The summer 2012 launch of client Saint Arnold Brewing Company's Divine Reserve No. 12 took on a life of its own, with news organizations competing for the inside scoop and tracking down brewers on their way to the grocery store and at the brewery late at night. Here is the story from Houston's KHOU Channel 11:
The Saint Arnold example provides a few lessons for any organization seeking positive media coverage:
1. Think long-term. DPK Public Relations has been working with Saint Arnold for eight years and keeps information flowing regularly to the newsrooms.
2. Don't get discouraged. We have had plenty of instances where we felt we had a great story only to be disappointed that nobody jumped on it. Instead of getting discouraged, we trusted that our good ideas weren't being ignored and they would eventually generate coverage. Maybe not when we expected it -- but the payoff would come.
3. Spread the love. Over the eight years we've been at it, we have established and strengthened relationships with people who occupy all the seats in the newsroom -- the frontline reporters as well as the editors, camera people and anchors.
4. Involve the community. Saint Arnold does a great job of this, using the recipes of contest winners to 'inspire' many of their Divine Reserve creations. When you involve the community, you automatically have a 3-dimensional story that isn't just about business; it is human and authentic and real.
5. Don't be solely focused on traditional media. This probably doesn't need to be one of the points, but I don't want anyone to miss it. The Saint Arnold coverage in traditional media is a direct result of the pandemonium that is generated by social media. If we did not cultivate a social media community with an emphasis on Twitter and Facebook, the traditional media wouldn't be interested. Period.