Clientversary: Bliss Sanctuary for Women

The Sunny Bird PR team are celebrating another year ‘clientversary’ with Bliss Sanctuary for Women this month!

The luxury women’s only retreat in Bali first approached the team back in 2015 with the objective of raising the brand’s profile in UK press and the launch of its second sanctuary in Seminyak, following the launch of the first in Canggu.

Fast forward to 2019, and the SBPR were tasked with promoting the new sanctuary in relevant national press titles, securing celebrity trips to promote the sanctuary, as well as creating content and advertising on Bliss’ social media.

As the largest most luxurious sanctuary of the three, we knew we could use this to our advantage in attracting press coverage and celebrity trips. To start with we compiled a press release announcing the new sanctuary and pitched it to relevant travel, women and lifestyle titles as well as the national papers for inclusion in round ups, travel news and general features which focused on Bliss’ unique offerings.

Press coverage achieved included Bliss being featured in ‘Top Destinations of Women of the World’ in the Metro as well as ‘The World's 24 Hottest New Hotels Opening in 2019’ in The Telegraph. We also pitched Bliss in line with key awareness days such as International Women’s Day which resulted in coverage in The Independent for the ‘10 of The Best Female Only Trips for Solo Travellers’.

Our next approach was to secure well-known celebrities and national journalists for press trips in order to achieve national press coverage and increase social media followers.

The SBPR team used Bliss Sanctuary’s USPs, such as unlimited food, spa treatments and yoga, and the brand’s ethos of following ‘bliss on your terms’ to attract both media and celebrity attention.

We approached luxury titles, national newspapers, women’s titles, spa and yoga titles, tailoring each pitch to resonate with the publication and its readers, whether it was the luxury angle, solo travel, women’s only travel or the focus on wellbeing. We invited journalists to come and stay at Bliss and review the new sanctuary themselves in exchange for press coverage.

The team also researched and targeted celebrities to invite to Bliss in exchange for media interviews, photoshoots and exposure on their social media channels. We researched potential celebrities and the press angles, focussing on those that needed to take time out for themselves, spend time with the girls and focus on their mind, body and soul.

We only targeted celebrities with over 1 million followers on Instagram and negotiated the terms and conditions of their trips to maximise social media and press coverage.

As a result of this strategy we secured TOWIE stars Lydia Bright, Debbie Bright and Georgia Bright to take a mother-daughter trip to Bliss, as well as Love Island stars Zara McDermott, Ellie Brown, Samira Mighty, Jourdan Riane and Elma Pazaar for a ‘Love Island Reunion’ girls trip. We also secured two trips for Malin Andersson after she’d experienced a traumatic year, as well as well-known TV personality Vicky Pattison and her mum Caroll. The celebrity trips alone resulted in 40 pieces of national coverage in titles such as Daily Mail, The Sun, Metro, Closer, Soul & Spirit and Heat magazine.

Over the past year we have secured a total of 11 celebrity trips, with more big names booked to visit in January, as well as press trips for the Metro, Fabulous, Stella and Glamour magazine.

Alongside our PR campaign we have written regular Bliss News articles for the website on topics that women can relate to, created engaging content on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest as well as advertising campaigns to secure more bookings to the sanctuaries. We also positioned the Founder of Bliss, Zoe Watson, as an expert on hot topics such as wellness bathing, yoga and essential oils.

In total, over the past 12 months SBPR has achieved 56 pieces of coverage for Bliss Sanctuary for Women in top publications such as The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Metro, The Independent, Marie Claire, OK Magazine, Closer, Yoga Magazine to name a few. The total coverage reached over 55.1 million people and would have cost £1.7million if the same space was bought in advertising! Over the past year we have increased Bliss’ Instagram following by over 30,000 followers and positioned the brand as the number 1 women’s only Bali retreat for celebrities across the world.

We are looking forward to what the next year brings for Bliss and SBPR!

Reaching Your Consumer and Creating A Media List

Knowing you consumer will be key to you and your brand reaching millions. In today’s ‘digital age’ people consume new messages about brands and products in a variety of ways. The newspaper and magazine market may well be shrinking but top titles still boast readerships in the hundreds of thousands. Cleverly targeting TV or radio, online news and lifestyle websites, blogs and social media sites will get your message to your audience in the right way.

When trying to reach your target market, start by thinking about your consumer, target audience or end user.

·         Who are they?

·         How old are they?

·         Are they professional/white collar/blue collar/student/retired/homemaker?

·         How do they spend their time?

·         Where do they shop?

·         Which social media channels are they most active on?

·         How do they consume their media? Via blogs/TV/radio?

·         What media do they consume?

