It’s the first week back after an extended period of bank holidays and Easter celebrations, and the news is once again in full-swing. With each passing second comes the opportunity to grab the press’ attention by using topics that are already being talked about in the news and gain coverage for your campaigns. As always, we at Shout Bravo are here to help you discern which stories can be spun to create new potential brand awareness for your clients. We’ll be breaking down the top news stories from this week and demonstrating how we’ve utilised them for our very own clients.
Travel…
This week, there is plenty of content in the travel sector. With May and the official start of summer being just a few weeks away, many publications are starting to look ahead to the holiday season and thinking about the best ways to keep healthy, hydrated and avoid illnesses whilst out on our travels.
Ailments such as food poisoning, insect-bite reactions, and dehydration are all common experiences for those looking to travel overseas during the summer months. We were able to provide commentary from our healthcare client and provide expert insight into how travellers can avoid giving themselves stomach upsets whilst on the move.
Culture…
We are currently still in the holy month of Ramadan, and as the month draws slowly to a close, Muslims across the world are preparing for Eid al-Fitr – the Festival of Sweets that marks the end of the month of fasting.
Food, and sweets in particular, are a huge part of these celebrations, and are unsurprisingly the focus of many pieces covering Ramadan in the press.
The UK has a large Muslim population – making up 6.5% of the general population – so naturally, this month is a big source of content within the British press. We were able to secure a fantastic review for our luxury confectionery client that specialises in high-quality flavoured dates that are the perfect choice for an Eid al-Fitr celebration.
Personal finance…
Unfortunately, many across both the UK and US are experiencing a prolonged period of financial hardship due to inflation. As a result, money-saving tips are constantly being covered in the press, as consumers have to be more selective over how and where they part with their money.
We were able to secure some amazing coverage for our US-based personal finance client, detailing which products American consumers can purchase from the value chain store Dollar Tree that look more expensive than they are.
Health…
Last but not least, in health news this week was the revelation that the UK government will be providing a free vaping starter kit to one million smokers across the country in a move to reduce the number of people smoking cigarettes.
In particular, pregnant women will be the core focus of the project, and will be offered up to £400 to swap out their typical tobacco products for a vaping alternative.
Smoking remains a large point of contention, with health experts continuing to warn of the health implications stemming from smoking cigarettes. The latest move is likely to see an increase in the coverage of vaping products, as they become more attainable to a larger volume of people.
To conclude…
With that, we’ve completed another weekly round-up. We hope you have found this breakdown of the news insightful, and have taken some inspiration from our own examples of using the news to boost our clients’ campaigns. Whilst not every piece of news will be relevant to your clients, it’s essential for PR agencies to remain aware of what is trending in the press, and constantly search for new opportunities to utilise the news to gain coverage for your clients.
We’ll be back again next week for another round up of the key news sectors, providing even more examples of how we at Shout Bravo have used prominent topics in the press to gain brand awareness and coverage for our own clients.