Promoting The B & B Industry

Our goal is to generate great publicity for BedandBreakfast.com members specifically, and for the B&B industry as a whole. In this issue we cover:

What Happens If I Answer a Publicity Lead?

What Happens If I Answer a BedandBreakfast.com Publicity Lead?

Every other month, BedandBreakfast.com emails its members Publicity Leads, requesting information on specific themes for upcoming press releases.  Some innkeepers don’t understand how the information will be used.  Some think they are responding to an advertisement; others believe that a response guarantees placement in a magazine article.  If you are not sure whether you are receiving the Publicity Lead emails, log in to your Home Base  with your password & property ID, then click “Innkeeper’s Inbox” to see all recent emails sent to you by BedandBreakfast.com.

BedandBreakfast.com uses the Publicity Lead responses to create press releases. These are sent to TV outlets, websites, newspapers, and magazines throughout the world. Because we are looking for editorial coverage (not paid advertising), we have no control over which publications (if any) choose to pick up the stories and run them.  Nevertheless, BedandBreakfast.com stories have appeared in such magazines as Redbook, Travel & Leisure, Budget Travel, Smart Money, For You, and many more.  They’ve also appeared on popular websites including MSNBC, Frommers.com, About.com, Yahoo!, and newspapers including USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, and many others.  The better the deals in the release, or the more compelling the story, the better the media pickup.  There are, however, no assurances that the media will run a BedandBreakfast.com story, just because they’ve been sent a press release.

We are delighted to receive hundreds of responses to our publicity leads. Space limitations don’t allow us to include everyone, so those who’ve answered completely and on topic have the best chance of inclusion. 

Here’s what you need to do to increase your chances of getting media attention:

• Answer the question. If we request information on fall packages, please send complete details -- what’s included, the rates, and dates.
• Connect the dots: A description of your town’s Pumpkin Festival is great, but tell us how it ties into a package at your B&B. For example, the Pumpkin Festival Package includes weekend accommodations, award-winning pumpkin muffins at breakfast, tickets to the pumpkin festival, and a pumpkin of your own to decorate, with prizes for the best carving job. After all, our primary job to publicize B&Bs.
• Include the key information in the body of the email, not as an attachment. Please do not send us to your website for package details. With hundreds of responses, we rely on you to provide the requested descriptions.
• Respond with a complete signature. Your name, your B&B’s name, the address, phone, website and email address are crucial.  We can’t include you if we don’t know who you are.
• Proofread!  All too often, we receive responses filled with typos or unintelligible sentences.  Please be sure to re-read your response for clarity and accuracy before sending it. (Jsut like tihs!).
• Respond promptly!  Answer immediately; don’t let our email get drowned in the daily deluge. While your response doesn’t guarantee inclusion in a story, not responding will insure that you won’t be included.   We look forward to hearing from you!

Publicity Leads Posted on Message Boards: You can also get the inside track on individual writers doing B&B-related articles. Access these publicity leads by clicking through from your home base, or read them on our Message Boards.

Publicity produces results:

We couldn’t resist sharing this message from Ellen of Pinhook Plantation House B&B, Calhoun TN: “Last night I went to a meeting of the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association.  Linda Caldwell, the Director, mentioned seeing the BedandBreakfast.com article including our "ghosts" in a Miami newspaper.  ‘The Little Rock paper carried the article too,’ chimed in another member.  I knew about the Little Rock coverage, because the paper contacted me for pictures to go along with the story and sent me copies of the article. Press releases are a great way to get extra media attention and I told the group that BedandBreakfast.com was the reason that Pinhook Plantation House got this exposure.   We opened our B&B in September 2003, and being small (three suites), we don't have the advertising budget that larger properties do. Thank you for the advertising and PR opportunities you provide.”

Recent BedandBreakfast.com Media Coverage

BedandBreakfast.com stories reached over 12 million readers/viewers in November and December.  If this coverage had been purchased as advertising, the value would exceed $16,500. Here are some recent articles:

BedandBreakfast.com Best Undiscovered Inns for Romance  was picked up by many television websites; visit News Net 5 in Akron Ohio or  WESH  in Central Florida to view samples.  The marketing savvy innkeepers at The Artist’s Inn in Terre Hill, PA took their inclusion on the list one step further by sending a press release announcing their place on the list via Emediawire.com.

This Month's Sponsor

Online Trade Show

Click to visit our newest vendor members:

• Bath Plus Inc
• Clawfoot Supply
• Earthly Delight Soap
• Big Kahuna Hawaiian Coffee
• Northwest B&B Inn Consulting
• B&B Team Realtors
• Innkeeping Specialists
• New England Inn Brokers
• Association Management Services
• DVTour.com

More vendor info...

Gift Certificates

BedandBreakfast.com Gift Certificates have changed to an electronic format. Funds for redeemed certificates will be transferred directly into your bank account within four business days! No more certificates to mail! Don't miss out! To join the 3500 participating inns, just log in to your home base with your property ID and password, or click here for more information.

Traffic statistics

Log in with your property ID and password for details on the number of page impressions and click-throughs your B&B has received as a result of all BedandBreakfast.com online marketing, including property listings, Featured Property, and Inn of the Month advertising. More information

Member Information

To update your entry, post specials, and renew your membership, please log in with your property ID and password. Can't remember your password? Click here, then enter your property ID and we'll email it to you. Don't like your password? Once you're logged in to Home Base, just click "Membership," select "change password" (#7 in dropdown menu), and choose another that's easier to remember. More information

Inns for Sale

"We advertised our B&B in your Inns for Sale section in January, and started getting inquires a week later. In February, a couple came from Florida to visit us in Cat Spring, Texas. We made a deal, and they begin officially on April the 5th as the new owners. What you are doing really works." Sunny and John Snyder. Email us today and we'll put you on our special offer mailing list. Read more

Online Bookings

Taking real-time, online reservations is the most effective way to transform your Internet presence from an informational resource into a 24/7 sales engine.  Read more

Innkeepers Information Center

Need more info? You’ll find lots of educational articles on our site for your convenience.

•  Resource Library
•  Member Checklist