How to Create the Best Lifestyle PR Strategy

With the dawn of social media and digital marketing came commentary and speculation that public relations was dead. In anticipation, many businesses reduced their PR budgets or made attempts to do away with public relations altogether.

Because they were rapidly accumulating hundreds and thousands of followers on social media through digital marketing strategies, lifestyle brands failed to see public relations as a beneficial promotional tactic. Thinking this way and excluding public relations from the marketing strategy has led to lifestyle brands running the risk of losing credibility, relevance, brand authority, and multi-territory publicity.

Public relations involves more than just getting your lifestyle brand seen; it has the potential to drive revenue. If any year was going to destroy public relations, it would have been 2020 -- the year that single-handedly accelerated the adoption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, despite the pandemic pressing the fast-forward button on digital marketing and social media, it's been calculated that by the end of 2022, the public relations industry is expected to grow by 9.9%. 

Including PR in the overall marketing strategy for a lifestyle brand will be like going from using a loudspeaker in a stadium to now experiencing the message traveling to people who are located thousands of miles away. 

Here are four key clever ways to create the most effective lifestyle PR strategy.  

1. Never underestimate the value of a press drop.

Press drops, also known as media gifting, refers to the distribution of a brand's product to journalists, celebrities, and influential personalities. These gifts range from modestly packaged lifestyle product samples to over-the-top, custom-designed boxes accompanied by a handwritten note and additional complimentary items that speak to the theme of the product or marketing campaign.

The idea behind a press drop is to grab the journalist's attention in a way that would inspire them to use the product. It is not a given that they would use the product, as journalists are sent hundreds of new products each month, so it is up to the public relations specialist to ensure that the look and feel of the packaging, as well as the product itself, elicits excitement. 

An effective press drop will see the lifestyle product making its way onto a media outlet's monthly favorites page, into editorial photoshoots, or social media mentions; it also has the potential to inspire the journalist to produce a dedicated review.

The beauty tech device manufacturer OPTE could have easily overlooked the power of press gifting, but thankfully didn't. By gifting its device to a respected beauty writer, the company was able to earn an in-depth review of its product on the popular lifestyle platform, The Coveteur, which reaches an estimated 620K readers every month.

The earned media that comes from seeding press gifts also adds value to the overall marketing strategy. The journalist reviews, magazine clippings, and television features can all be repurposed into social media and website content that will further enrich marketing efforts -- ultimately leading to increased virality, better SEO results, a spike in traffic, and more sales.

2. Pitching a press release is good, pitching a minisite is even better!

Lifestyle media outlets receive dozens of press releases every day -- they've seen it all. To secure a coveted interview or feature on a top-tier platform, submitting a generic press release just won't cut it.

Lifestyle reporters are looking for stories that their readers will love. While it is their job to create compelling stories, they don't have the time to read through an uninspiring press release that doesn't have a hook. In fact, if they don't see the potential to create a good story from the email's subject line, the message will often be sent straight to the trash. 

The impact that a mention on a well-known media site can have on an emerging lifestyle brand is invaluable. That's why these brands need to utilize captivating multimedia storytelling with a newsworthy headline to secure coverage. 

Creating digital media kits that feature engaging headlines, informative copy, beautiful product images, as well as videos is a must. These interactive minisites make it very easy for journalists to see the value in reporting on a product and have resulted in interview requests, feature stories, and product roundup inclusions for our clients.

Many lifestyle brands who've recognized the benefits of implementing a lifestyle PR strategy -- receiving publicity on well-known media sites -- have used the outlets' mentions of their product as endorsements. This comes in the form of the outlet's logo on the landing page of their website next to the words “As Seen On” or on a dedicated page titled “Press.” This stamp of approval not only helps other marketing efforts, but also gives lifestyle brands -- especially new ones -- an image of credibility and trust.

3. Events are out. Experiences are in.

Journalists, celebrities, and tastemakers have long been known to only leave their offices or homes if they could be certain that a brand's event would be nothing short of spectacular. That said, even pre-covid, we saw a move toward intimate and bespoke multi-day (sometimes even multi-week) long brand experiences. 

