Best Case relations presse : Bien Ficelé

After a successful press launch, Bien Ficelé saw its media presence plummet. How can press relations maintain a restaurant's reputation after it has opened? How do you re-engage the media who had already covered your establishment a few months later, and interest the press who hadn't covered the opening? That's the mission Arthur and Dimitri gave us to support Bien Ficelé, their second address after Bien élevé.

The openings of these two establishments were a resounding success on the Parisian media scene, attracting large numbers of people to sample the dishes on offer. However, given that the average lifespan of a restaurant in France is two yearshow do you maintain a restaurant's reputation so that it doesn't fade into oblivion? After a year's existence, how do you continue to attract the curious who haven't yet had the chance to discover Bien Ficelé, and how do you build customer loyalty over the long term?To keep Bien Ficelé visible, the two restaurateurs chose Malou. They showed us their current project: a plant installation on their south-facing terrace. At this time of year, it's a great time to be talking about a new exterior. Parisians are looking for open-air havens where they can enjoy a delicious meal or a drink with friends. These places of relaxation are all the more appreciated when they offer an ounce of greenery to the urban space.

For several months, Malou took up the challenge of managing Bien Ficelé's press relations. The mission was to promote this green terrace to attract new potential customers. How did Malou manage, with the help of journalists, to maintain the reputation of Bien Ficelé, almost a year after its opening, and make the restaurant's terrace a popular spot with Parisians? Here are the answers.

I) Creating an effective press release: highlighting the restaurant's promises

Our first task was to identify the restaurant's original values and promises, so that they were in line with Bien Ficelé's new project. Our first task was to adapt the restaurant's storytelling to the new plant terrace.

Before contacting journalists to present Bien Ficelé's exciting project, we had to think about what new features might interest them. In thecase of Bien Ficelé, we therefore asked ourselves a number of questions: How does the greening of the terrace add value to the customer experience? What are the promises made to customers through the installation of this green space? What memories does such a vegetated environment conjure up in the collective imagination? We then built the storytelling for the new terrace and transcribed it intoa document that is indispensable to any press attaché: a press release. Intended for media professionals, this document presents the promises of the new terrace, which must be consistent with the restaurant's values. Three key Bien Ficelé values guided our writing: conviviality, sharing and product quality.

• Promise 1: A new sunny terrace for conviviality

Conviviality is at the heart of Bien Ficelé's DNA. We asked ourselves what added value the installation of the new planted terrace would bring to the customer experience. Parisians are accustomed to living in an urban, concrete environment that is sometimes even unhealthy. When the heat is on, more and more of them seek out these little open-air corners. The proven benefits of these spaces are unquestionable: they create a feeling of well-being and serenity that is conducive to group dining. To achieve this, the terrace's south-facing aspect and large surface area were key arguments.

• Promise 2: Meals in the open air, just like on vacation

The sharing and generosity of the dishes were key elements in the development of the beautiful green terrace. With 28 seats in the sun, it can accommodate large tables reminiscent of meals enjoyed with family or friends in the countryside. Guests can enjoy fine cuts of meat to share (up to 6 people), and desserts to fill the whole table. With the arrival of fine weather, the "just like at home" spirit induced by sharing dishes is transformed into a "just like on vacation" atmosphere. All of which is enhanced by the greenery and sunshine framing the terrace. The weekend brunch experience extends this imagination. So we decided to enhance it too.

• Promise 3: A commitment to the environment

At a time when the French are increasingly concerned about ecology and global warming, food production and consumption are coming under greater scrutiny. Yet at Bien Ficelé, product selection is exacting: all meats are sourced from artisans or small regional producers. Likewise, the menu is not set in stone: recipes evolve with the seasons, and fruit and vegetables are purchased from a local farm. Sustainability is at the heart of the restaurant's concerns, and is enhanced by the restaurant's outdoor vegetation. Inscribed in the very DNA of the restaurant, we have recalled these values to emphasize that the experience at Bien Ficelé is different from one month to the next.

II) Respecting the restaurant's identity: consistent graphics to reinforce the press release

For a press release, and ultimately your press relations, to be successful, it's essential that the visual is designed to be consistent with the restaurant's identity. The restaurant's sobriety and elegance were key to enhancing the terrace. So we opted for :

• A classic font,
• Square inserts that reflect the calm and soothing spirit of the restaurant's exterior,
• Light colors and a white background echo the luminosity and sobriety of Bien Ficelé, as well as that of its terrace,
• High-quality photos highlighting the terrace's vegetation and exposure.

