bryan.

I thought you might be interested in this news. Please contact me for an interview.”

Better

PRESS RELEASES

Hi, Bryan.

We’ve hired a new executive chef. His name is Adam Dulye and he’s been with the BA for seven years. He will continue to provide the culinary vision for BA events including SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, the Farm to Table Pavilion at the Great American Beer Festival®, the World Beer Cup® dinners and write for his craft beer chef centric blog on CraftBeer.com entitled “Craft Beer with Chef Adam.”

We’d love to have him talk to you about ways to make cooking with beer affordable and exciting. Please see below for his bio, photo and quotes. Thanks!

Best

PRESS RELEASES

• Explain yourself and give proof to back it up.

• Quotes are for context, not point of information.

Be specific

PRESS RELEASES

News Alert

On low-cal IPA:

On hard seltzer:

PRESS RELEASES

News Alert

PRESS RELEASES -WRITING

News Alert

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Teams Up

with Bucks County SPCA with “For the Love of

Paws” Event

WHAT: Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant in North Wales will host a

day-long fundraising event to donate items and funds to the Bucks

County SPCA. The event will mark the release of their latest craft beer,

called Blame the Dog, a 9.2% ABV Belgian-style strong ale brewed

with orange blossom, honey and chamomile. For every pint of Blame

the Dog sold, $1 will be donated to the SPCA, as well of 20% of food

sales from guests with charity vouchers.

WHEN: Thursday, February 27 from 11 AM to midnight

WHERE: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

1460 Bethlehem Pike

North Wales, PA, 19454

CONTACT: Food Shelter PR

PRESS RELEASE - WRITINGFor Immediate Release

Contact: Tara Nurin

Director of Storytelling, Content and Public Relations

tara@craftbeverageconsultants.com

CRAFT BEVERAGE CONSULTANTS OFFERS CRITICAL COVID-19 ADVICE TO ALCOHOL PRODUCERS

Industry Veterans Answer the Urgent Questions Business Owners May Not Know to Ask

COLUMBIA, MO, April 3, 2020 – With a combined 150 years of experience in the alcoholic beverage industry, the experts at Craft Beverage Consultants (CBC) are well-positioned to

help the media cover the effect of the coronavirus on craft breweries, wineries and distilleries. CBC’s expertise ranges from topics like how to set up a digital storefront to filing a federal

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) claim to avoid paying taxes on a lower-than-usual quantity of liquid produced. Craft Beverage Consultants’ 12-member team can

clearly and articulately explain the basics to the nitty-gritty of how manufacturers and suppliers can not only survive this current period of closures and limited operations but position

themselves to thrive as soon as the government lifts its safety restrictions.

“We tend not to know what we don’t know,” says CBC co-founder Jacob Halls, who manages and advises clients on issues of compliance, business strategy, marketing and

distribution. “We’re here to handle everything but the staffing, including how to brand yourself appropriately for the times. For instance, we’d advise against brewing a beer and calling it

Wuhan Wheat or COVID Cream Ale.”

The CBC team’s longtime-industry veterans and their affiliate partners can provide interviews on best practices to help readers, viewers and listeners make smart business decisions to

maximize their profitability and longevity during this period of social distancing and the very uncertain “afterwards.”

They can address crucial topics like:

• Operations: production, business strategy, executive values-based coaching

• Sales: sales, distribution, lead generation, fulfillment

• Marketing: public relations, branding, graphic design, SEO

• Hospitality: front of house management, bar and restaurant consulting

• Technology: website design, e-commerce, mobile apps

• Legal: compliance, trademarks

“This is the time to talk about post-virus,” says partner Rick Laxague, who specializes in advising clients on sales, marketing and distribution. “They need to step their game up. Only

the strong will survive this.”

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

• Beer mail

• In-house tours and tastings/dinners

• Group or individual FAM trips

In-house Ideas:

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

• Media reception

• Local broadcast

• Desk-side chat

On The Road

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

• Meet n’ greet and Q/A

• Sampling

(group or individual)

Online

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

• You have to spend money to make money

• Don’t expect immediate ROI

The Rules

• BUILD Your Plan, TELL Your Story, YELL Above The

Clutter

• ID Sales & Marketing Priorities

• Occasions & Editorial Calendar

Communications Calendar

Timing Pitches

• Cultural Occasions

• Does Not Do: ID Trends

• Media Relationships

• Offer Experts

Communications Calendar

Timing Pitches

CONCLUSION• During social

distancing:

• Business tips

• Charity donations

• Cooking/pairing with beer

• Virtual events

What to Pitch Now

CONCLUSION

• Be sensitive

• Don’t be gimmicky!

• Remember, you’re offering a service -- to provide helpful content

• As they say in French, bon courage!

Be relevant and professional