Article supplied courtesy of Ignite Marketing

"How To..." Guide to PR

Reputation is everything in the hospitality business and a complimentary report in a leading newspaper or a review in the local weekly can have a tremendous positive impact on your business.

• Once you are satisfied that you are delivering an exceptional experience, select suitable media targets. A simple neighborhood Italian is unlikely to attract The Guardian's attention but stands a good chance of generating a piece in a local publication. Being realistic will ensure you don't waste your time! 

• Make sure you set aside a little advertising budget as, whilst editorial is free, at a local level advertising can encourage editorial coverage. One way around this is to provide a reader offer such as a free bottle of house wine for every reader. This has the added benefit of filling the restaurant whilst also encouraging trial. 

• Running a competition in local media is another effective local PR technique. This is usually provided free by the publication and also allows you to collect contact data from the entrants. 

• On a national level the playing field is entirely different, don't even bother unless your food and service are absolutely 'exceptional'! Legions of food writers work the different regions, sometimes at the behest of editors but more commonly under their own steam. Aside from hitting the food and drink editors of all the major papers and the food guides like Hardens you should also do a bit of research. If a reviewer has covered restaurants in your area there is a good chance they will be interested to hear from you. 

• For a press release, a well-written and concise description of your restaurant and what makes it special is all that is required. Send this along with a sample menu and some photos of the food and restaurant. If you have been established a long time then you may need to create more of a story, in this case launching monthly wine tasting classes or announcing the arrival of a new chef should do the trick. 

• Naturally all this takes time so you may prefer to spend your valuable time running the business and to employ a PR consultant or agency. If your budget is limited you can probably find a local self-employed PR person to help out. If you are hoping to attract the heavyweight press you should probably engage an agency with a strong contact list and a good understanding of the industry, for instance JRPR have over 30 years experience in publicising restaurants and bars.