What is the rationale behind taking the press and celebrities on these long-length events? 

The belief is that the longer and more out-of-the-box the event is, the higher chance there is of receiving coverage, and the more mentions a brand stands to earn over the course of the trip or experience. In hosting these types of events, as part of an effective lifestyle PR strategy, public relations practitioners find that most journalists feel obliged to give the brand a mention after they've been treated to an experience and have been fully immersed in the brand's world. Now, as cities around the world are opening back up, we've seen leaders in the lifestyle brand space pick up where they left off -- hosting bespoke sit-down dinners for a select group of media to launch their new products and planning fashion shows that are more dramatic than ever before. 

Digital transformation, during the height of the pandemic, has also signaled a divergence away from short, run-of-the-mill digital sessions to long-length, immersive digital experiences. The success of these has proved that lifestyle brands need to up their game by creating one-of-a-kind internet-based experiences, as well.

In September 2020, the online wellness destination Goop held a four-week digital summit. Armed with well-stocked goodie bags (which were delivered to their door), guests were able to tailor their experience to suit their particular interests from the comfort of their own homes. The event's format offered many story creation opportunities, culminating in news features and event reviews from the likes of British Vogue and Glossy. 

For lifestyle brands to make an impact when hosting a successful experience, all hands need to be on deck, working together to create an innovative and interactive day, week, or month that will lead to a high volume of press clippings, social media shares, and revenue.

4. Don’t forget about influencers 

Ever wondered how a non-descript lifestyle brand has suddenly transcended to having a cult-following status overnight? The answer is influencer relations. 

This new category of marketing involves building relationships with influencers to receive unpaid mentions and reviews on their channels. 

Lifestyle brands should realize the value of an influencer's platform as a media outlet of its own. Receiving earned mentions from influencers is no small feat, but with patience, it can be achieved through regular check-ins and by taking a genuine interest in the content creator.

In cases where a marketing strategy already includes paid partnerships with influencers, the clout of these ambassadors can be used to get coverage in respected publications. The sport and wellness brand Oura recently tapped Olympic gold medalist and surfing world champion Carissa Moore to be an ambassador as part of the marketing plan for its Oura Ring. Following this, the company was able to secure a highly coveted interview with Vogue US, where the benefits of Moore's use of the Oura Ring were touted as the secret behind getting a good night's sleep. 

In other instances, a marketing strategy might include a paid-for collaboration with a celebrity, which also allows a PR team to leverage the public figure's newsworthiness to get the attention of the media through a press release. As part of its Black History Month marketing initiative, the food delivery app Postmates teamed up with Grammy award-winning artist The Weeknd to promote black-owned restaurants. To bring a significant amount of attention to the campaign, and with the weight that The Weeknd's name carries, the lifestyle PR strategy was able to support the marketing efforts by pitching a press release that received coverage on top-tier magazines such as Complex, US Weekly, and Billboard -- spreading the word about Postmates to millions of people across the United States and abroad.

A lifestyle PR strategy is non-negotiable 

The relationship between marketing and public relations is symbiotic. The best marketing strategies, especially as it pertains to lifestyle brands, are those that make use of all the different verticals of marketing. Leaving one element out -- in this case, public relations -- will surely affect any brand's overall success. 

Public relations has the ability to complement all marketing strategies and has proven to be a catalyst for business growth and product popularity. And, while lifestyle marketing as a whole is becoming more digital, the inclusion of PR still proves to be a vital marketing component for the most successful lifestyle brands on the market -- which goes to show that lifestyle public relations is far from dead.

While there are many more tips to improve your lifestyle PR strategy, one of the best ways to ensure your campaign is successful is to work with a top rated PR agency. This will not only give you the best shot at landing placements with top-tier publications, but it also opens the door to their vast list of connections ranging from journalists to influencers. If you’re looking for a PR agency to trust with your campaign, contact our team at SlicedBrand.