In the age of self-promotion and hype generation, when resources like Canva, Wix and AI are readily available and everyone has direct access to media channels via social platforms, it’s easy enough for a chef or restauranteur to believe that they can do it all. The idea of saving money by bypassing professional services such as marketing, design, writing or public relations can be tempting for a hands-on business owner.
It sounds easy enough, right? Take a few good pictures of dishes and post them to social accounts. Reach out to a couple of media outlets or journalists you like. Keep up with comments. Read and respond to online reviews. Set up an alert for news mentions. Come up with ideas for interesting hooks and events, plan and organize them, invite the right people and convince them to come. Then also create a menu, shop for it, cook the food, schmooze and follow up …
Suddenly, the list is an avalanche, and the next thing you know, you’re in over your head and business is stagnant. Exhausted, your growth mindset is stuck in a daily grind that’s sucking time and energy away from what you’re truly passionate about—feeding people fantastic food.
One simple investment can be your “smarter not harder” solution, one that all the most successful restaurant groups and celebrity chefs have – a publicist.
The Power of Earned Media
Have you ever wondered why some chefs are featured on TV segments so regularly, or why some restaurants are always top-of-mind for roundups and awards? Those who hire publicists don’t have to wonder – they already know.
“Earned media isn’t just a win. It’s a window,” says Caren West, president Caren West PR, LLC. “In a media landscape where so much is pay-to-play, a genuine earned placement, especially on a respected outlet, cuts through the noise and should help generate interest and excitement,” she explains.
Feature articles, placement in a reference story, a highlight in a roundup, a cooking segment on TV—all of this coverage, West points out, “creates visibility, sure, but also builds credibility, drives search results, reinforces messaging and encourages meaningful connection.”
As Debbie Rosen, president of The Rosen Group Atlanta explains, “The more a chef appeals to [readers and viewers], offering a lens into their background and restaurant, the more likely they will want to dine at their establishments.”
Additionally, name recognition creates top-of-mind consciousness and helps to elevate a chef or restaurant’s brand or status. The more an entity is mentioned, especially in different ways and by trusted media outlets, the more easily consumers will recall it. For that, you need to do exactly what the name implies: you have to earn it.
Having a PR representative on set can help chefs prepare for interviews so they come across as more personable and engaging.Getting Media Behind You
“There are a number of ways to become noticed by local media,” says Rosen. “From being great at what you do and doing it in a way few other people are, to creating unique offerings and to hosting interesting events that might even benefit a non-profit that the owner has a particular passion for.”
A publicist’s job is to pitch ideas that align with their client’s goals and identify who might be most receptive to them. Because as Taryn Scher, TK PR’s Sparkle Boss says, you don’t want to wait to get noticed – you want to get on the zeitgeist radar, and a publicist’s advocacy ensures that you do.
“We’ve built trusted relationships. We know what producers and journalists are looking for, and we’re not just there to help our clients make noise,” says West, speaking from experience as her agency approaches 20 years in the business. Her goal is to help cut through the noise of others and “create resonance in meaningful ways by shaping ideas with intention and purpose to tell your story.” To her, this means “It’s not about shouting the loudest. It’s about connecting the dots in a way that’s clear, timely and has impact.”
That’s why Michael Erickson, Communications Director at Melissa Libby & Associates, considers it “vital to build tangible relationships with media decision-makers,” and makes an effort to “get to know them and build a rapport that goes beyond business.” That makes them more receptive to hearing about your brand’s story.
Erickson shares, “I make it a point to learn about their food allergies, families, pets, backgrounds, et cetera, so when I do reach out to them on an ask on my client’s behalf, it’s more like a conversation between friends, people I genuinely like and are some of the hardest-working people I know.”
Additionally, through these relationships, publicists are able to get unique insight on what the next hot topics or trends will be, which can inform their ideas for generating publicity for your business. Familiarity with how the other side works takes the guesswork out of what West calls “the nuance of timing and editorial hooks,” and expert pitching helps media understand “why your story matters right now and why it’s interesting to a particular audience,” she says.
Preparing for the Best
Everybody embarks on their professional journey hoping for the best, but when they don’t know what to do with success, failure can come in hot on its heels. Publicists are there to make sure their clients’ wings aren’t singed as they make their ways closer to the sun.
For instance, at Melissa Libbey & Associates, Erickson tells us, they keep a media consultant on staff to work with their clients and producers and hosts before television appearances, “to make sure the segment is not only visually appealing, but clear and concise.” He raves, “She provides invaluable guidance and preparation, ensuring the finished segment is as polished as possible and more desirable for sharing and consumption on socials, email blasts and blogs.”
This media coaching is critically important for several reasons. For Rosen, it includes preparing talking points for interviews, helping her clients come across as personable and engaging, creating checklists and prepping chefs for cooking demonstrations. West adds, “It ensures the storytelling is on point.”
Another task publicists often take on is making sure your earned media earns you good ROI. Scher makes sure that all information relevant to your feature is “easy to find on your website and social media pages,” and ensures that clips make it onto your social media platforms with the right tags.
West adds that publicists also gather high-res photos, b-roll and sound bites to help keep momentum going after your feature in print, online or television.
“A segment might air once, but it doesn’t end there and often lives online,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to build buzz across multiple channels. We create teaser content for social and newsletters to help drive viewership, alert any partners and the community to the story, and create a call to action that will resonate after the segment when we can.” Other value-added content publicists can help create are things like giveaways, instructions on how to make a dish at home, info on where to find a chef at a food festival and more.
“Then comes the part people often forget: repackaging. We share on social, incorporate into our storytelling and use it as a tool. We work it into chef bios and drop it into pitches to regional and national outlets. We repost, reframe and remind people, because the shelf life of good content is only as long as your follow-through.”
Once you and your restaurant reach that top-of-mind status, staying there is as easy as trusting your publicist to keep you there.
Su-Jit Lin has deep roots in the food industry, having grown up working in her family’s restaurant kitchen, serving in casual and fine dining service, and now, writing about it from her home in Atlanta. Her work has appeared in Eater, Serious Eats, Epicurious, EatingWell, The Spruce Eats, Kitchn, Southern Living, Reader’s Digest, and more, despite the best and most distracting efforts of her dog, Sable Sugarpig.
