Blog

Most effective ways for travel brands to generate major national exposure

At Zeus PR we are passionate about growing travel brands, and we love a fun and creative PR campaign to give bookings a real boost. To accompany the more creative ideas however there are a number of failsafe Zeus PR campaign tactics that we employ across the board for guaranteed substantial exposure. In this blog, we are happy to share these for Travel Agents, Tourism Boards, Tour Operators, Resorts and Airlines wishing to make 2023 their best year ever…..

Prime Time TV Show Placement

What brand wouldn’t want free TV placement, in return for gifting a short break or week’s holiday. For many shows they don’t need to be extra lavish, and if the theme fits – a weekend break in Paris may work as well as a luxury 4* holiday in a resort.

On behalf of our clients we research key opportunities on up and coming shows in the pipeline, link in with the show’s producers and negotiate the best possible placement exposure. For several of our clients we have negotiated major exposure on top TV shows, from Saturday Night Takeaway with Ant & Dec, to All Star Family Fortunes.

Celebrity Ambassadors

Teaming clients such as icelolly.com up with major A’listers such as Stacey Solomon, or travel themed names such as we did with Place in the Sun’s Laura Hamilton for Teletext Holidays,  to enjoy a holiday courtesy of your organisation, will extend your reach and profile considerably.

Add press shots, media interviews and a social media package into the mix and boom! You have hugely cost effective 360 PR campaign – with print and digital media and significant social media traction into mix.

Press Familiarisation Trips

What better way to secure super strong media reviews and build a long-term relationships, then plan an accompanied trip to enjoy the service / and or destination you are looking to promote.

Media & Influencer Reviews
We regularly speak to national travel editors and writers, partnering them up with gifted breaks for them to review. Domestic Breaks away work just as well, for example for our client, the bespoke Welsh coastal firm Ben & Holly’s Hideaways, we regularly set up weekend breaks for press reviews

National Newspaper Travel Pages & Magazines

By getting to know the format and lead-times of the national press travel pages you can secure inclusion at no cost in the weekly deals columns that are run over a weekend. Working closely with the travel editors, we do this on a weekly basis, and it’s not unusual for us to have clients featured each and every week in the travel sections for the major national newspapers from the Daily Mail and Express to the Daily Mirror and The Sun.

We Can Assist You!

If you would like to discuss further how we can propel your domestic or overseas travel brand, do get in touch……

by Zeus PR

Life Beyond the Launch

You’ve launched your new product, so what next? To grow your sales pipeline, you should be working towards having a constant presence in front of your target demographic.

So, how do you do this?

Give target consumers more reasons to love and purchase your product all year round - this is where a hardworking and well-executed PR campaign comes in.

Leveraging seasonality is a key part of our PR strategy for some of our FMCG clients. We generate significant media coverage on a regular basis for well-known food and beverage brands such as Horlicks and Drink me Chai, with media placement of recipes using the brand’s innovative products as a key ingredient.

We incentivised Horlicks lovers nation-wide to purchase during the summer months with placement of a range of dessert-inspired drinks recipes that were specially developed to be enjoyed cold, complemented by malty, toasty notes of Horlicks, in major national titles. This not only secures exposure for the brand, but also educates consumers on other ways to enjoy the product and promotes extended usage – this can work for most food and drink brands!

We run similar PR campaigns on an ongoing basis for Drink me Chai, the UK's leading alternative hot drink brand, securing product placement and recipe coverage in food and drink publications, women’s weeklies and high domain authority online magazines.

Leveraging seasonality to secure visibility and extensive reach month after month for our client, fragrance-led household brand Fabulosa, includes curating seasonal tips and advice with which to secure print and digital PR coverage in key target publications.

Creating a buzz not just initially but also beyond your product launch and attaching relevance is key to preserving your brand’s share of voice and getting your product noticed in a competitive market.

These tactics apply to brands of all sizes too; even if you are a small brand, there is no reason why you can’t get national coverage in glossy monthly magazines or on high-ranking digital sites!

