Why Appealing to the Taste Makers is So Important
Taste makers are conduits to loyal customers with money. A restaurant or a brand may be able to sell a few cases of product or get a few people through the door depending on the target niche, but in order to get people buzzing about the place or the brand, it has to be signed off through an expert.
These experts have spent years not only cultivating their culinary palettes, but also their relationships within the industry. The right taste maker can get a restaurant or a brand a good deal of press that otherwise is impossible to obtain. Top food and beverage niche outlets as well as general medial outlets have their taste makers there for a reason - to keep them from having to actually try each and every new product or restaurant. Taste makers are huge time savers.
Taste makers also have the discerning taste that may help you to create a niche in your marketplace. While your product may be quite good, it may simply be too close to what is already out there. If so, you will hear about it from a good taste tester.
Leveraging Influencers in the Food PR Industry
People who give their opinions for a living will usually have one about everything, not just your food. This means that your initial contact with them should be professional and unique. The food industry is a small one, and if you send the same intro message to everyone, people will talk. You will not get a fair shake and you might not even know why you have lost the business.
Your initial correspondence should be short and informational. Your design should reflect the type of cuisine that you serve and the audience that you are serving. Do not over hype a family restaurant burger as the next French beef cuisine - taste testers know how to tell the difference in styles based on purpose.
Leveraging Influencers in the Beverage PR Industry
The beverage industry is very precision oriented, as most beverages are aimed at a niche audience. Make sure that you communicate very specifically who this audience is.
If you have multiple flavors in your line, send a sample of them all to your taste tester. However, let them know the product that will be your franchise piece so that the tester will know how you plan to market the line. He or she will be able to give you a much more nuanced critique.
The Final Word
Whether or not you like it, if you are in the industry of food and beverages, you need the opinion class to listen to you and fairly assess your products. Be sure that you are always polite and straightforward with the experts. Bring a great product to the table and do not be afraid to show it off. Be respectful when doing so, however, and you are sure to get the right people on your side.
Your correspondence should always be professional and unique to the people to whom you are marketing. Do not send pieces to everyone - target the taste testers like you will target your market. Remember that your taste tester has an audience to serve as well - help them do their job.
