Get your spirits brand ready for media enquiries

As distillery founders and passionate brand creators, one of the fun parts you’ll inevitably (hopefully) encounter on your journey is media attention.

Everyone wants their products to be celebrated, all brands need to build awareness and let’s face it – many owners quietly crave the ego boost that comes with it too…

For the humble and those insistent on letting the drink do the talking – even if your distillate is the star of the show and is unforgettable once tasted, how you present your brand to the world matters in how it will be perceived in the first place. Like it or not, it defines the likelihood of it being picked up to be enjoyed.

Getting media ready is your chance to capture the essence of your distillery and begin sharing it with an eager audience. At its most passive, it’s akin to dressing a shop window, but more often than not, it’s far more proactive – it’s about sending the invitations to come in.

Here’s how to get media ready.

Start with a stellar story

Craft distilleries often have captivating origin tales: be it histories, unique discoveries, processes, people and challenges they’ve overcome. This story is a gold mine for the media. Develop a concise, yet compelling, version of your story that encapsulates your brand’s essence.

Tip: Personalise it! What makes your story different from other distilleries? Why will people care about this and how can they relate to it? Where are the news worthy hooks in your story?

Create a Media Kit

Once you’ve got a succinct story noted down, build a Media Kit. Think of it as a distillery’s resume. At minimum, it includes:

• A press release (Your story. Your products. Contact details).
• High-resolution images of your products, distillery and team.
• Product fact sheets: ingredients, production process, tasting notes, and accolades.

Tip: Host your Media Kit on your website, making it easily accessible to journalists on tight deadlines.

Upgrade to more effective media banks

When done well, a media bank should take the basic media kit and transform it into a treasure trove of content, neatly organised, and ready for instant use. Think of it as your brand’s digital business card, CV, and portfolio all in one place.

From the backstory of the founders and the ethos of the distillery to high-resolution images of the products and behind-the-scenes looks – it’s all there.

Differentiated Press Releases

Journalists, constantly on deadlines, prefer information that’s quick to access and easy to understand. Create different releases and label them clearly. Make them fit for purpose and geared to the story they aim to solicit.

• General press release (ABOUT US): This will serve as an outline of your vision, your story to date, who are the people involved, what are the products you make, and some awards / accolades. Write a small paragraph on each. Finish with contact details.

• Distillery and founders (OUR VISION): This press release should embody your ‘Why’. Why did you start this distillery? What challenges were faced? What’s the unique story behind the founders? This is where the brand’s ethos, values, and journey shine. It is the emotional anchor of your brand and serves as the backbone of most human-interest stories.

Tip: This section doesn’t have to be just dry facts. Use quotes from the founders, anecdotes, or little-known facts to make it engaging.

• Product-specific release (XYXX SPIRIT): This is the what the bottling is and what it tastes like. What is the headline for your product? How is it made? Here you can detail the ingredients, production process, tasting notes, and any unique selling points.

Comprehensive image banks

The age-old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” rings true. Imagery captures the essence of your brand in ways words sometimes cannot. Here’s what your bank of images should comprise of:

• High-resolution product shots: This is a given. Showcase your product in its full glory. A pack shot is on white background, don’t do something weird. These are functional and clean.
• Lifestyle imagery: This is where your product is in action. People enjoying your spirit, maybe in a bar or at home. It’s a visualisation of the experience you offer and the aesthetic should reflect your brand ethos / position. Make sure it’s not just people, or just cocktails – get your bottle in shot.
• Behind-the-scenes imagery: Candid shots of the distillation process, the raw materials, the barrels, and even the machinery. These shots give a glimpse into the heart of your operations.
• Founder portraits: A mix of formal portraits and candid shots. These images offer a more personal connection and are essential for features or interviews about the founding team.
• Distillery interiors and exteriors: Showcase the ambiance. If a journalist can’t visit your location, these images should make them feel like they have.
• Events and launches: Images from past events, tastings, or launch parties can provide a dynamic view of your brand’s presence in the community.