If you want to find out what this could look like for your brand, we’d love to chat with you. Contact us on 01260 271450 or email anthea@zeuspr.co.uk.

by Zeus PR

Maximising PR for Homes & Interiors Brands

We are super proud of our specialism in providing homes and interiors companies of all sizes, with hard-working Lifestyle PR & marketing campaigns to successfully drive awareness of their brands and boost sales.

For those who are starting out, or simply haven’t considered as yet the value that can be brought to their business by editorial content rich Lifestyle & interiors PR strategies, we have put together several pieces of key advice to inform and turbo charge your brand!

1. Diligent media research 

The first starting point in any PR campaign is to make sure you have an up-to-date media list with key press and influencer contacts across your target demographic. Set yourself a task of finding those key writers. Consider monthly and weekly home interest and consumer magazines, homes supplements and pages on the national newspapers and on digital channels together with home influencers.

Also, many magazines, newspapers and digital channels utilise home interest freelancers, so these are also key. Many of the more experienced freelancers work across several media titles.
Then input the data into a spreadsheet with full contact details so you can revisit and update on an on-going basis.

As an agency specialising in the homes sector, it is imperative for us to continually add to these lists. This allows us to ensure we have captured key moves as contacts move onto to other media channels. If you are doing your own PR outreach, we highly recommend you do the same.

Desk research on Google and Instagram is great for sussing out the main digital writers, and then sifting through the hard copies of the magazines and newspapers should help. Also make calls to the publishing houses (although since the lockdown it is increasingly hard to speak to journalists on the phone).

2. Strong imagery is key

Glossy home media and newspapers supplements, together with lifestyle digital magazines rely on beautifully styled images to adorn their pages.

It is definitely worth investing in a shoot, of both product shot cut-outs images on a white background, and also styled ‘lifestyle images’. Lifestyle images allow you to really ‘sell the product in a setting that shows it off to its best’ in a mock home or garden setting. Remember you are selling a 'desirable lifestyle'.

3. Getting your press information right

Whether you are launching a new product or range, or wishing to generate media attention and editorial coverage for an existing line, simply emailing a journalist will generally receive little attention without following a specific format.

For product pitches, keep it brief and always include the information in the body of the email. This should include detail prices, stockists and general product information, and a weblink. You should attach a high-resolution image/s (minimum resolution 300 dpi is standard.

Top home interiors journalists can receive 1000 email pitches a day, and missing info will only infuriate them. This may mean that you are potentially discounted from inclusion in a major feature in a key broadsheet!

4. Building & maintaining press and influencer relationships

Media and influencers value most highly those contacts who can supply content rich information and images in a timely format ahead of deadlines.

Once you have the media lists, make the most of them by reaching out to see how you can support any features in the pipeline that the contacts might be working on, as well as drafting a thank you email back to them after they have included you in one of their features!

After reading the above, if you simply don’t have the time or the resource to undertake a proactive PR and marketing campaign for your brand, we would be delighted to discuss how our agency can support you. Please contact anthea.fosti@zeuspr.co.uk

by Zeus PR

The Power of Awards – Writing a Winning Award Entry

For many clients, as part of their PR programme, we manage their company award-entry programme, achieving for them much success in securing coveted accolades and the heightened exposure which comes with the high-profile award schemes.

To assist businesses who haven’t as yet dipped their toes in the sometimes-confusing world of awards. Or perhaps those who have entered several without much success as yet. We have put together a brief guide sharing some key insights from our team.

Which awards are right for me?

This all depends on where you want to achieve exposure and increased visibility?

The first step is to identify the purpose – so for example, are you looking to showcase your achievements in a specific sector? If so, many sectors will have supplier awards – ideal for demonstrating the value you can bring to a legal, insurance, manufacturing or a healthcare business for example.

Or maybe you are interested in securing profile in a peer-to-peer awards programme i.e. within your own industry. Ideal for attracting interest from a potential buyer or investors if you want to benefit from funding, an exit or even take a step down from your business for example.

Regional business awards, may also be on your radar, for the same reasons above. Or are also useful for building your employer brand, and attracting interest from potential employees. Many programmes have employer recognition awards for instance.