You should know the answer to all of the above and answering the last three questions is particularly crucial in gaining coverage that counts. All of this information will contribute to reaching your target audience and achieving the relevant coverage. Knowing which type of media they consume will also determine who you approach with your brand, story etc.

Once you know who your consumer is, you can target the media accordingly. The average ‘early adaptor’ must read, hear or see a message seven times, before they act on it. It’s therefore important to target multiple mediums to give your consumer different ‘touchpoints’ to absorb your message.

I’m sure you’re thinking where do I start? Well, below is a list of just a few of the different types of media on the market.

Trade press – these are industry-related titles meaning whichever industry you’re in, there will be accompanying trade titles. Such as Transport News, The Grocer, The Hotelier etc.

Regional press – newspapers and magazines specific to your area, such as Manchester Evening News, Yorkshire Post, Dorset Echo etc.

National Newspapers

Broadsheets – The Telegraph, Observer, Guardian, Financial Times etc.

Tabloids – Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Sun, The Daily Mirror, Daily Star etc.

Supplements – You Magazine, Style, Stella, Notebook, Observer Food Monthly etc. (These are magazines inside the weekend editions of national papers.)

Women’s glossies – monthly magazines focusing on a mix of news, fashion and lifestyle such as Woman & Home, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In Style, Marie Claire, Red etc.

There is also online, social media, radio and TV.

For a free list of media, you can try sites such as www.mediauk.com and www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk. These contain a variety of useful information including readership stats, key staff members, personal email formatting and so on.

To do your own PR you need to be in the know, so sitting around reading magazines, watching TV, or scrolling through social media is a valuable way to spend your time. Try making notes while scouring the media such as - who are the journalists that keep reappearing, find what titles apply to your brand best and look for themes; is there an awareness day or an awards ceremony this month that applies to your business? Remember to always keep an eye on online media as well, coverage online could take the consumer to your website instantly. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you’ll never be shocked when news props up that you could’ve got in front of!

Media List

Once you are sure who your consumer is and what media you should be approaching it is time to create a media list. This should include specific and up-to-date contact information for key journalists, bloggers, social media influencers and editors across print, online, blogs, radio and TV.

 Organisation is key when creating your bespoke list. Here’s some tips on what to include in your list –

·         Include the type of medium – magazine, newspaper, radio etc

·         Frequency – daily/weekly/monthly/bi-annual

·         Readership or audience numbers

·         Specific contact details for each journalist or editor and their regular slots or segments

·         Job title (editor/features writer/sportswriter etc.)

·         Extras - You could also include a column or tab for any other notes as you go forward, such as how and when they prefer to be contacted, recent topics they’ve covered etc.

Finding the details of the journalist can be tricky, below are just some ways you can do this –

·         Look at the journalist’s name/names in the relevant publications

·         Look at the credits of TV shows for researchers/producers

·         Googling contact sites for specific TV channels such as ITV will give you access to valuable information.

·         Response Source – with journalists continually moving around it can be hard to keep up. Response source has a ‘Media Bulletin’ segment where you can not the movement of journalists.

·         Contacting influencers is great as you can usually message them directly, try their website of their social media page.

·         To find a specific phone number, try calling the media outlets switchboard first, when you get through ask for the relevant journalist and gather their details from there.

Talking to journalists can be daunting to begin with, however in time it’ll get easier and you’ll find your flow. A few things to remember is that journalists are time poor, it’s unlikely they’ll monitor their voicemails, so don’t waste your time leaving a message. Keep an eye out for freelance journalists, they will most likely have their own websites and a personal email to contact them with.

Final tips and tricks

·         There’s no time like the present! Start compiling your media list now.

·         Don’t contact several members of the same outlet ‘just in case’ as they may think you are spamming them, and bin your email.

·         You’ll find it’s easier to find contacts for regional rather than national press. There are less staff, everyone knows everyone and they’re more likely to pick up the phone and are quicker to respond.

If you’re looking for global newspapers you may find this article helpful - https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/complete-index-of-newspapers-across-the-globe/

If you would like to find out more about how to find your consumer and create your media lists as well as how to do your own PR you can book onto our PR and Publicity Course on the 29th November at our Bournemouth offices - Sunny Bird PR, The Garden Studio, Pine Grange, Bath Road, Bournemouth, BH1 2PF

Follow this link to book your place!

Why Working By The Sea Can Boost Your Health, Happiness And Productivity

The Sunny Bird PR office is literally five minutes from the beautiful Bournemouth sea front. With seven miles of award-winning beach to choose from, its own micro-climate that provides us with smog-free, blue skies and a bustling atmosphere with lots of exciting start-ups. I’m going to try my hardest not to city bash (although a number of us are ex-city dwellers) but living in Dorset truly is a dream.

