An interview with Claire Norrish and Pandora George, Co-founders of Authentic PR
To give some real insight into the world of luxury travel public relations, digital marketing expert Chloe Kennedy interviews us about what really goes on behind the doors of Authentic PR. Read below as we shoot the breeze with some insights into how PR really works.
The first thing we do is meet a potential client and really drill down into their business to work out a bespoke strategy that will meet their objectives and deliver a return on their investment. Once this has been done, we work to put the strategy in place. This involves doing a number of things. As luxury travel PRs we issue press releases about our clients to our journalists for travel news page placements.
What happens once you start working with a new client – how does it work?
We also organise press trips for journalists to visit our clients during the course of the year so that there is a gradual drip feed of travel reviews. Our media lists are carefully curated and updated continually and we work with an incredible roster of travel writers around the globe. We organise press campaigns for events for our clients, whether that is a fashion show, a food or art event or a special dinner or pop up. We advise clients on collaborations that we know journalists will love.
What kind of clients do you work with?
It’s in the name. Authentic luxury travel brands that inspire and excite us and that have a positive impact on the community. Sustainability is important to us. As a top UK luxury travel PR agency, we work with hotels, spas, yachts, retreats, travel experiences and villas as well as high end restaurant brands throughout the world. We started our business primarily with a focus on Ibiza, but have now expanded and launched a new division so that we are able to provide global PR for our clients from all over the world.
What kind of coverage would your clients expect to appear in?
Over the years we have expanded from being a UK luxury travel PR agency into an International Communications company. We work with a multitude of luxury travel and lifestyle titles (digital and print) as well as well as broadcast media. For example , we arranged for one of our hotel clients to appear in Channel Four’s Travel Man in 2018 and also for one of our super-yacht clients to be featured as a location by Kim Kardashian and her family for an episode of KUWTK – which resulted in enormous traction worldwide.
The media titles we work with are wide ranging, including titles such as Conde Nast Traveller, Sunday Times Travel, Forbes USA, New York Times, Telegraph Luxx, The Robb Report, Financial Times, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Tatler and many more. This might be for a profile feature, destination story, hotel review, travel news or roundup pages. We also collaborate with video producers to create bespoke content for our clients.
How do you manage influencer requests?
We get hundreds of requests from bloggers and influencers, as do our clients, and It’s a complex and fast moving area that requires skill and knowledge to manage. There are some great social influencers out there but it’s important to remember they may not necessarily be the right demographic for your brand. Hotels get bombarded with requests for hotel stays each season and understandably often don’t know how to control this area. It requires careful research and negotiation about what Influencers can offer so that both parties are happy. We also look after social media for our clients if they require it.
How do you manage client contact at Authentic PR?
By keeping our agency deliberately specialist, we have client contact at Director level on a frequent basis. We pay regular visits to our clients so that we really get to know them (and their hotels and restaurants). We also pride ourselves on an indepth knowledge of the travel destination so we can advise journalists about where to go and what to do. It’s important for us to brainstorm new strategies and also debrief at the end of a big project. Our clients are kept informed, updated and constantly in the loop.
The first question I guess a lot of clients want to know is
How does it work with travel PR fees
– can you throw some light on this?
We have a range of fee structures available, from year round retainers to shorter projects. With fees, essentially clients are buying our time. So it’s all about how much work will be needed for a campaign. Once we’ve had an initial meeting with a potential client about their aims and objectives, we can usually give a ball-park figure. As we are a small team we are able to provide competitive fee structures for our clients.
And finally,
What are the top three things that any client should think about when choosing a potential new luxury travel PR company?
- Symmetry is incredibly important; Does your branding fit with the PR agency’s ethos and does your hotel or restaurant sit well alongside the agency’s current client roster?
- Account management: Find out who will be handling your account. Will it be Director level or will you be handed to an Account Manager with less experience once the account has been won?
- Results: Check the placement results the PR agency has got for other clients within the last year – and ask to see a coverage book so you can work out if the agency has got contacts with the type of luxury media you want to attract your audience.
For more information about Claire Norrish and Pandora George at Authentic PR, or if you’d like to have a chat about travel PR, please email us at enquiries@authentictravelpr.com