How do I go about it?

Set time aside to research thoroughly which ones are worthy of your time. There are hundreds of schemes, and not all are equal!

Awards often have media titles aligned to them, which can be particularly beneficial as finalists and winners are typically profiled in the print issues and on their digital platforms, giving you free valuable exposure.

Also, some awards initiatives charge for entry – so internal budget considerations then come into play.

Be mindful of deadlines

Writing this blog in mid February 2022, we know from our experience and research that many of the schemes for this year have already closed.

Typically, the entry deadlines are 6-9 months before the glittering ceremonies take place, so if you see a competitor collecting an award that you could have pipped to the post, make an advance diary note once you have checked the entry date/ deadline for the following year so you don’t miss out.

Preparation as always is key

It is very difficult to sit down and draft an award with a blank sheet of paper. More often than not you need lots of details and need to be prepared to share data such as statistics to show key indicators to prove your case for example, demonstrating growth, efficiencies, happy clients giving testimonials, whatever will strengthen your case as to why you should win.

Start well in advance – maybe ask you clients as a project is coming to the end, if you can enter it into an award. Hopefully they will be very obliging as it will heighten their profile too!

Attend attend, attend

Presuming you follow our guidance; and have prepared your submission well, you should stand a good chance of being shortlisted for an award.

This being the case, whatever you do – you really must go to the ceremony!

Purchasing a ticket shows your interest, commitment and respect for the organisers.

Leveraging the Win

After all the effort that has gone into researching, preparing and submitting the entry, keep in mind the need to maximise the opportunity to the full.

Press releases and social posts on your channels can be employed effectively at timely points to give you a few ‘bites of the cherry’.

You should be announcing your delight at being shortlisted as you receive the news, and then posting perhaps in the run up to the ceremony.

With the cherry on top being your big win on the night, complete with a post-event press release and event images. This should be being issued to key media, shared on your website and on your social feeds to make sure no one is in doubt who won the award!

And if the above all seems too much…..

Hopefully after reading our guide, you feel much more equipped to go forth and win lots of awards, however the whole process can be very time consuming, so do feel free to enquire about how we can support you if this is the case.

After all, we love nothing more than seeing our clients collect another trophy for their cabinets!

by Zeus PR

Media Placement to Celebrate 2021 Client Successes and Sharing New Year Ambitions

We love nothing more than ending a year on a high, with lots of well-placed media coverage, promoting clients end of year successes and sharing their New Year visions for an even bigger and better following year as we enter 2022.

What a great way to celebrate the year gone by and whet appetites for what’s to come!

As a hard working and initiuitive PR agency, we relish compiling these media round ups across a whole host of sectors, hitting the press in a timely fashion to secure for our clients best in class digital and print press coverage in their target categories, whether this be inclusion in hard copy magazines and newspapers or on online media channels - in general business titles or in the vertical sector tech, healthcare, retail and other niche sector publications.

Examples include media releases produced for a tech company client – the software automation specialist Endpoint Automation Limited (EAS), who we were thrilled to announce that they doubled their turnover to £1.8m, and are now targeting £2.2 in 2022.  The business has a lot to be optimistic about – it has laid firm foundations for future growth, as well as unveiling their latest initiative ‘EASy Way’ offering clients who use automation technology, a fully managed delivery and support service.

For our client, the innovative and award winning sustainable fabrics manufacturer Meryl Medical, we enjoyed the sharing some positive news for the global environment, as the firm sets to increase their 2022 mask production output by potentially 50% in response to the substantial consumer and industry calls for a sustainable alternative. The company is seeing a heightened demand for sustainable alternatives in light of an increasingly familiar sight of discarded disposable masks, causing irreversible harm to the environment, with an estimated 55 million single-use face masks used daily in the UK taking an average of 450 years to decompose.