As a team, being based in Dorset helps us to achieve that elusive work/life balance, encourages us to get outside and exercise more and nothing beats a sun downer on your doorstop whilst taking in the stunning views of the Purbecks. All of these factors (and many more) contribute to happy, healthy staff members who come into work ready to smash our PR targets.

Being based on the costa del Dorset coastline may make us biased, but recent environmental research has found that living and working by the coast can improve the following:

1. You don’t have to get your feet wet to reap the health benefits – even just a view of the sea can promote reductions in heart rate and improvements in mood

2. You rate your health as significantly better if you live within 5km of the British coastline

3. You are more likely to exercise regularly if you live within 1km of the English coastline

4. You are more likely to have better mental health if you live within 5km of the British coastline

5. The UK economy could benefit to the tune of £176m of healthcare savings per year from water-based recreation alone.

Still not convinced? The team have compiled their favourite places to eat, drink and visit so that next time you consider a weekend away (or perhaps a PR company) Dorset will be front of mind.

Sunny (MD & Founder)

Eat: Koh Thai in Boscombe – The best 24hour ribs and they do an amazing Pad Thai. I love that it’s a Dorset company set to take over the world!

Drink: 1812 (Bournemouth) or The Kings Arms (Christchurch) – I love a cocktail or two and I’m completely torn between two places… the drinks in both are incredible.

Visit: The New Forest – Fall in love with the forest’s idyllic glades, ancient woodland and cliff top walks. You may even bump into a few ponies or donkeys that run wild near Lymington.

Why you love living in Dorset: Nothing beats being able to walk on the beach in your lunch break. Being just 2 hours away from London allows us to be able to work with regional, national and international clients without giving up on our wonderful lifestyle.

Lizzie  (Account Manager)

Eat: Urban Reef – 5 minutes’ walk from my flat, right on Bosombe’s award-winning beaches and undoubtedly serving the best Eggs Royale and Bloody Mary.

Drink: Chaplin’s – Quirky and cool, an award-winning bar and live music venue in Boscombe.

Visit: Worth Matravers – One of my favourite places in the Purbecks, the Square and Compass serves the best pints and pasties and there’s the beautiful walk down to Winspit caves and the sea. Perfect for any time of year.

Why you love living in Dorset: In my opinion it is the best place to live in the UK, best beaches, best nightlife, best countryside, best climate and the best people!

Rian (Senior Account Manager)

Eat: The Stables – Nestled on Weymouth’s harbour side in the old harbour master’s building it has a great atmosphere and a great selection of ciders. The company started in Dorset and now has restaurants in Cardiff, Bristol and London to name a few – definitely worth checking out. http://stablepizza.com/

Drink: The Cove House Inn – A bevvy at The Cove House Inn on Portland’s Chesil Beach can’t be beaten. In summer it boasts the BEST sunset and in winter you can hunker down by the fire and watch the crashing waves as they pound the pebbles.

Visit: West Bay – The home of Itv’s Broadchurch and not far from Bridport, which is worth a visit too. Stunning sheer cliffs and the perfect place for random celeb spotting (PJ Harvey and Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie have both been spotted in the last month).

Why you love living in Dorset: Nothing beats a walk down to the beach and being able to take a deep, breath of fresh sea air. When you hear the phrase “why do you need to go on holiday when you live in a place like this” then you know you’re on to a winner.

Lucy (Account Executive)

Eat: Vesuvio – If you take a stroll along the beachfront to get to Vesuvio, it offers a relaxed vibe and a range of pizzas and pastas.

Drink: Aruba – Right on the beachfront, you can walk out onto the balcony with a cocktail and enjoy the amazing views of the pier and beach.

Visit: Durdle Door – no matter if the sun is shining or if it’s slightly overcast, Durdle Door is the most beautiful place on the coast. The water is crystal blue and the views are breath-taking.

Why you love living in Dorset: Originally from Oxford, I’ve always known that I wanted to live near the south coast. The weather is 100 times better and it never takes any longer than 20 minutes to get somewhere. Places to visit and attractions to see are never far and come summer, the beach is just on our doorstep.

Darren(In-house Graphic designer)

Eat and Drink: Aruba – I often take clients or have internal meetings in Aruba, I love the fact you can eat and drink and look out on Bournemouth’s amazing beach. When the sun is shining you could be anywhere in the world.

Visit: Mudeford Spit – Is a lovely place to visit with great views of Christchurch on the harbour side. My kids will say “the best part is getting the noddy train” to the beach.

Why you love living in Dorset: I love working in Bournemouth, we are a stone’s throw from the amazing beaches and a 5 minute walk into the heart of Bournemouth town centre.