DTC

3 Tips for CPG Media Coverage

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There are lots of reasons to invest in CPG PR, but no matter the reason, PR is an investment, and you want your efforts to pay off, which is why you’re hiring a top-rated PR agency in the first place, right? Whether you’re trying to educate your customers about a distinctive ingredient, improve customer loyalty, invest in brand value or want a more straightforward approach to product inclusions in holiday gift guides, PR is not a set-and-forget it strategy, you can radically improve your outcomes with these three tips.

Maximize Your DTC or CPG PR with the 3 Tips for CPG Media Coverage

 

Multimedia for the Win

49% of journalists want pictures with the pitch. Owned media is an important tool for earned media. Having a variety of images of your CPG product images, both lifestyle, and product shots are helpful to busy journalists who don’t have time for multiple back and forth emails. Sometimes having the ideal lifestyle shot makes all the difference for busy editors who need a header shot for the story. In fact, journalists are 6X more likely to open pitches with multimedia, that’s a huge improvement when you consider that over half of journalists receive 50-100 pitches, PER DAY.

Images are the most common multimedia inclusions, but you can stand out with infographics, and social media posts too.

And data. Data is key. 39% of journalists want relevant data in the pitch. The funds for investigative polling are all but gone, if you conduct a consumer or industry poll and have fresh data, that’s news. And you can use that data in multiple ways, both for your own inside strategic planning and to secure media coverage.

Affiliate Links…For Journalists?

It’s not exactly news that media outlets are reshaping their revenue sources. Modern PR agencies understand the world is moving faster than ever and everyone in the media space is pressed for time and revenue.

For CPG or DTC products, having an affiliate program for media outlets increases the chances your product will get coverage in round-ups. Almost all media outlets are using affiliate links on their coverage, everyone from the Today Show to your local morning show. Being able to include an affiliate link in the coverage means your product may receive multiple pieces of coverage from one pitch.

 

Help Journalists Write Google-Friendly Reviews

When a journalist writes a review that Google loves, it’s good for you both. So why not do everything in your power to work with them? Google has very specific parameters around a quality product review, give journalists what they need and they’ll remember you next time.

Be Story Ready

When every company says it’s unique or revolutionary, it’s not eye-catching anymore. In fact, 100% of journalists roll their eyes when they see those words, because about .05% of the time, it’s true.

If you’re looking to leverage PR for things like features or newsjacking, be ready to help shape, inform and create the stories that will be attractive to the media. Even if you really DON’T have “any competitors,” you STILL need a story to get deeper more important coverage.

One PR professional said it best in an anonymous interview with Digiday: “It’s not enough to just be a disruptive DTC brand anymore. Brands need to figure out who they are, why they’re doing something so innovative and then work with us to tell that story.”

Your PR company needs to know that when they schedule a meeting with a journalist, you will respond promptly. 1 in 4 journalists will block a publicist who fails to respond within the same day or a given deadline. If you’re not able to be available for journalists, say that upfront, to save face with journalists.

 

In Conclusion:

Working with journalists is a lot like working with influencers. It’s important to treat the media with professionalism and humility and when you do so, tips for CPG media coverage will all converge into more media coverage of better quality.

 

All statistics are from Cision State of Media Report 2022, unless otherwise noted. 

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Is 420 PR Campaign Worth It for Cannabis Brands?

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Should your cannabis company double down on a marketing or PR campaign during 420? It’s popular for marketing firms and PR agencies to develop elaborate campaigns during this famous cannabis holiday. But is it worth it?

Maybe.

Who Are Your Cannabis Customers?

It depends on what kind of cannabis business you have and who your customers are. Today’s cannabis buyers aren’t ALL celebrating 420. Lots of people have to go to work, take care of kids, or have other responsibilities that still happen on that day – but they might view 420 promotions to stock up on their favorites, either before or after the day itself, but they might not be particularly engaged with a 420 PR campaign.

For example, if you’re a cannabis dispensary, your core customer is probably expecting discounts. But they’re also getting discounts from every other dispensary, and probably a few brands. Would you get more bang for your buck with a “prepare for 420” campaign, or maybe a “replenish your stash” campaign AFTER 420?

