to write about B&Bs being a ‘Guys’ Thing’ or ‘Mancations’ than if you pitched it as a ’beer-brewing class’. It's all in how you present it.
The next step would be to figure out which media to contact. It’s important to target your pitches to the right journalist or editor. You want to send your ‘Beer-Brewing Mancations’ pitch to the travel editor, and not the politics or technology editor. To find media, there are a number of free resources you can use. Google Alerts is a great way to find media by tracking articles they write about your topic. Create alerts with terms such as “getaways for men” or “culinary escapes”, notate the name of the writer, then do a Google search under their name to find their contact information. Social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ are great resources for finding journalists as well. Once you have your list, draft your pitch (including your full contact information), send it out, and then follow up with them in a couple of weeks.
At INNS Magazine we're looking for inns that provide a unique experience and most importantly can convey that experience with high quality pictures. Having high quality, high resolution photos is a must to be chosen by INNS Magazine or any media outlet. So get creative with your packages, make sure you have fabulous photos and good luck.
Staying at a B&B seems quaint and appealing. Since it's someone's home, how does it work so that
we don't intrude on the family that lives there? How do they set it up so we are not in their way and it's not awkward for us as the guest? Do some inns have children living at the inn?
Tammi, Nestleton Station, ON
Many people think innkeepers are older couples. They would be
surprised how
many families run inns, and also how young some innkeepers are (we can name several in their twenties). In fact, we also know many innkeepers who, as children, grew up in an inn and took over the family inn, or later opened their own. As we say many times in this column, each inn is unique in how they handle the innkeepers' and the guests' privacy. However, you should expect this to be planned for.
If there are older children at the inn, they often have jobs around the inn. Younger children learn at an early age how they are expected to act around guests, and some stay in the innkeepers' quarters. A lot will depend on the inn's atmosphere. For instance, some inns are not child-friendly; and, especially for romantic getaways, if there are children living at the inn you will be less likely to see them. At other inns, the children are just as much a part of the welcoming committee as the innkeepers. If your goal is a weekend getaway without your kids, you might not want to see other people's children. So read the inn's website and reviews carefully and don't be shy about asking about the environment. Most importantly, enjoy your getaway!
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