We also manage similar business press placement campaigns for many of our consumer brand clients – we were particularly thrilled to share their year end achievements, and plans for 2022 growth, informing the business community and the fmcg sectors that they operate within. To illustrate, our home fragrance-led client Fabulosa, enjoyed another mammoth trading year in 2021 with £39m sales to 31^st August 2021, and we worked with our media contact network to share their future ambitious growth plans by successfully announcing the opening of their landmark new site containing almost 60,000 sq ft of production, warehousing and operational office space.

And for another consumer client - Sollution Fires the new generation highly efficient, authentic and stylish electric fires brand, we were able to generate media exposure on yet another trading high for the manufacturer as they celebrate their massive acheivement of a substantial sales uplift of 58% in 2021, and now targetting a further 30% hike in turnover over the course of this coming year.

For the vast majority of our clients we run annual media placement campaigns, working with them throughout the year to share their news, supporting brand visibility and cementing industry positioning, as well as enhancing their SEO rankings with lots of valuable high domain authority organic media links pointing to their website.

If you think we can benefit your business, and would like an informal discussion on how we can support you across 2022 and beyond, please get in touch with Anthea Fosti on anthea@zeuspr.co.uk

by Zeus PR

Making a Lasting Impressive with your PR Event

Zeus PR agency is a company that majors in success when hosting exclusive events. And with the pandemic’s gradual decline allowing for clients to re-open their doors, we have made it our priority to ensure that the businesses we support continue to generate an abundance of exposure.

In order to re-capture consumer attention following an uncertain year, we have supported our clients by hosting a number of events that have been well attended by relevant news and luxury lifestyle publications, local dignitaries, and VIP clients.

We are now delighted to share our top tips on how to make sure your event is the hottest ticket in town!

Spark the senses and allure your audience -

Our involvement in promoting client exposure follows a process that begins with pre-prompting to raise awareness of upcoming plans. Achieving pre-event exposure involves a course of tasks that will ensure every touchpoint reflects your brand and creates desire to attend - simultaneously maximizing press interest.

… Inviting the press

In order to secure media coverage, creating an eye-catching initial press release is imperative as it creates a first impression for journalists that may consider attending.

Press releases may also contain a formal invitation and inclusion of notable participants that will be attending. This provides a legitimate feel to the upcoming occasion. They also may contain a ‘photocall notice’ with details of notable moments that may be captured for their pages.

TIP: don’t just target the press - consider inviting local bloggers that will provide a wider audience and create a large social impact thanks to their relevant influence e.g., a local art and entertainment influencer would be perfect for your client’s exclusive art exhibition preview.

… Inviting key customers and dignitaries

A private invitation received by notable guests, key customers, and local dignitaries must excite the potential attendee so it lodges firmly in their mind as a ‘must-attend’ for their diary – however if time scales are involved, an e-invitation serves as a budget-friendly way to present your event. It may sound a little obvious, but there is little point in distributing a swish invite which involves a time-consuming and costly process of designing and printing when your event is running for a long weekend.

Build Anticipation -

Capturing the attention of your target audience is vital when hosting a successful event. Social media plays an immense role in building anticipation for upcoming occasions as engaging with your target audience is vital when aiming to increase attendance. Posting a formal invitation to your client’s public event via social media handles creates awareness and provides a concise source of information that can easily be dispersed amongst groups for further audience reach.

Creating a series of ‘build-up’ posts (teasers) aids in enticing the public and maintaining their interest so the target audience will essentially be counting down the dates in anticipation of the company’s event.

Preview events are often attended by a chosen few, including businesses and brands to generate key exposure and attention in the lead of the public event. Successful pre-empting engages a relevant audience and ensures client doors gain a significant footfall over the coming months and years.

Alternatively, another one of our clients chose to pre-prompt their event in a different manner - by showcasing the exclusive preview launch to the public only a night before the public event began. Revealing an event to the public one night before its commencement proves effective when the exhibition is running for an extended period – in this case, the event ran for a month.

The Perfect Preview Event -

Attention to detail is a vital element that plays in hosting a seamless preview event. High-status guests and attending reporters expect to be greeted with a certain ‘wow factor' upon arrival to emphasize the importance of your exhibition and showcase the time which you have devoted to providing guests with a flawless presentation.