In 2021, the Eaze Cannabis Report identified several days that were bigger sales days than 420 – and a lot of those holidays are all but ignored by many cannabis brands, while journalists are still looking for holiday gift guide inclusions.

If you’re a 420 B2B company, you probably know better than to run any kind of promotion to your B2B cannabis customers – it’s a time of year that is particularly stressed for cannabis brands with consumer customers.

Can You Create a Splash?

What about CPG cannabis brands? A lot of cannabis brands will use 420 as an opportunity to create a word of mouth or cannabis PR campaign. But is that the time for your brand? If your idea shows an excellent understanding of your community or is truly newsworthy, then it very well may be a great time to grab that coveted coverage, but it probably comes at a diluted share of voice against your competitors.

Does Your Budget Compete?

Is a 420 PR campaign even in your budget? If you don’t have a budget that competes with your aspirational competitor, then you might very well be better off developing an omnichannel or a PR campaign at a different time of year, that gives you a great share of the attention. Think about what Amazon did with Prime Day, and consider ways you could own a day when no one else is looking.  It’s one way you can make your PR budget go further.

Or you could look at 420 to open the conversation with a whole new audience through a guerilla marketing or word-of-mouth PR stunt that creates buzz.

Activism and impact are a core part of the 420 culture. 420 might be the start of a year-long purpose-driven initiative for one of the many social and cultural causes important to your community.

There’s no right or wrong answer to whether of not a 420 PR campaign is right for your brand. It’s more a matter of whether 420 fits in with your strategy.

 

 

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How Independent CPG Brands Use PR to Compete

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If you’re a smaller consumer brand, it might feel impossible to compete with the big guys. But according to Nielsen, in the United States “manufacturers outside of the top 100 have contributed to 52% of their region’s annual fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) growth,” that’s an incredibly promising trend for any consumer product, from skincare to cannabis. But the challenges to increasing market share aren’t imagined. In some categories, especially consumables, over 50% of consumers have no brand preference. This underscores the importance of small, independent CPG brands to invest in branding with awareness and loyalty strategies. Neilsen IQ has done some fantastic research for small, independent DTC and CPG brands.

Nielsen Chart for Consumer Product Brand Loyalty

 

 

 

 

 

69% of consumers are actively looking for new and trendy CPG products. Tapping into current trends is a key way to appeal to this audience.  Whether the brand is launching, or already launched, there are always PR opportunities to increase sales by driving awareness and loyalty. The key takeaway on all the most recent Neilsen data: premiumization is absolutely key for small, independent CPG brands. 

Driving Awareness for Small Consumer Brands

When Snapple tea was a small independent brand, it relied on PR, including crazy stunts with two ambitions in mind: acquisition and sales. When they were acquired by Quaker Oats, the PR stunts stopped and sales decreased. In fact, PR is often responsible for trends that drive consumers. Before CBD, a wellness ingredient that almost everyone now knows was allowed to advertise, it relied on firms like Avaans Media to create PR campaigns that educated consumers and created awareness for their brands. PR is almost single-handedly responsible for launching CBD into the public’s general knowledge. Other wellness products have benefited from PR, including melatonin.

Independent brands often turn to PR because while PR is an investment, it’s still more affordable than many other branding initiatives such as advertising, especially when you include videography costs. Facebook is famous for launching thousands of new DTC brands, but of late, many independent CPG brands are finding Facebook’s advertising to be less effective. Ambitious consumer product brands are turning to PR in ever greater numbers to reach consumers, and stay in front of buyers. A PR campaign can reach hundreds of billions of annual impressions. Is it any wonder that everyone from new consumer products to old standbys is moving dollars to PR?

