By Stacy Briscoe
Wine Industry Network continues to explore virtual tastings and experiences catered to wine industry professionals. In this video interview, we speak with Sarah Jones, vice president of Benson Marketing Group—a marketing and personal relations firm specializing in wine and spirits—about the company’s experience with digitally engaging wine-specific media.
Besides technical tips and tricks, Jones elaborates on how winemakers and/or wine brands can prepare for speaking to writers: how to pitch a virtual experience, who to pitch to, and best practices for executing these experiences to garner media interest in your brand’s story.
The takeaway is to not only know your audience, but to know your audience’s audience. Who are these journalists writing for? What kind of messages are their editors and readers really looking for? Jones has expert advice on how to home in on these details and get the best ROI for your time and effort.
For other tips on (digitally) talking to the trade, be sure to watch our interview with Dry Creek Vineyard about successful virtual sales meetings as well as our discussion with Tablas Creek’s Jason Haas about investing more in professional trade tastings while consumer interest in these types of events wane.
These interviews are intended to address several questions wineries and wine brands, of all sizes, are dealing with in the midst of the pandemic.