Hiring a catering company to provide aesthetically pleasing light snacks that look delicious and can be easily grazed upon shows a personal touch and creates a hospitable feel – don’t be afraid to guide guests to the catering space or help out in carrying platters as this breaks the ice and helps build a friendly reputation!

A manned stand providing a selection of alcoholic and soft drinks provides a social gathering spot and allows guests to remain refreshed – however, you may require extra bottles if your event falls on a Friday!

Adequate lighting and staging of your client’s showroom are vital elements for creating an accommodating space suitable for photography. This may require hiring event stagers to aid in the process of creating a clean, uncluttered space in order to professionally showcase clients’ products.

A notable guest speaker will spark press interest and provide an enticing reason for the press to attend your client’s event. If your event is debuting a specific collection or product, make sure the creator is there to provide guests with a face to the name. Inviting local dignitaries also maximizes press interest and provides a relevant reason to attend.

Post-event engagement -

Make sure you capture images that can be used on both social media and within post-event press releases and as part of any follow-up editorial that you have secured.

If budgets permit, you may want to consider booking a freelance press photographer, however, these days you can curate high-quality images from your iPhone. When images have been successfully staged, there is no reason why they can’t feature within national newspapers!

Success isn’t solely based on the event itself, as the actions that follow post-event create a lasting impact and ultimately boost the engagement with both key and potential customers.

Maintaining Momentum -

It’s all well and good to generate buzz but little point if you then drop off the cliff! Maintaining engagement with the target audience is vital for longer-running events, and regular updates via social media platforms act as an essential way to document progress in order to hold lasting interest. Throughout the duration of an event, we ensure that regular posts flow through our client’s social media feeds and continue to push for press coverage in both local and national publications, providing the public with a range of glossy images and informative captions that will entice footfall.

As you may have targeted your preview evening to a select few, once the event is open to the public it is vital that as many potential customers have eyes on your social media content and secured coverage as possible. Causing a lasting effect is imperative and that is why we stress the importance of capturing vibrant, clear shots of the evening to make it look interesting!

To support keeping you front of mind you need to regulate your media schedule with editorial placement in key digital and print titles as well as an engaging social plan.

Find the information above helpful and want to find out more about how to get the most out of your media coverage? Contact us at 01260 271429 or email anthea.fosti@zeuspr.co.uk for more information!

by Zeus PR

How To Leverage Your PR Coverage

We are delighted to share this insightful article by one of our fantastic interns, Tom Smith-Wrinch. Tom is a well-rounded student studying English and French at the University of Birmingham.

Here at Zeus PR, we believe that visibility is key. In a world in which the average human attention span has fallen down to just 8 seconds, we understand the importance of the ability to maximise coverage beyond the pages of a magazine. One piece of media coverage can go a long way; however, this can go even further if leveraged in the right way. Over the past few weeks, our hardworking team has secured national consumer pr coverage for our clients including Fabulosa, Horlicks, Real Stone & Tile, Kanula, Solution Fires and Weru UK, just to name a few.

Following on from these successes, we are proud to present you with a beginner’s guide to becoming more visible in the media.

1. Share, Share, Share

This one may seem obvious; however, one can never underestimate the importance of sharing. It is vital to start sharing content all over your social media today and in the future too to ensure maximum coverage. Think also about changing your wording from, ‘So excited ___ shared our story' to ‘In case you missed it…’. Shares will not only give you maximum media outreach, but they will also build your reputation as a source outlet for the reporter of today.

2. Create and Articulate

Why not try thinking about creating a blog post or a LinkedIn article about your media coverage and don’t be afraid to pop in a link to read the published piece. Give your audience and potential future clients the chance to bask in your successes. You could also think about utilising your blog to explore an in-depth behind-the-scenes look surrounding how your media coverage came to be or try exploring a certain topic a little deeper in order to pique further interest in what you have done.

3. Flaunt your visibility

Your visibility is your image. You have worked hard to get your coverage out into the public eye so why not flaunt it a little? Don’t be afraid to get in your ‘As seen in…’ image onto your website and into your social media cover pictures. After all, you are curating your credibility.