New CPG brands can use PR to validate the brand. An upfront burst of PR is a powerful trust indicator. Many consumer brand startups showcase PR wins on their website and in advertising as a way to increase consumer trust. Independent boutique products use PR to nail their launch because they need to appeal directly and immediately to their consumer. As Nielsen notes in small brand, “There is little room for error in small launches. Nailing your activation requires planning and strategic execution. Whatever your differentiation—hitting your target, justifying your premium or communicating a new usage occasion—it must land, and land well,”

 

Driving Loyalty for Independent CPG Brands

If your consumer brand isn’t exactly new, but also isn’t a household name, then using PR to increase loyalty and awareness is effective. 25% of consumers are mainstream followers who sometimes try new products, but don’t seek them. This is a critical audience to penetrate. If you’re broadening your audience to this important but slightly elusive group, you want to make sure your customer product reviews are solid, and that your early PR had at least 1-2 tier 1 press hits so you can use the ever-so-important social proof to lure this audience in.  Good PR also allows existing customers to have their choice validated and is a great opportunity for them to sing your praises to their friends.

But that’s not the only way PR helps early and mid-stage CPG brands. PR helps your customers see you understand who they really are. Bob’s Red Mill used PR to improve its already stellar reputation through purpose-driven storytelling. Not only does PR help new consumers find your product, but it also reinforces the good choice your current customers have made. A good PR firm will help you identify ways to differentiate and to secure brand-improving earned media.

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Product PR for Holiday Gift Guides

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Whether your product is beloved or brand new, it will benefit from PR during elevated buying seasons. Yet, not all consumer brands want long-term contracts. That’s exactly why we’re reinventing PR with our Sprint Packages –  Product PR for Holiday Gift Guides.

These PR sprints are a consumer brand’s dream: consistent press coverage during key buying seasons without long-term PR contracts.

We’re breaking all the rules with these packages, and we’re doing it so it’s easy for consumer brands get the coverage they need to grow their brand without long-term contracts.

Our product PR for holiday gift guide sprint packages includes our extremely successful history of placing consumer products in lifestyle publications as diverse as Rolling Stone, Self, Popular Science, Engadget, and even the Today Show. 

FAQ:

What are the Product PR Sprints?

They’re special because they offer micro contracts alongside competitive pricing to give DTC and CPG brands a competitive advantage during the most important consumer buying seasons.

When are the Sprint Seasons?

Our DTC and CPG sprints center around two key buying seasons: holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday) and spring (Easter/Passover/Ramadan, 420, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Pride), with even shorter add-on sprints for mid-winter (New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day) and mid-summer (4th of July, Back to School, Pool/Beach Season).

What’s Included in Product PR Sprints?

We will pitch an unlimited number of products to an unlimited number of lifestyle and consumer magazines that your target customers are reading.

 

Who Should Use PR Sprints?

 

Product PR sprints are designed for consumer product PR – be that CPG,  beauty, or even fashion or home furnishings – in either or both DTC or retail. Some brands use PR sprints for product launches. some use it to augment seasonal marketing efforts, and some start-up consumer brands use it as their first foray into PR.

 

These packages are easy for you to implement and give you the lasting results that come from your product appearing in media outlets your customers are reading! The added benefits are countless: SEO, visibility to investors, and best of all – coverage that never goes away. And you can maximize these PR wins with our simple recommendations.

Editors and journalists plan content months in advance (yes, even in the digital world), so it’s never too early to plan for your most important buying seasons.

Request More Information on Product PR Sprints Here

 

 

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PR and Social Media for DTC (Direct to Consumer) Brands

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Using PR and Social Media for DTC Brands

[5 minute read]

Direct-to-consumer brands are increasingly growing in popularity and there are distinctive expectations consumers have for DTC brands in PR and Social Media. Instead of buying from a third-party retailer, customers can purchase products or services directly from the company. Successful DTC brands typically have one thing in common: a strategic and effective way to reach their target market and ensure their market will trust their brand.

Utilizing targeted public relations and social media campaigns for DTC brands can create brand awareness, reach your ideal audience, and engage with current and potential customers. However, it’s not merely about posting things on Twitter or Facebook, and suddenly your business makes more money and grows. Creating a successful digital marketing plan means knowing when and how to use consumer PR and social media for DTC.

