Group press trips are an effective marketing tool for travel and lifestyle reporters to experience first-hand a destination, tour operator and hotel. Abelow PR, a NYC boutique travel PR firm, counsels our clients to develop signature, one-of-a-kind experiences to peak reporters’ interest in getting assignments to write feature stories.
We identify prolific journalists with multiple media outlets including Outdoors, Conde Nast Traveler and Huffington Post to ensure our clients get the maximum return on their investment. More on that later.
So, how do you organize a successful group press trip of top reporters – also known as a FAM Trip? Quite simply, you must focus on the experiential offerings and services, and what will resonate with their readers.
One of our clients, UK Countryside Tours, created an intriguing itinerary to spotlight some of the “Telling the Stories of England” journeys. The five days – four nights itinerary for six presses packed in a lot of behind-the-scenes experiences that savvy travelers would not find with another tour company.
Here are highlights:
- Meandering through Cambridge University and seeing the original manuscripts of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species.
- Uncovering the legend of Robin Hood at Sherwood Forest and beholding an iconic 800 year-old Oak Tree. Legend has it that Robin Hood actually hid in this tree during his crusade to steal from the rich and give to the poor.
- Walking in the footsteps on the Great North Way – the actual road the original Pilgrims would have taken before they embarked on their journey to America.
- Meeting a real duke, the captivating Duke of Devonshire, which is just one level below royalty, and meandering through his family home Chatsworth House. During our visit, the fashion exhibition focused on the Duke of Devonshire’s ancestors throughout the ages. The Duke of Devonshire’s ancestors have a real family connection to one of Princess Diana’s ancestors, Lady Georgina and the Spencer family. U. S. travelers are intrigued with the Prince Diana connection since she is still revered over here, 20 years after her death.
- A behind the scenes tour with Lady Manners of Haddon Hall and tour of have the historic home used as a backdrop in many movies such as Jane Eyre, the Other Boleyn Girl, and Princess Bride. On our visit, Haddon Hall had been setting up for another period television shows or movie. Despite our attempts to uncover the secret, Lady Manners has kept us guessing about the next period show to film at her family home.
- Speaking with a curator at the Whitworth Museum to learn about Manchester’s involvement in the cotton industry and seeing rare textiles
Logistics and Accommodations
Once travel PR firms and their clients think about the novel experiences to present to reporters, then it is vital to pay attention to the logistical details such as the time it takes to travel from point A to point B. While this little tidbit may seem like a no brainer, it is really important to keep the tour at a comfortable pace so journalists can soak in the atmosphere along the way.
Accommodations should also match the overall theme of the trip. If you are presenting a luxury trip, then the hotels should be quality assessed and provide an oasis of luxury for the discerning traveler writer.
Our client, UK Countryside Tours, got it right on the recent press visit throughout England’s lovely countryside showcasing a mix of ultra-modern to classic English country houses to offer insight into the wide range of hotel offerings. Some reporters liked the classic English country house hotel because it conveyed the feeling they were staying in someone’s home.
Fine English fare has been an oxymoron for many years. However, our press trip participants savored a wide-range of regional English cuisine ranging from the traditional fish and chips to ultra-modern delicacies incorporating lamb and salmon on the menu. And, what good English meal is not complete with a pint of English beer.
In terms of selecting journalists to tell your story, Abelow PR, a top boutique travel PR firm, has developed an intimate knowledge for reporter’s beats.
How To Work With Writers
Legitimate working writers will only accept a group press trip if they have a confirmed assignment. We check credentials carefully. After all, this is how journalists make their living and they need to guarantee they will get paid for their story. However, beware of freeloaders, and make a note not to invite them.
In addition to knowing the reporters’ preferences for news, our agency pays careful attention to a person’s phone etiquette since it can be very revealing as it pertains to how this person may or may not interact with other reporters and our client on a group press trip. The overall press trip vibe is often ruined when there is a “special’ case on the trip
It is extremely important to have chemistry and harmony on a trip. Travel PR folks have scored a home run as it pertains to the group press trips when reporters just naturally click with each other despite the age differences on a group press.
We are here to help. Give us a call at (212) 941-9247
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