To celebrate the launch of a new ad campaign for client Harmless Harvest, we wanted to get in front of media to share the news and make sure Harmless Harvest Coconut Water is top of mind for summer stories and beyond. We chose to quite literally get in front of them with media desksides. While typically executed as a tactic for new product launches, we used these as a way to reconnect with top tier media for ongoing visibility.

Incentivize

Who doesn’t love a smoothie? When reaching out to media for appointments, we offered a smoothie break or happy hour for an added incentive to meet with us. Snacks and drinks seem to make it a bit easier to find time in editors’ hectic schedules to sit down for a deskside. The editors loved our idea, and we booked meetings with contacts at Greatist, Rachael Ray Every Day, Health.com, Spoon University, Brit + Co, Family Circle, Shape, O, the Oprah Magazine and BestProducts.com.

Ask Questions

Yes, this is the time to educate the editor on the product, but it’s also a great opportunity to learn more about the editor and what he/she is working on. They’re typically happy to talk about their plans for upcoming stories, lead time, how to best pitch them, requirements for product inclusion and angles that make for an interesting piece. In our meeting with Rachael Ray Every Day, our contact pulled in two editors who work on the digital side, and they loved the angle that Harmless Harvest Coconut Water is pink. They thought this was such an interesting tidbit that they reached out immediately after the meeting for a quote from a Harmless Harvest executive about why it’s pink. This turned into an entire online piece dedicated to Harmless Harvest, The Surprising Truth about Coconut Water – even linked on the homepage!

Follow Up

These editors are on strict deadlines with some churning out a story per hour, so it means a lot that they took time out of their day to meet with you. We always send a note after the deskside to say thank you and share any materials mentioned during the meeting that may be helpful. We also sent a case of coconut water to each to arrive the following week. Follow-up also creates an ongoing dialogue to stay in touch when they may need another product sample or additional information for a piece. You want to be a helpful resource whether the piece is running tomorrow or 5 months from now.

We were so excited to meet face-to-face with contacts at our targeted publications and continue to cultivate these relationships. As a result of these meetings, we already have coverage in the pipeline and are looking forward to keeping everyone hydrated with Harmless Harvest Coconut Water!