Fall is basically travel marketing’s favorite child. The weather cools down, the leaves show off and suddenly everyone wants to spend a weekend drinking cider somewhere with a mountain view.

For destinations, that means opportunity. It also means competition.

Every location with a maple tree, pumpkin patch or vaguely charming downtown is trying to land a spot in fall travel coverage. A seasonal public relations approach can help your destination stand out by finding the stories journalists want to write and travelers want to read.

Find a Better Story Than “Look at Our Leaves”

We love fall color. Journalists love fall color. Travelers definitely love fall color.

Tripadvisor found that 85% of fall travelers plan to take a trip for a specific seasonal reason, with harvests and food festivals among the draws. That gives destinations plenty of opportunities to find a story that goes beyond “our trees are orange now.”

A PR team digs deeper to find what makes your destination worth the trip. Maybe there’s a quirky harvest tradition, an incredible food festival or a scenic drive where the stops are just as interesting as the scenery. Maybe cooler temperatures make hiking, biking or exploring downtown much more pleasant than doing it in July while slowly melting.

PR professionals can turn those details into specific story angles and connect them with larger travel trends like shoulder-season savings, culinary tourism and outdoor adventures.

The goal is to give a journalist a story, not a brochure.

Make the Most of Fall While It’s Happening

Fall moves fast. One minute you’re waiting for the leaves to change and the next you’re wondering how Thanksgiving got here already.

The good news is that plenty of PR opportunities happen during the season itself. A PR team can look for timely hooks tied to changing foliage, upcoming festivals, weekend getaways, local food and outdoor adventures. They can also respond quickly when journalists are looking for destinations, experts or last-minute ideas for seasonal stories.

And when one opportunity passes, there’s usually another around the corner. Fall weekends, Halloween events, Thanksgiving travel and early holiday getaways all offer reasons to keep your destination in the conversation.

The key is knowing what’s newsworthy right now and getting it in front of the right people. PR helps.

Build Relationships That Last Longer Than Fall

Good PR is not about firing off 200 identical emails with “FALL STORY IDEA!!!” in the subject line and hoping somebody bites.

It’s about relationships.

A PR team identifies travel writers, editors and creators whose audiences are a good match for your destination. Then they build connections by providing useful ideas, answering questions quickly and becoming a reliable resource.

Those relationships can lead to fall features, press trips and future stories throughout the year. The writer who visits for your October festival could come back for spring hiking or summer family travel.

Adventure PR helps destinations find the stories that make journalists pay attention and travelers start checking their calendars. Call us at (865) 977-1973 or contact us online today.