Newspaper PRing

[Chianti]

I & I

They're callous, they know how to get free holidays and use poor sods like us to do so. Lesson:



Don't become a poor sod


Chianti

[Margaret]

If you can get the publicity through the PR department of one of the listing sites, it means that the listing site's professional PR person has the clout to get the URL into the article.

Nonetheless, in our experience it brings next to no bookings - but then our national press appearances have all been on the property pages. Getting onto the travel pages is another matter altogether!

[Jimbo]

... with an idea to contact journalists to publicise our locations ... they want it all for free with no promise of an end result.

As opposed to rental owners wanting it all for free - but with a promise of a favourable end result?

If you approach a professional journalist with the idea of writing a piece about you, your rental property and your location, offering him/her free accommodation whilst researching their piece, you are taking a gamble because you will have no control over their output. Why should you? A sparkling report may bring lots of new business or it may rebound badly if they write a less than favourable piece (or maybe the editor will spike the story for some reason outside the writer's control). It's the risk you take when you deal with somebody who's agenda isn't necessarily the same as yours. No journalist will be in your pocket just because you've given him/her bed and board.

If you want a guarantee of screeds of glowing copy, that's called advertising and you will have to pay for it.

Jim

[Chianti]

Jimbo

Spot on


Worse still, the free accomodation and hospitality becomes another chalked up by the journalist at your expense

When you next go to a 2nd hand book store, ask yourself how all of those pristene copies of new hardbacks got into the shop. The journalists get sent hundreds of them, so they trot 'round to the shop with a pile of them and return home with their beer money.

Chianti

[CSE]

Hmmmm, we think someone has got their wires crossed here.

We have never said we gave anyone a free holiday, all we did was show him a few spots that we thought would be of interest to him. That was only half a day and was enjoyable for us.
It also seems that some posters here have had success so not journalists are after that free be.

[Giddy Goat]

If you want a guarantee of screeds of glowing copy, that's called advertising and you will have to pay for it.

... in summary then, if you had a more than favourable write-up by an impartial journo, ideally in his publication's travel pages, (with a huge circulation of course!) such would carry a whole lot more credibility. But arriving at that point you have to be very lucky by the sounds of it, and judging by what has been said here, doesn't necessarily guarantee a queue of punters at your door ready to sign their cheques!

[Musetta]

ok...how WEIRD is THIS!! yesterday, was contacted by a journalist of a large paper in the US who is thinking of writing an article about my area of Italy and would like to book my house !!! off-season...full price, BTW - she did not ask for any sort of freebies at all...exept some more info. on the town and an ongoing restoration project they have a grant for ! We'll see if it works out (and if she even does decide to write the article)...and I'll let you know! (ANY publicity is good for my area...the town is not even listed in most guide books)

p.s. she found me on TRIPADVISOR of all places...from a posting I made in the forums (I am not yet listed on TA)

[Big Sis..]

Good for you Musetta!! sounds great!!

See, you never know where a leads gonna come from ,keep us posted wont you

[Giddy Goat]

Well done Musetta - yes, keep us in the loop!

[Musetta]

well...stayed strong here...you would all be proud !

Journalist had not decided on dates yet...or exactly how long she wanted to stay, etc...so...I was nice to her and still gave her loads of area information...

but...last night, got an enquiry for her originally proposed dates...they asked that I please send over the T&C and Booking Form and wanted deposit info. - so sent that out and waiting to see if they get the deposit over...Journalist is a bit P.O.ed I think...but I can't sit there holding the whole month open for her, now can I?! I nicely told her I would let her know if the dates opened up and suggested she maybe arrive the week before or after (I'm assumming she hasn't booked her flights yet anyway)

[Chianti]

Musetta

Let's hope you're lucky with this one, I rather think you might be if the journo does stay at your property, because it seems to be an area not know to many tourists.

Good luck

Chianti

[Aldo]

Good luck Musetta. I have tried finding an angle to the story when contacting a journalist as suggested and now I shall have to sit and wait.

[Musetta]

Thanks
I think the trick is (ha. like I should talk since I did nothing at all for this one. just pure luck) to target the RIGHT journalist - not just general travel...I looked up the woman asking about my place and she writes a monthly column mostly about where to go off-the-beaten path a bit in Europe to really stretch you're dollar and still be able to afford little luxuries...like food and acommodation - so my place fits the bill...very American-friendly, popular country...very unknown and very inexpensive area. I would think the more specific of travel writer you can target, the better. Good luck!! (your place is lovely though! you probably don't need to extra press!!)

[greenfrog]

Some thoughts on this topic:
Mouse was right when mentioning needing an angle to sell your place and Musetta has the right idea with an off-the-beaten-path piece.

If you're looking for coverage in the travel pages, don't assume free accommodation will swing it - that's easy to find. You need a unique selling point. Or tie it to an event (like the skiing, Helen....) And sell it in the first paragraph of your e-mail / letter - the first par sells the idea, anything after that is just fleshing it out. And if your first par dies, the rest won't get read.

Let's face it, do YOU want to read travel pages filled with identikit apartments and a guide to the english pubs on the costa del x?? I doubt it, at least not more than once.

Also, don't underestimate the power of the local press. They're poorer so keen on anything that costs less. And if you have a "local gal/guy makes good in Ibiza/Tuscany/Provence" story, you're half-way there.

[Margaret]

Totally agree with the local press comment - the Mid Wales Journal prints everything we send them!