Friday, November 27, 2009

Food/Wine Story Ideas for the Newspaper

You still have a couple of weeks to pitch the newspapers with Christmas story ideas. If you get your ideas to them soon, they may consider them for the holiday edition.

Last Wednesday's AZ Republic demonstrated how to think of creative variations on the Thanksgiving theme. We can use this to come up with new ideas that can be submitted to the papers to get coverage for our businesses.

Food section front page story:
"Chefs elevate Thanksgiving leftovers to grand gourmet".
This article wasn't about cooking turkey. It was about how local chefs create gourmet meals with leftover turkey. Three chefs from the Petite Maison in Scottsdale were asked to create three gourmet meals from leftovers. The chefs created the meals, and the AZ Republic published them. Included in the article were:
  • The chef's names and photos
  • The restaurant's location
  • The owner's name
It would be good to get that kind of exposure, wouldn't it? Well, nothing's stopping you! The owner of the Petite Maison probably contacted the Republic and suggested a story idea, and got asked to do something with T-day leftovers.

If I were going to contact the AZ Republic with a Christmas Dinner story, I'd come up with something a little different, such as variation on the side dishes, or unusual ingredients instead of the standard potatoes and yams. The more unusual and interesting, the better.

Sidebar Story:
"Help for Baking Pies"
This little sidebar, also on the front page, posts a toll-free phone number that hurried and harried home chefs can call to get help with their baking. It's sponsored by Crisco. This hotline helps with everything from soggy crusts to weeping meringue.

Here's a secret: Local newspapers like to cover local businesses before they write about big national companies. It builds community, and the reporters like to help out local businesses.

Therefore, if you set up something like this, you could very well get some coverage. And why not? Again, nothing's stopping you!
  • Wineries and wine stores: Set up a hotline to help home chefs select the perfect Christmas wine.
  • Restaurants: Set up a hotline to help with Christmas dinner preparation (or to suggest new ideas for home chefs who want to do something different).
Does this work? You bet it does! Consumers LOVE to have a phone number to call when they need help. If you provide a "help line", it places your business firmly in their mind - they'll remember you.

Remember: Our job is to get and keep clients coming in our door, buying from us, and then coming back for more. By providing this kind of help, we're showing that we care about the customers. They're not just a credit card number (!), but someone we really want to help have a great dinner.

And the beauty of it is....if you're the only one doing it, one quick call to the newspapers could generate enough interest that they'll cover your story. And that's a winning scenario for everyone: the paper, the customers, and you.

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