The Challenge
Although the electric sit scooter is the first of its kind in Queensland, the scooter market has been inundated with information, mainly negative, about a privately run company which allows residents and visitors to the Gold Coast to rent scooters at various points around the coast. We needed to overcome preconceived ideas people had about electric scooter, and justify the higher price tag associated with owning this mode of transport.
The Tailored Solution
Local Tugun bike shop, Storm Cycles launched the first-of-its kind electric “sit” scooter, which makes cruising the streets a whole lot easier for Gold Coast locals. The scooter is the first of its kind available to Queenslanders. When the eco-friendly scooters were available for sale, we wrote a media release to distribute to local publications, television and radio stations, and local digital media.
By highlighting the practical nature of the scooter, including its light weight, ease of use and transporting it, along with the lifestyle video, we created a fun, ‘must-have’ product readers would want to find out more about.
How We Made It Happen
The media release was sent in the morning via an email, accompanied by supporting graphics. Within hours, Channel 9 news had responded positively and were at the store to capture the scooter in action! You can watch the full news story here.
This release also scored the Storm Cycles electric scooter publicity in local publications such as The Daily News and the Gold Coast SUN.
So, why is PR important?
Never underestimate the power of great PR. A great product or event will always need to provide the public with the basic facts and information. We go one step further and create a story and ‘feeling’ around you and your company, to encourage readers and the media to engage fully with you.
- People will care – if they are told about it. People aren’t going to know about a product, service or event, if they aren’t told or shown the new information.
- Brand awareness. Being present in the media with your brand/service/product will help to strengthen your marketplace presence and stimulate word-of-mouth marketing and reach.
- This will increase credibility which will lead to the opportunities that come with exploring brand ambassadors… the pattern is clear!
Some tips to consider when constructing a media release:
- Provide visuals with your media release, this will help paint the picture of what you are communicating
- Be sure your release is written properly and is grammatically sound. This will ensure confidence in the product and your services
- Know what you are talking about
- Believe in yourself, your product, service, or business. How do you expect other people to believe in it if you don’t?
- Don’t be too sensitive. Not everyone will see value in your story. We send our releases to a variety of people we feel may be interested and majority of people won’t reply. This is normal and the nature of media. It is fast paced, fickle, but someone, somewhere may be interested. In this case, people were!
You have nothing to lose. Only publicity to gain.