How To Make The New York Times’ Annual List, “52 Places to Go in 2014”

Every fall, travel PR agencies begin the race to have their clients’ resorts and destinations included on The New York Times’ list of places to go in the coming year. Living on the New York Times’ Travel section homepage all calendar year and the focal point of the print edition released the second Sunday in January, it is the gold standard of travel press. Even a mention in this annual feature is priceless for the destinations, hotels and attractions included, as all report a surge in inquiries and bookings following the stories release.

 

So how do destinations and hotels secure their spot on this coveted list? Our team of PR experts breaks down five tips for pitching for a spot on The New York Times’ list of “Places to Go.”

 

Five Tips for Pitching for a Spot on The New York Times’ “Places to Go in…”

 

1.     Research the Writers – The importance of not simply reading the list each year, but also researching the writers cannot be overstated. Take note of the writers that have contributed to the list over the past five years and the destinations that they have covered. If you do not have their contact details already, find them by calling the Travel News Desk or conducting a simple Google search. Some freelancers specialize in specific territories, like Latin America, or niches like adventure travel. Understanding their areas of expertise and their particular beats will help you to tailor pitches that will catch their attention and ultimately land your destination or property on the list.

 

2.     Highlight What’s “New” – There is something new and noteworthy about every destination, even for established travel hot spots, such as the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. Your job is to figure out what this is and highlight it. In conducting our New York Times destination pitches last fall, our team focused on highlighting the top three emerging regions of the Dominican Republic – areas that are bringing a new type of traveler to the region and also tie in with the government’s restoration efforts. Ultimately, our efforts paid off, as Barahona, Dominican Republic and the region’s Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge were included at #37 on the list, cited as “a scenic, low-key destination on the verge of discovery.”

 

3.     Meet with the Contributors – Face time with The New York Times’ contributors offers the opportunity to drive your destination’s messaging home in a memorable way. Where you have no control over whether a contributor will open your emails or read through them thoroughly, you have an opportunity in a face-to-face meeting to truly hold their attention. Meeting with a contributor in person also furthers your ability to foster a relationship with them and gauge what they find most interesting about your pitch. Often desksides (in-office meetings with writers and editors) can pay off even years down the road.

 

4.     Tailor Your Pitches – This ties into the first tip, “Research the Writers,” as it is absolutely essential that you use the information you gather in your research to tailor your pitches to the individual contributors. Let them know that you read the sections that they contributed in previous years and understand what regions and/or type of travel interests them. In your pitch, be sure to tie in how the destination and/or hotel you are pitching directly relates to their beat.

 

5.     Pitch Early – Timing is everything in life and nowhere is this more true than in pitching press stories. Knowing that The New York Times’ “Places to Go in …” story runs in January and is planned months in advance, it is essential to start pitching the relevant contributors in the early Fall. This gives you ample time to follow up and drive your message home.

 

Until next time, cheers to the “52 Places to Go in 2014”!