Third-Party Endorsements
Third-party endorsements can be one of the most valuable tools to earning new customers. Think about it, if you were looking for a recommendation for a new vitamin, you would probably look to your doctor. If a customer is looking for recommendations on where to eat in your city, is there a better source than the editor of Food & Wine or Bobby Flay himself?
It’s actually quite easy for anyone to be in Travel + Leisure or Bon Appetit, if you have a big enough budget for the ad space, but which speaks more to your audience, a full-page advertisement or a writer’s claim that ‘your fried chicken is the best in town’?
In PR, we know the value of a third-party endorsement and we do the legwork to find trusted media persons or influencers and connect them to your product or brand.
Third-party endorsements are authentic
Ads are written by the business being promoted (or a firm hired by that business), so of course, it’s going to have the best things to say about that company’s products or services. Writers and influencers, on the other hand, have a duty to their audiences to share their honest thoughts, so a compliment or rave review is seen as far more authentic.
Third-party endorsers are ‘in the know’
Maybe your restaurant has a secret menu item, you want to keep not-so-secret or a house made hot sauce that really gives your Bloody Marys some zing. Writers and influencers not only know how to get the most out of experiences they share, but can provide insider knowledge of what to order.
Endorsements provide great content
Endorsements are the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does earning attention from a writer or influencer do wonders for a brand with an article’s initial reach, it also provides great social media content and website content for building credibility and reaching current and prospective customers.
Endorsements can earn multiple placements
If you buy ad space in Food & Wine magazine, it won’t magically appear on the pages of Bon Appetit. Writers, however, often work for multiple publications which means that earning the endorsement of one can result in multiple placements in various media outlets.
