How you can use PR commentary to reinforce your industry standing

Want to get your name out there as a voice of authority in your industry? A great way of doing so is by talking to the press about pressing issues affecting you.
 
It helps to position you as an expert, while putting you in front of new audiences.
 
And not only will you benefit from PR coverage – you can also shout about on your social channels and share the article via mailers to highlight your expertise.
 
Here’s a quick example of how we did just that recently for one of our clients in the hospitality sector.
 
January is a tough time for many businesses, but if you work in hospitality that’s even more the case.
 
While pubs and restaurants are usually packed out over Christmas, the New Year offers much leaner pickings for restaurants, bars and hotels.
 
And, despite the festive windfall, it’s a time when many businesses in the sector realise they can’t continue.
 
This has seen some high-profile restaurant closures in the news over the last few weeks, which means it’s a topic we knew journalists would be looking for commentary on.

We work with HOSPA, the Hospitality Professionals Association, and its CEO, Jane Pendlebury, is perfectly placed to comment on the issues affecting the sector.
 
With Jane’s expertise on tap, we reached out to journalists who we knew would be looking to cover the topic, and we were able to secure some national news coverage – with Jane’s expert insight being used by the Mirror Online as part of an article looking at why pubs and restaurants might be shutting.
 
Following on from this, we then secured another opportunity with the Independent, which saw Jane’s input being used in a similarly themed article looking at the challenges faced by those operating in the sector.

The great thing about national newspaper coverage is that it’s often syndicated elsewhere as others follow their lead, and Jane’s comment in the Independent was used by more than 20 other websites including the likes of Yahoo! News and MSN – helping to spread the word even further and reach new audiences.
 
This activity all serves to position HOSPA as a voice for the industry – and that’s exactly where they want to be.
 
Want us to do something similar for you?
 
We’d love to help – so just get in touch!