4. Sharing definitely is caring

Let the people around you know that you are doing well. Share your success with your newsletter list and clients. Acknowledging your client’s role in your achievement will only strengthen your relationship further. Don’t be afraid to remind clients why they chose to do business with you in the first place.

5. Sign off with a bang

Why not think about adding your piece of media coverage to your email signature? Not only will this reinforce your credibility as a thriving business but it will help bolster future media outreach from potential clients. Let companies know that you have what it takes.

When you leverage a piece of media coverage right, this will open up the doors to so more opportunities for both you and your business. The leveraging stage is probably the one that is the most overlooked by many businesses, however, it is indelibly the most crucial. Here at Zeus PR, we understand the importance of effective media coverage. We are proud to help companies get the most out of each media mention. We see your potential.

Found the information above helpful and want to find out more about how to get the most out of your media coverage? Contact us at 01260 271429  or email anthea.fosti@zeuspr.co.uk for more information!

by Zeus PR

Is your brand getting the attention it deserves?

For the past 12 months, life has been a struggle. We have changed the way we live in ways we never could have imagined.  It has been especially challenging for business owners, particularly those who’ve had to close their doors for long periods due to lockdown restrictions.

But finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel! The government announced its ‘roadmap out of lockdown’, and by June 21, we will be living in a world as close to the way things used to be with no limit on social contact.

From 12^th April, ‘non-essential’ shops, salons, hairdressers, theme parks, zoos, outdoor hospitality, holiday and camping facilities can all reopen, and it will be extremely important for businesses to tell their stories and get the attention it deserves.

Many people think that PR is only for large, multinational brands that have huge marketing budgets, but this is certainly a myth! PR is super essential for small businesses.  It can help you reach new customers and establish credibility for your business in ways that otherwise wouldn’t be possible with other marketing channels.

To help get business owners thinking about reopening once lockdown restrictions end, we have shared six key benefits a small business will gain from doing PR.

1) PR helps build credibility and won't break the bank

For small business owners, every penny has to go a long way. Getting journalists and influencers to write about your business won’t cost you a lot of money, but it does take time.

By investing in PR, you’re building credibility for your brand without breaking the bank. By getting others to consistently bring up your name in a positive context – be it journalists, influencers, happy customers, and even employees – will undoubtedly make your business grow in the long run.

2) It’s more effective than advertising

PR content provides an authentic touch to your business and getting a favourable mention of your brand, or providing an expert comment, holds much more weight than an ad.

While advertising builds exposure, Public Relations builds trust.

3) PR is supportive

PR is great for supplementing and supporting your initiatives and campaigns. Use PR to provide and deliver real value to your audience.  You’ll win people’s attention with something useful, educational, or inspiring.

To develop a successful PR campaign, you need to know and understand your audience to as much provide something they would consider valuable.

4) PR boosts brand visibility

Unlike traditional media, online media doesn’t have a shelf life. News articles remain visible on search engines indefinitely. This means any PR content you create can gain more value as it lives on.

Moreover, other news outlets, bloggers, and even customers may link and share the media coverage. By sharing timely and relevant stories across earned, owned, and shared channels you will keep your business high up in search engine rankings, which will, in turn, bring more customers knocking on your door.

5) Good PR strategies prevent problems

A key part of PR is to stay on top of what’s being said about your business and making sure that the information is accurate.  If you’re not monitoring your business, you could be risking your reputation. Remember, one negative comment can escalate and ruin your brand while building real trust and credibility takes years – so don’t take the risk.

6) PR helps you reach the right audience

With a PR campaign, you can be hyper-focused and reach out to the publications and online communities that are most relevant to your business—increasing the likelihood that any traffic back to your website is going to be more relevant and more likely to convert into a sale.

Whether you are interested in becoming a client, or just have a question in general, let’s talk. We’d love to start a discussion. Please give us a call on 01260 271450 or send us an email to anthea.fosti@zeuspr.co.uk

by Zeus PR