Media success for Jersey NZ and HGB with a well-targeted press release
By Jacqui Gage-Brown, Jun 20 2018
A public relations component in Jersey NZ’s latest advertising campaign found great success. The topical, targeted and well-timed press release was received by New Zealand’s major dairy media outlets.
The background
Jersey NZ is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to making the Jersey cow New Zealand’s number one breed. The benefits of the dairy breed have been promoted for decades, and recently put an emphasis on the less-laborious, once-a-day milking programme as being perfectly suited to Jersey cows.
The challenge
With its goal of making Jerseys New Zealand’s number one breed, and a solid membership base spanning the length of the country, there are a lot of positive stories to tell from the pedigree Jersey community. However, these stories need to be more than just positive – they must be newsworthy.
The organisation’s target audience is dairy farmers and lovers of the breed throughout New Zealand, with most breeders over 30-years-old. The rural demographic is still heavily influenced by traditional media channels – newspapers, industry magazines, TV and radio.
By focusing on a targeted and relevant public relations (PR) piece, the team at HGB was able to secure editorial spots for Jersey NZ’s article promoting once-a-day milking.
The process
Jersey NZ provided the HGB team with a full-length article that had been included in the association’s biannual magazine, Jersey Focus. While appropriate for a Jersey NZ-owned publication, the length and structure of the article would not fit into a third-party print publication – which was the goal.
To achieve this, HGB edited the article to a short, concise, print-ready press release suitable for publication in dairy-focused newspapers and magazines.
Jersey NZ had booked an advert in NZ Dairy Farmer and wanted the editorial piece to run alongside it. While editors are more likely to run feature pieces if supported by advertising, there is no guarantee when it comes time to print. So, to increase the likelihood of the editorial piece appearing in print, HGB went directly to editor Sonita Chandar.
HGB also called on editors at other dairy publications and relevant community papers to ensure widespread dissemination of Jersey NZ’s PR piece.
The results
Both Jersey NZ and HGB were thrilled with the results of this simple, yet effective, PR exercise.
Our relevant and publication-focused press release not only secured a spot in NZDairyFarmer but the topical nature of the piece inspired a full feature on the subject of Once-A-Day Milking in the May edition.
Furthermore, the piece was also run in Dairy News, Waitomo News and the Te Awamutu Courier, reaching a physical circulation of more than 130,000, not to mention online traffic.
“We were delighted with the result of having HGB work with what was originally an internal article,” says Goodin.
“Not only did the revamp see the article gain traction in both print and electronic media, but a further revamp saw it used again as a testimonial in our newly updated breed booklet.
As a non-profit organisation we often struggle to get editorial content into the dairy magazines, but with the assistance of HGB this article has been a real success story for us. More importantly it showcased success for the Jersey breed.”
When you’re considering another organic touchpoint for your audience, a well-timed and relevant press release could be just the thing. Get in touch and let’s talk PR.