Hospitality PR Hilary McNevin works exclusively with hospitality businesses to promote them. She nurtures her relationships with influencers, writers, bloggers and photographers to help spread the word to consumers.
Hilary McNevin has held many roles in the hospitality industry. From waitress to venue owner to food writer, she’s now found her calling in public relations. Her experience in and with the media has shaped how she promotes hospitality venues through her business, Turnip Media.
PR is all about establishing and nurturing great relationships, says McNevin. “I have great connections with chefs and the industry, and with the media, because I was one of them. Having that insight into the media is pivotal to how we work.”
With consumers online now more than ever, the rise of social media has changed the way McNevin approaches publicity for restaurants and food businesses. “We have traditional print media and digital media. We also have access to influencers who are credible and effective. This has given us more scope to spread the word about our clients. If an influencer is intelligent, fun, passionate and insightful, I’ll invite them to a venue.”
Tailoring pitches based on interests
One of McNevin’s core strengths is deciding which stories will resonate most with writers, bloggers and influencers. She tailors pitches to each journalist or influencer’s audience and interests.
“There are times when a new restaurant will launch and I know if the chef is accomplished, or the venue is an interesting concept or in an up-and-coming area, that it’s going to be something that we blast across the media landscape. For other things, like a small event, I’ll go directly to a publication like Broadsheet or a journalist that I know has a special interest in what they’re offering.”
McNevin is particularly passionate about working with smaller businesses and is genuinely committed to helping her clients thrive. She’s acutely aware of how much rides on investing in a hospitality business after experiencing the collapse of her own restaurant. “I know what it’s like to have everything taken away from you due to a restaurant failing, and that informs every interaction I have.”
To measure the outcomes of their campaigns, Turnip Media uses software that monitors engagement. It looks at Google Analytics and views on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. “But the true measure of our success is whether people are coming into the restaurant and spending money,” says McNevin.
Restaurant owners do sometimes underestimate the importance of PR in today’s media landscape. Having a considered PR strategy from the beginning of the launch of a hospitality business is critical to the success of the media campaign, says McNevin. On a few occasions, McNevin has had clients engage her a bit too late in their business journey.
Nurturing connections along the way
The cost of living is impacting the hospitality industry right now. McNevin knows that customers are looking for safety when spending. “Operators are doing special deals, set menus and happy hours, without sacrificing the quality of their food, which is the important thing.” Her advice for operators is that customers love knowing they can have one glass of wine and a steak for a set price.
Turnip Media can create all the social media assets and press releases a hospitality venture requires. This service extends to hiring a professional photographer and providing them with a detailed brief. “It’s important to break the shoots into sections of food, kitchen, people, room and location,” she says.
McNevin’s career in PR evolved naturally, she says. “I realised, the more I worked in the role, that without the relationships, it would be very empty and an awful lot of hard work. I say to anyone, anywhere, in any stage of their career, when you make a relationship or a friendship or even just a connection, nurture it in some way.”
Top tips from Hilary McNevin:
● If you don’t have the budget for a marketing team, ask your friends for ideas and think about how you can tell your story more.
● If you hire a PR agency or representative, follow their advice.
● If something’s not working, change your strategy.