This press release, with its well thought-out form and content, enabled us to make contact with journalists and get enthusiastic feedback.

III) Press relations: talking to journalists in a personalized way to create maximum value and achieve better response rates

• Writing powerful e-mail subject lines

Throughout our mission, we relied on the press release to invite journalists to discover Bien Ficelé's new terrace and open-air brunch experience. This document is indispensable, but not sufficient on its own: contacting journalists is essential if we hope to get any responses. Media professionals are very busy and don't necessarily find the time to open all the messages sent to them. That's why it's important to think about the subject of your e-mail, so that it catches their attention and makes them want to find out more. This is one of the first strategies you need to develop before embarking on a press relations assignment.

• Identifying the right contacts

As well as writing this e-mail header, it's also necessary to personalize all messages sent to journalists. To begin with, it's important to ask yourself which media are most relevant to the specific project you wish to promote (in this case, Bien Ficelé's green terrace). There are two points to consider:

• Identify the journalists who have already visited your establishment when it opened, but also those who have enjoyed it and written about it.
• Look for media likely to be interested in this type of discovery (in this case, media that list good ideas for summer outings, or those that share their gastronomic discoveries with their readers).

Once the media have been identified, the second step is to identify the right contacts within the media who are likely to be interested in writing an article about the establishment.

• Customize your approach

Once you've compiled a list of journalists to contact, the next step is to gather information about each of them: professional background, articles written, topics covered, areas of interest...This information is used to build a personalized, relevant message to arouse their interest in the project presented. For example, if the journalist works for a lifestyle magazine that lists the best Parisian terraces to visit in summer, the first and second promises will be highlighted through the advantages offered by the Bien Ficelé terrace (surface area, exposure, atmosphere). On the other hand, if an information professional is attracted by environmental themes, the third promise should be at the forefront of the message sent.

• An invitation for two

The aim of these contacts is to introduce journalists to Bien Ficelé's new terrace, so that they can form their own opinion of the establishment. To this end, the restaurateurs have agreed to invite each of them to lunch, dinner or brunch, and to offer them the possibility of bringing along a guest of their choice. This invitation makes it easier for the media to attend, but in no way implies any obligation on their part to write. On the other hand, negative feedback from a guest is never useless.At Bien Ficelé, no journalist has ever been disappointed! The terrace and the brunch experience were appreciated by the professionals. In the space of just three months, we've seen some excellent results.

IV) Measuring return on investment: analyzing your restaurant's press coverage

We obtained extremely varied and complementary press coverage: Parisian lifestyle media(Lebonbon, MylittleParis, SortiràParis, Finedininglovers, ), the women's press(Vogue, Vanity Fair), traditional media(Le Figaro, le JDD) or specialized blogs(lespiedsdansleplat) talked about their experience at Bien Ficelé. All these media have enabled us to reach a wide audience and make Bien Ficelé's green terrace a must-see for summer 2019.

• Bien Ficelé ranked among the best Parisian terraces

Bien Ficelé is ranked among the best Parisian terraces for a delicious meal or aperitif in the sun. These are Vanity Fair, Le Bonbon, Le Figaroscope and Finedininglovers who reserved a place of choice for the establishment in their top of the best terraces to discover this summer. Bien Ficelé was described as " a haven of peace on Boulevard Voltaire not to be missed! ".

• Bien Ficelé selected as one of the best brunches in Paris

Le Figaro has included Bien Ficelé in its selection of the best brunches. Appearing in a media ranking enables a restaurant to stand out from its competitors, and readers to gain valuable feedback on the establishment.

• Bien Ficelé ranked among Paris's top-quality carnivorous restaurants

Other articles focused on the quality of the meats on offer, withLe Journal du Dimanche highlighting the quality of the raw materials and the traceable, validated origins, while Vogue highlighted the cuisine, which it described as "a new kind of rotisserie". "a new kind of rotisserie"..

Conclusion: convincing figures and a fruitful collaboration

In just three months, the results are clear: Bien Ficelé has raised its profile in the media, and its terrace terrace has become a must-see summer venue.. More than a few journalists have been tempted to stop in for lunch, dinner or even brunch, and then write an article about it. The success of the campaign was due in no small part to the fact that press relations work was carried out in an optimal, personalized, well-thought-out and targeted manner. Influencers with engaged communities can also help get the word out about your restaurant and attract new customers. We developed this point in this article.