Tip: Always provide a mix of vertical and horizontal images, considering the varied layout needs of different publications. Quality visuals are essential. Hire a professional!

Revisit your assets and ensure they distil your brand’s identity

Maintain consistency across all your assets – from bottle labels and packaging to digital footprints. Fonts, colours, logos, and tone of voice should resonate with your brand’s essence.

Tip: Develop a style guide. It’s an invaluable tool for maintaining brand consistency, especially when working with external designers or PR agencies.

Prepare for Interviews and media enquiries

Whether it’s a podcast, magazine feature, or TV appearance, prepare your founders, distillers and spokespeople.

• Rehearse your key messages. American media training always urges people into finding way to plug a name and put the product forward as often as possible, but it doesn’t have to be so blunt. Bringing it back to messaging can be as important to seed brand identity, yet far more discrete. Practicing how, when and with what line can be far more nuanced than most assume from the outside.
• Anticipate and prep for potentially awkward questions. Role play tough questions that you need to find positive, constructive ways of answering – not get defensive about. So often, it’s not the question that pushes founders into being negative, prickly and off message – it’s the unexpected nature of it. Prep them.
• Maintain a genuine and passionate tone.Find ways of contextualising your place within a category without having to do it at someone else’s expense. A lot can be ingrained through repeated mantras and turn of phrase.

Tip: Mock interviews with team members or PR professionals can iron out the kinks before the actual spotlight.

Curate with precision

Usually, it’s at this point where things have spiralled and there are now hundreds of elements floating about in your media bank.

While the intent is to provide as much valuable information as possible, It’s not a digital dumping ground. There’s an art to making it concise and labelling it in useful ways. Here’s where professional assistance becomes invaluable:

• PR agencies: With their experience, they bring insights on what the media typically looks for, ensuring your media bank is not just comprehensive but also relevant. They can also guide on crafting more focussed narratives that resonate with specific sections of the media.
• Freelancers with a PR background: If you’re on a tight budget or prefer a more hands-on approach, hiring a freelancer might be ideal. They offer the expertise without the overheads of an agency.

Accessibility is key

Your media bank’s convenience is its strength.

Journalists on tight deadlines won’t always reach out. Those with short attention spans will not hunt for information that hard. Meanwhile those who are doing thorough research tend to have access to a stream of valuable PR contacts that they can just ask for the information from. Your media bank has to be more convenient for them to access and extract info than sending a mail to someone else.

Provide instant access and clear organisation to required assets and you can appeal to all three types above.

Ensure that it can be found easily on your site! A well-structured, easily navigable media bank isn’t just something hidden behind a drop box link. Show people what it includes as that can be the difference between being featured or being overlooked.

Constant evolution

Creating a media bank isn’t a one-time task. As your distillery grows, so will your story.

New products, events, accolades – they all add new chapters. Regular updates (seasonal campaigns) guided by PR insights, ensure your media bank remains fresh and relevant.

Draft in expert media help

If creating a media bank sounds like a momentous task – don’t underestimate the benefits of professional assistance and outsource the whole lot. There’s real value in doing that above and beyond time saving.

• Story shaping: Distilling your brand’s multifaceted journey into engaging, concise narratives can be challenging. Especially when you are so close to it. Professionals bring an outsider’s perspective, identifying what truly stands out.
• Quality imagery: PR professionals can recommend expert photographers familiar with brand shoots. They ensure images align with your story and have the necessary appeal, as well as in the right formats and sizes.
• Industry insight: PR experts know the changing media landscape and where it is heading. They can advise on what elements are currently in vogue and where it’s headed, increasing the chances you are ahead of the curve, not behind it and that your story will be be picked up.

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In the age of rapid information, being media ready is critical.

Your media kit acts as a beacon, drawing in journalists and providing them with everything they need at a moment’s notice. They might look like passive banks of content, but they are anything but! They require meticulous planning, crafting, and strategic thinking.

By actively investing in getting yourself media ready, you ensure that when opportunity knocks, your brand is ready to seize it.

If you are looking for more proactive representation and how to hire the right team – take a look at our article Hiring the right PR agency.