Why Brand Awareness Is Crucial

If you have a DTC business, you need to implement a marketing strategy that focuses heavily on brand awareness. In the beginning, your main goal isn’t as much about making sales as it is about garnering attention from potential customers, so they know who you are and the types of services or products you offer. These are the people who might encounter your brand again down the road and decide they want to buy something.

Building brand awareness begins with online advertising. Your target audience should be served interesting and unforgettable ads. It’s about creating a lasting impression in the minds of potential consumers and building trust. The more ads they see from you, the more they will feel comfortable with your business. Online shoppers are more likely to trust a brand they’re familiar with than one that doesn’t seem legitimate.

Using Social Media to Engage With Customers

Once you’ve established yourself as a brand, you need to maintain that awareness throughout various digital marketing platforms. An effective way of doing that is by using social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube are excellent forms of marketing to target a specific demographic or communicate with current customers.

You can increase your followers, attract new viewers, and engage with the people who are actually purchasing your product. The share feature within many social media accounts also allows users to quickly and easily spread the word about your brand to others. It’s basically like word-of-mouth advertising but via the internet.

One of the best features of social media marketing is customers’ ability to buy things through links included in the posts. If you incorporate relevant links in each post connecting to your products and services, it creates a hassle-free experience for consumers to make a purchase directly from your Instagram page or YouTube video.

Don’t Forget About Your Public Relations Plan

The right public relations strategy can inform the public about a company’s brand, build and maintain reputations, and gain credibility with a target audience. It’s not just about letting people know you exist, but also about letting them know exactly who you are. You’re trying to create an image, and the way you go about doing it can have a positive or negative impact on consumers. Public relations is more than a press release.

Some of the most common PR strategies include:

  • Brand identity

    – Choose a logo, determine how you want your website to look, pick the tone you want to convey when communicating with customers, and pick visuals to use for your social media campaigns.

  • Messaging

    – You should include a backstory about who you are and how you got started. You should also incorporate your company’s values and mission. It’s critical that your tone remains consistent throughout all PR and social media for DTC. If you regularly change the voice conveyed through your marketing, customers will have difficulty trusting you.

  • Events

    – You can host an event or sponsor one where you know your target audience will be. Potential customers will see that you’re a legitimate business and learn about the products or services you sell. You will also have the opportunity to speak with them face to face and build trust.

  • Media

    – Earned media and press releases are an excellent ways of notifying the public about the launch of your new brand, releasing a new product, or a sale or giveaway.

  • Partnership

    – Partnerships can be a significant part of promoting your business. You should stick with people and companies that are relevant to your brand. For example, if you sell hiking gear, it wouldn’t make sense to work with a restaurant. Instead, you might want to partner with a sporting goods store and stock their shelves with your product.

Combining PR and Social Media for DTC Brands

Your brand could benefit from integrating your social media marketing and public relations campaigns, since both can complement each other.

Common examples of integrating social media and PR campaigns are:

  • Influencer Outreach

    Social media influences are an excellent source for promoting someone’s brand. They typically have hundreds of thousands or millions of loyal followers who trust them and purchase the products they promote.

  • Digital Press Releases

    Traditionally, companies send press releases to journalists to convey information about their brand. However, in the digital age, you can publish your own press releases on your social media accounts, through email, or as a blog on your website.

  • Using PR Coverage in Your Social

    When you receive coverage in the media supercharge that social proof and enhanced trust building opportunity by using the coverage in your organic and paid social media. Consumers will be impressed and more willing to try your product.

  • Forging and Maintaining Relationships with Journalists

    You can use social media to create relationships with journalists in your industry that benefit your company and achieve your marketing goals. It doesn’t take much effort to gain their trust and support – if you take a genuine approach by following them on social media and sharing their posts, they might be willing to do the same for you.

Contact Avaans Media

If you’re looking for the right marketing agency to expand your digital audience, increase your return on investment, and successfully grow your business, Avaans Media can help. We have over a decade of experience creating and implementing effective PR and social media campaigns for DTC brands.

Schedule a call or complete our online form if you want to discuss your goals and determine the most effective strategy for improving your online presence.

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