Why your local story is your greatest asset
We understand the ambition: you want to see your boutique hotel, pub, restaurant or tour operator featured in The Times, or perhaps a glossy title like Condé Nast Traveller. But here's the senior PR secret that saves time, budget, and frustration: The fastest route to national coverage is through a powerful local story.
Many small marketing teams chase grand, national narratives, only to be drowned out by massive competitors. At FAR Communications, our most successful placements - the ones that secure year-round profit and consistent direct bookings - start right on your doorstep. Your local narrative is not a weakness; it is your essential, unique hook.
The strategic value of "hyper-local"
Why should a senior editor in a national office care about a partnership you have with a local farm, or a unique community initiative? Because local stories offer three things the national press can't easily generate: authenticity, depth, and exclusivity. Here’s where to focus your travel PR and hospitality marketing strategy:
1. The authenticity hook
National travel is becoming increasingly saturated. What cuts through the media noise is a truly authentic experience. Editors are fatigued by generic "luxury stays." They want to know your purpose.
Your advantage: The true essence of your brand - your ethos, your commitment to sustainability, your unique staff culture - is easiest to demonstrate through hyper-local collaborations. Showcasing your partnership with a small food producer or sustainable local stylist is far more compelling than a general statement about "green initiatives." This can be the detailed local flavour that makes a feature feel rich and credible. Include soft touch points throughout your customer journey - in person and online - to bring guests along this journey with you.
2. Depth and detail
Tier-one journalists are looking for intelligent, impactful PR campaigns that offer a narrative they can’t find anywhere else. A broad, national story is often shallow. A deep local story can be a ready-made feature.
Your advantage: When you focus your pitch on a specific local event, a historic detail, or a unique regional experience, you give the journalist an abundance of detail. This depth makes the story easier to write and instantly more valuable to the publication. A story about a hotel's history and its role in a specific community can be a full feature; a pitch about general good service is just a press release. If you’re promoting a specific event at your hotel, pub or restaurant, ensure you have a handful of dates available for potential readers to visit.
3. Proving your authority
Our PR and marketing strategy is designed to establish the reputation you deserve with - this will be made easier if you've already gained the trust from your local community.
The path to tier-one: Local press and community influence build the foundation of your authority. Once you are successfully landing coverage in strong regional titles and are visible in your local market, you might find the national press set their eyes on you. They see your local success as proof that your story has integrity and genuine public interest - and may choose to showcase it on a greater scale.
Action plan: Converting local detail to national coverage
Small marketing teams can immediately shift their strategy to maximise local impact:
Pitch partnerships not products: Highlight your most exclusive local collaborations - the ones you rely on to get people through the door in the typically low seasons. This demonstrates strategic business acumen, which is attractive to business-savvy travel editors.
Focus on "Why here, why now": Connect your location and its story to a current national trend (e.g., "The rise of the conscious traveller is fuelling demand for our farm-to-table partnerships in Gloucestershire").
Build your local authority: Consistently communicate your core ethos through local media and social channels. Your national reputation is simply the cumulative result of your local one.
Ready to stop wasting time on generic pitches that get ignored?
The most successful independent boutique travel and hospitality brands know that expertise is the key to consistent direct bookings. We provide the senior PR and digital marketing strategy that transforms your local authenticity into a national feature.
Let’s map out your high-impact local PR strategy. Get in touch to find out more.
