Tourism PR Easier with These 15 Tips

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

In a funk because your competitors seem to be snagging all the media attention—and all the tourists? It’s time to start claiming your share. Here are 17 tips that will boost your publicity efforts and help bring more tourism dollars to your bottom line. 

1.  Call the advertising department of every newspaper and magazine you want to get into and ask for a copy of their editorial calendar. It’s a free listing of all the special topics and special sections coming up during the calendar year. It will tip you off to sections where your story idea would be a good fit, so you can query the editor weeks and even months ahead.

2.  Call the food editor, travel editor or columnist from your local newspaper and invite them to lunch or coffee—or to your business. Offer yourself as a resource. Ask “how can I help you?” Feed them tips and story ideas. Become such a valuable source that they keep coming back to you for more information and eventually write about you.

3.  Consider starting your own television show on your cable TV station’s community access channel. The station will rent you the camera equipment for about $20. You can produce either one show or an entire series of programs, from how to cook with fresh garden produce to a show on how to buy fine wines. Air time is free. Call your cable company for details.

4.  Build a network of other tourism industry professionals—even if they are your competitors. Agree informally that you will refer reporters to each other whenever the media call. Often, reporters want more than one source for a story. It’s a chance for all of you to get additional publicity.

5.  Whenever someone asks you to write for their electronic newsletter or online magazine, visit their website first and see if they have a resource section where you would be a good fit. Ask to be listed for free or for a link to your site, in exchange for providing an article.

6.  If you publish an interesting printed newsletter with information about new trends in the tourism industry, helpful tips for your employees or interesting stories about things that happen in your business,  send complimentary issues to the national and local media. You’ll be amazed at how many reporters start calling you for interviews.

7.  Don’t forget newspaper and magazine columnists. They’re always hungry for fresh ideas. Keep in touch with them and feed them ideas regularly. Tell them about trends you are seeing in your industry.

8.  Call local radio talk show hosts and invite them to call on you when other guests cancel. They will be thankful you offered. (See "How to Get onto Drive-Time Radio Shows.")

9.  Write articles for industry newsletters. My favorite resource is the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters, which lists more than 18,000 newsletters by topic and includes detailed information on the type of audience and subjects covered. Most larger libraries have this resource directory. The online version includes only basic information, as well as contact names and phone numbers. It’s enough to get you started.

10. Contact your trade association and ask them to refer reporters to you. Many reporters who don’t know where to find sources start by calling trade associations.

11. Always refer to yourself as an “expert” in your marketing materials, at your web site and in your media kit, assuming you are. The media always seek out experts and interview them. For more information about how to become an expert, see the free Expertise Imperative White Paper written by the National Speakers Association.

12. If you receive a favorable restaurant review, reprint it on placemats, post it in your restaurant and quote from it in your paid ads.

13. If you have found innovative ways to attract and retain employees, let the media know. The severe labor shortage and employing older workers in their 60s and 70s is a hot topic.

14. Suggest profile stories of employees who have interesting hobbies or participate in outstanding community service projects. The reporter will ask them where they work—and that’s more publicity for you.

15. If your tourist attraction is in a city that's served by one of the major airlines, you can try to get into the airlines' inflight magazine. See "Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines."

Direct comments or questions about this article, including requests for reprint rights, to:

 Joan Stewart
 The Publicity Hound
 3434 County KK
 Port Washington, WI 53074
 Phone: 262-284-7451
 JStewart@PublicityHound.com